tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10948997447939682282024-03-13T03:27:24.859-05:00Reformation 500th Year AnniversaryReal Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-54193873821653126152017-11-25T14:50:00.000-06:002017-11-25T14:50:37.415-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 48 JOHN CALVIN’S LEGACY<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 48 jOHN Calvin’s
Legacy</u></span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">“Calvin’s greatest achievement in the final
years of his life was the establishment of the Geneva Academy, the first
Protestant university anywhere. Calvin realized the need for an educated
ministry. From his study of the Scriptures he also realized that God’s glory
involves more than merely saving souls. This world is God’s world. The way men
deal with each other is of concern to God. Therefore, government workers,
doctors, lawyers, and all others needed a training that recognized and honored
God” (Kuiper, <i>Church in History</i>, 199).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">“</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Calvin’s
view that God reigns everywhere and over all things led him to develop the
biblical idea that man can serve God in every area of life – church, civil
government, education, art, music, business, law, journalism. There was no need
to be a priest, a monk, or a nun to get closer to God. God is glorified in
everyday work and family life” (DeMar, <i>Reformation</i>, 207). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> From
“its beginning in 1559 the Geneva Academy enjoyed the highest reputation. Soon
nine hundred boys were enrolled, coming from all over Europe. It wasn’t long
before the king of France sent an official warning to Geneva complaining of all
the preachers coming from this headquarters of Protestantism…. Calvin gained
followers everywhere. His influence extended even into Italy, Hungary, Poland
and western Germany…. Through him the light of the Gospel radiated from the
little city of Geneva into every corner of Europe. Calvin was the only
international Reformer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> “That
Calvin could do so enormous a work is all the more amazing because he was frail
of body, and much of the time suffered exceedingly from a complication of
painful diseases. But his will triumphed over all difficulties and obstacles,
God working with him. Worn out with his difficult and extensive labors, Calvin
died May 27, 1564. His coat of arms was a hand holding a flaming heart. His
motto was: … ‘My heart for Your cause I offer to You, Lord, promptly and
sincerely’.” (Kuiper, 199-200). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">“The
earliest and most influential settlers of the United States – the Puritans of
England, the Presbyterians of Scotland and Ireland, the Huguenots of France,
the Reformed from Holland and the Palatinate [in Germany] – were Calvinists,
and brought with them the Bible and the Reformed Confessions of Faith.
Calvinism was the ruling theology of New England during the whole Colonial
Period” (Schaff, 8:vi). </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: windowtext; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">“The resistance of the Second Continental
Congress to British tyranny in 1776 and the establishment of republican
principles in the Constitution of the United States of America in 1787 owe much
to the political thought of John Calvin” (Mark Larson, <i>Calvin’s Doctrine of
the State</i>, 99). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">“It is undeniable that he had a large
influence on the American founding fathers, who had absorbed much more
Calvinism, particularly in their views of the nature of man and the need for
limited government, than some realize” (David Hall, </span><i style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">The Legacy of John Calvin</i><span style="background-color: white; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">,
40). George Bancroft, the American historian, who himself was not a Calvinist,
“credited the ‘free institutions of America’ as being derived ‘chiefly from
Calvinism through the medium of Puritanism, … concluding: ‘He that will not
honor the memory and respect the influence of Calvin knows but little of the
origin of American liberty” (Ibid. 12). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17a7339261Qm9I3/WEEK%2048%20Calvin's%20Legacy.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 John Calvin's Legacy</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17a9c63fbhAuh1l/WEEK%2048.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 48</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-88446118399833198092017-11-25T14:46:00.000-06:002017-11-25T14:46:04.879-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 48: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 123<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 48</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 123</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 123: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
second petition</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">? <b>“Your kingdom come;” that is, so govern us
by Your Word and Spirit, that we submit ourselves to You always more and more;
preserve and increase Your Church; destroy the works of the devil, every power
that exalts itself against You, and all wicked devices formed against Your holy
Word, until the fullness of Your kingdom come, wherein You shall be all in all.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">We
learned from Questions 50-51 that the Lord Jesus Christ has a universal kingdom
over all things (Eph. 1:20-23). He is “the ruler over the kings of the earth”
(Rev. 1:5). “He is the head of the whole world by way of dominion, but a head
to the church by way of union and special influence (John 17:2).… The Church is
His special care and charge. He rules the world for its good” (Flavel, <i>The
Mystery of Providence</i>, 27). We learned that Christ rules us through the
ministry of His Word and Spirit (Eph. 4:7-13), that He preserves His ministry,
gives His Church resting places, makes His Word effectual to the conversion of
the elect (Rom. 10:17). He will defend us against all enemies (the devil, the
evil world, and our inborn sin), and He will at length bring us to heavenly
glory. “For He must reign, until He has put all enemies under His feet. The
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25-26). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Jesus
said this spiritual kingdom will increase and spread to all nations (Matt.
13:31-32). It comes to us, first, “by conversion, when some are converted to
God, who grants to them faith and repentance [Col. 1:13].” Secondly, “when the
godly make progress in holiness [Rom. 14:17; Rev. 22:11];” and ultimately, “by
the perfection and glorification of the church at the second coming of Christ
[Eph. 5:27]” (Ursinus, 636). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Therefore,
when we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we desire that “this kingdom may come,
increase and be defended …. we desire both that it may be established among and
in us in this life, and that it may be brought to its highest and ultimate
development in the life to come [1 Cor. 15:28]” (Ursinus, 633). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">We
desire and pray, <u>first,</u> that God may “so govern us by Your Word and
Spirit, that we submit ourselves to You always more and more.” “Oh, that my
ways were directed to keep Your commandments” (Ps. 119:5; see also verse 35). <u>Second</u>,
“preserve and increase Your Church.” “Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
build the walls of Jerusalem” (Ps. 51:18; cf. Heb. 12:22-24). <u>Third</u>, “destroy
the works of the devil, every power that exalts itself against You, and all
wicked devices formed against Your holy Word.” “Let God arise, let His enemies
be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away,
so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at
the presence of God” (Ps. 68:1-2). “May sinners be consumed from the earth, and
the wicked be no more” (Ps. 104:35). <u>Fourth</u>, cause “the fullness of Your
kingdom to come, wherein You shall be all in all [1 Cor. 15:28].” “Even so,
come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“We ought to pray that the kingdom of God may come both as
to its commencement and ultimate development,” first, “for the sanctification
and hallowing of His name; for that we may sanctify the name of God, it is
necessary that He should rule us by His Word and Spirit.” Second, for “our
comfort and salvation. God gives this kingdom to none except those who desire
and pray for it, just as He gives His Holy Spirit to none but such as desire
Him [Luke 11:13]” (Ursinus, 636).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17a1c42eN7ygisk/WEEK%2048%20HC%20123.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 123</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17a9c63fbhAuh1l/WEEK%2048.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 48</a></div>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-19483924492432595402017-11-25T14:42:00.002-06:002017-11-25T14:46:27.246-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 47 THE HEIDELBERG CATECHISM<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 47 Heidelberg Catechism</u></span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">In
1555 the Peace of Augsburg granted equal legal status in Germany to Lutheranism
and Roman Catholicism. Each local ruler determined the religion of his
territory; and minorities were free to relocate. But Zwinglians, Calvinists,
and Anabaptists were not granted legal recognition (Bainton, <i>Reformation</i>,
155).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">In
1559, Frederick III became ruler of a territory called the Palatinate. In its
capital city of Heidelberg, there was great controversy over the doctrine of
the Lord’s Supper; one party was inclined to the Lutheran view, the other, to
the Reformed view. After studying both sides, Frederick declared himself in
1560 in favor of the Reformed doctrine; he “was the first German prince who
professed the Reformed Creed, as distinct from the Lutheran” (Scaff, <i>Creeds</i>,
1:532). After introducing Reformed worship throughout his country, he turned
his attention to the need for a catechism to help the churches in his land to
be <i>Reformed</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Caspar
Olevianus</span></u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> was born in
1536 in the ancient German City of Trier. As “a young law student he joined the
underground Protestant movement in France” (Lyle Bierma, <i>A Firm Foundation</i>).
In 1556, be became friends with Prince Herman, the son of Frederick III. One day
when they were walking along a river they met some fellow students who were
drunk, “and asked the prince and Caspar to cross the river with them in a
boat.” Olevianus failed to convince the prince to remain on shore. While Caspar
looked on, the boat flipped upside down, and the students began to drown. “Seeing
the prince in danger, Olevianus leapt into the river, in an attempt to save
him.” But “he failed and only endangered himself and later confessed that, out
of terror, he vowed that if God should save him, he would serve the Lord as a
preacher to Germans. One of the prince’s servants saved him, mistaking him for
the prince” (R. Scott Clark, <i>Caspar Olevianus and the Substance of the
Covenant</i>, 12). After studying theology with Calvin in Geneva, he returned
to his hometown of Trier in 1559. But Roman Catholic opposition frustrated his
reform efforts; and he and his cohorts were thrown into prison. Through the
intervention of Frederick III, whose son Olevianus had tried to save from
drowning, he was released and brought to Heidelberg in 1560 where he became a theological
professor and pastor of the Holy Ghost Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Zacharias
Ursinus </span></u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">was born at
Breslau (modern-day Poland). He had studied at Wittenberg with Melanchthon and
completed his studies under Calvin in Geneva. “Calvin was deeply impressed with
him and presented him a set of his books” (Masselink, <i>The Heidelberg Story</i>,
70). In 1560, Frederick called him to Heidelberg as professor of theology. In
1562, Frederick commissioned his Heidelberg theologians to prepare a catechism.
Some scholars still hold the opinion “that Ursinus contributed the content and
Olevianus the form” (<i>Essays on the Heidelberg Catechism,</i> 79). The Heidelberg
Catechism was published in January, 1563. Frederick himself later inserted
Question and Answer 80 to further condemn the Roman Catholic Mass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Frederick
faced charges of violating the Peace of Augsburg, but after a valiant defense
of the biblical basis of the Catechism, he was permitted to rule his country as
a Calvinist till he passed away in 1576</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">. <span style="background: white;">However, not until the Peace
of Westphalia in 1648 were Calvinists added to the list of tolerated religions.</span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The remainder of the Catechism will explain the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer.<br />
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<div style="font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17bd4313MQ9Y7Jt/WEEK%2046%20Belgic%20Confession.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 122</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17aec8b0nlt6HWg/WEEK%2047.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 47</a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-18851403357062419032017-11-25T14:39:00.000-06:002017-11-25T14:39:05.619-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 47: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 122<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 47</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 122</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 122: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
first petition</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">? <b>“<u>Hallowed be Your name</u>;” that is,
grant us, <u>first</u>, rightly to know You, and to sanctify, magnify, and
praise You in all Your works, in which Your power, goodness, justice, mercy,
and truth shine forth; and <u>further</u>, that we so order our whole life, our
thoughts, words, and deeds, that Your name may not be blasphemed, but honored
and praised on our account.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“<b><i>Hallowed by thy name</i>,</b> is placed first in order, because it
comprehends the end and design of all the rest, inasmuch as the glory of God
should be the end of all our affairs, actions, and prayers [1 Cor. 10:31]”
(Ursinus, 629). <o:p></o:p></div>
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God’s <u>primary name</u> is
Jehovah or Yahweh – the equivalent of <b>I AM</b> – translated LORD in our
English Bibles. “I am the LORD, that is My name” (Isaiah 42:8). “The LORD <i>is</i>
His name” (Ex. 15:3). God’s name is a revelation of who He is: “You shall
worship no other god, for the LORD whose name <i>is</i> Jealous, <i>is</i> a
Jealous God” (Ex. 34:14). “In Scripture, God calls Himself by various
descriptive names and titles such as ‘Lord,’ ‘God,’ ‘Almighty,’ ‘Father,’
‘Son,’ ‘Jesus,’ ‘Christ,’ ‘Holy Spirit,’ and many more…. Thus, God’s name
stands for Himself and all that He does as He reveals Himself in His Word and
in His works [Psalm 19]” (Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>, 311). <u>To hallow God’s
name is the opposite of taking His name in vain</u>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The word <i>hallow</i> is the same word as <i>sanctify</i>.
To sanctify means either to <i>make</i>
someone holy that is not holy, or to <i>treat</i> someone holy who is already
holy. God “is holiness itself” (Ursinus, 630). Therefore, to sanctify God is to
know and praise Him as He truly is: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the LORD of hosts; the
whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). “We must know and think
concerning His essence, will, works, omnipotence, goodness, wisdom, and all His
other attributes, what He commands us in His Word to know and think respecting
them [John 17:3]” (Ursinus, 630). Therefore, we must diligently study God’s
Word, and pray for the Spirit’s enlightenment, so that we might praise and
magnify all God’s attributes, as the biblical writers teach us in many places.
“Great and marvelous are Your works, LORD God <u>Almighty</u>” (Rev. 15:3). “Praise the LORD, O give thanks to
the LORD; for He is <u>good</u>”
(Ps. 106:1) “His work is <u>perfect</u>; for all His ways are <u>justice</u>” (Deut. 32:4). “You,
LORD, are <u>good</u>, and <u>ready to forgive</u>, and abundant in <u>mercy</u> to all those who call upon
You” (Ps. 86:5); “bless His name. For the LORD is <u>good</u>; His <u>mercy</u>
is everlasting, and His <u>truth</u>
endures to all generations” (Ps. 100:4-5). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our whole life, thoughts, words,
and deeds, must praise and honor God. As God’s adopted children, His image is
being restored in us. “Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children” (Eph.
5:1). “Be holy for <b>I AM</b> holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). “Just as it is shame and
disgrace to an earthly father to have a bad, unruly child, so God is dishonored
if we who are called by His name and enjoy His manifold blessings fail to speak
and live as godly children” (Martin Luther). God told adulterous King David:
“by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to
blaspheme [ridicule]” His name (2 Sam. 12:14; cf. Rom. 2:24; 1 Tim. 5:14; Titus
3:5).<o:p></o:p></div>
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“But we cannot by ourselves
sanctify the name of God. Therefore, we must pray to God to grant to us the
strength by which we may hallow the name of God; yea, that He Himself would
hallow His holy name in us [1 Pet. 3:15]” (Ursinus, 632). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fc6eb6dpCuRwni/WEEK%2045%20HC%20116-119.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 116-119</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fc9b511rKUZP4m/WEEK%2045.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 45</a></div>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-13871083503339887192017-11-25T14:37:00.001-06:002017-11-25T14:37:27.770-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 46 DE BRES AND THE BELGIC CONFESSION<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 46</u> De Bres and the Belgic Confession</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> In 1521, Emperor Charles V, who regretted
that he had not burned Luther at Worms, issued from Worms an edict to suppress
heresy in the Lowlands, now known as Belgium. In 1522, Guido de Bres
(pronounced GEE-doe de Bray) was born in a Belgium city called Mons. That year
in Antwerp a “monastery was burned to the ground because some of its monks had
listened to the Protestant heresy” (Van Halsema, <i>Glorious Heretic</i>, 102).
“To Belgium belongs the honor of having furnished the first martyrs of
evangelical Protestantism in Henry Voes and John Esch, two Augustinian monks,
who were burned at the stake in Brussels, July 1, 1523, … and who were
celebrated by Luther in a stirring hymn” (</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Schaff, <i>Creeds
of Christendom</i>, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">1:503</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">).</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Guido “was fourteen when the great Bible
translator, William Tyndale of England, was strangled and burned to death near
Antwerp.” Guido “was converted sometime before he became twenty-five,” and in
1548 he fled “to England where the boy king Edward VI had come to the throne”
(Van Halsema, 104). There he benefited greatly from his contacts with other
Protestant refugees (like Martin Bucer). But as soon as bloody Mary came to the
throne, Guido decided to return to Belgium. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> In October, 1555, Charles V (emperor of
Germany, Spain, and the Lowlands, master of all the then known parts of Asia,
Africa, and the New World) decided to </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">become a
monk. He was succeeded by his son Philip of Spain (whose third wife was bloody
Mary). “It was his consuming passion to kill every person not faithful to the
Church of Rome” (Van Halsema, 95). Guido fled to Geneva, Switzerland, where for
the next several years “he learned from the preaching of John Calvin and the
teaching of Theodore Beza…Guido became an expert in Hebrew and Greek,” and
“learned to show mercy to people who were hurting” (William Boekestein, </span><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Faithfulness
under Fire</i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> After three years of study, Guido boarded
a river boat on the Rhine and arrived in a Belgian town called Doornik, where
he became the pastor of the secret Protestant Church called The Church of the
Palm. “He was thirty-seven years old, and in many ways his life of hiding and
fleeing had been a lonely one.” He spoke of his love to a young woman named
“Catherine Ramon and told her he could offer her only a life of uncertainty. It
was enough, she answered, to love each other and to know their lives were in
God’s good hands.” Sometime in 1559 they were married; the next year they had a
son and “named him Israel” (Van Halsema, 107-108). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> While Guido was hiding, he wrote his <i>Confession
of Faith</i> (patterned after the <i>French Gallican Confession</i> of 1559
written by Calvin). In the copies of the Confession printed in 1561 the first
pages contained an open letter to King Philip, asking him to stop fighting
against the church (Guido secretly tossed his Confession with its introductory
letter over the walls of the king’s castle). Guido said that he and his friends
“were ready to obey the government in all lawful things, although they would ‘offer
their backs to stripes, their tongues to knives, their mouths to gags, and
their whole bodies to the fire, rather than deny the truth of God’s Word.’ …
Though the confession failed to stem the tide of persecution, it was
instrumental in helping thousands understand the Reformed faith. Guido de Bres
was eventually captured and he sealed his confession with martyr’s blood in
1567” (RCUS <i>Three Forms of Unity</i>, 52).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17bd4313MQ9Y7Jt/WEEK%2046%20Belgic%20Confession.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 DeBres and the Belgic Confession</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fc9b511rKUZP4m/WEEK%2045.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 45</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-15825521525344682732017-11-25T14:33:00.000-06:002017-11-25T14:34:46.851-06:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 46: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 120-121<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 46</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 120-121</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 120: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Why did
Christ command us to address God THUS: “Our Father”</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>To awaken in us at the very
beginning of our prayer that childlike reverence for and trust in God, which
are to be the ground of our prayer, namely, that God has become our Father
through Christ, and will much less deny us what we ask of Him in faith than our
parents refuse us earthly things.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Christ commands us who believe in
Him to call God <i>Father</i>,<i> </i>that at the very beginning of our prayer
we may remember the <u>ground</u> or <u>foundation</u> of our prayer: “that the
eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…is for the sake of Christ, His Son, my
God and my Father [John 20:17]” (Q&A 26); and, therefore, that we may pray
the way God’s adopted children should pray: <u>with childlike reverence for and
trust in God</u>. “A son honors his father…If then I am the Father, where is My
honor?” (Mal. 1:6). “Or what man is there among you, if his son asks for bread,
will give him a stone? …If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things
to those who ask Him” (Matt. 7:9, 11). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Christ directs us to say <i>our </i>Father,
and not <i>my</i> Father, <u>first</u>, “that He may excite in us a confidence
of being heard: for since, we do not pray alone, but seeing that the whole
church unites its voice with ours, God will not reject the prayers of the whole
church, but hears them, according as it is said: ‘Where two or three are
gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them’ [Matt. 18:20] ….
<u>Second</u>, that He might admonish us to mutual love. Christians possessing
mutual love should pray for one another [1 John 5:1-2]” (Ursinus, 628). <o:p></o:p></div>
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God has always been the Father of
His chosen people. “I am a Father to Israel” (Jer. 31:9). OT believers were also called the children of God (Ex. 4:22);
and they called God “Father.” “You, O LORD, are our Father” (Isaiah
63:16). “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, <i>our Father</i>, forever and
ever” (1 Chron. 29:10). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 121: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Why is it
added: “in heaven”?</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">
<b>That we might have no earthly thought of the heavenly majesty of God, and from
His almighty power expect all things necessary for body and soul<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The fact that God is said to be “in
heaven” does not mean He is confined there. God is everywhere. Solomon prayed,
“Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You” (1 Kings 8:27).
God is said to dwell in heaven because heaven is like a royal palace where God
manifests His glory and majesty in a more glorious way than He does on earth.
Therefore, when we pray to our Father <i>in</i> <i>heaven</i>, we must remember
that He is <i>not</i> an earthly father. He is not the man upstairs. We are not
even to think of our Lord Jesus Christ in earthly terms (2 Cor. 5:16). God is
eternal and all-powerful, infinitely higher and greater than the greatest
earthly father. Our earthy parents make lots of mistakes, and they cannot love
us perfectly. But our heavenly Father never makes a mistake. His love is
unfailing and everlasting (Jer. 31:3)! “Being in heaven and being God, our
Father can give us all things necessary for body and soul through Jesus Christ;
and we can confidently expect Him to do so. Nothing is too hard for Him” [Gen.
18:14; Ps. 103:19; 115:3; Luke 2:37]” (Jones, <i>Study Helps,</i> 309).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13.2px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d2415883duHvFrMn/WEEK%2046%20HC%20120.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 120-121</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/5a19d17c12186pLON7hT/WEEK%2046.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 46</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-36130191262516289832017-11-04T12:29:00.000-05:002017-11-04T12:35:44.381-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 45: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 116-119<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 45</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 116-119</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 116: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Why is
prayer necessary for Christians</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
<b>Because it is the chief part of
thankfulness which God requires of us, and because God will give His grace and
Holy Spirit only to those who earnestly and without ceasing ask them of Him,
and render thanks unto Him for them.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Christian
life is a life of thankfulness. Prayer is the chief or main part of showing
ourselves thankful for our salvation. God saved us <i>first</i> of all that we
might <i>thank</i> and <i>praise</i> Him for His glorious grace. “Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ …having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of
His will, <u>to the praise of the glory of His grace</u>” (Eph. 1:3, 5-6). You
are “His own special people, that you may <u>proclaim the praises</u> of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9; cf. Psalm
103:1-2; 116:12-17). “No one has faith who is not thankful for it; for all
those who possess true faith taste the grace of God, and those who have tasted
the grace of God show themselves thankful to God for it, and desire it more and
more” (Ursinus, 620). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The second reason
why prayer is necessary is because it is God’s appointed way for us to receive
all those things that are necessary both for soul and body. “Call upon Me in
the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm
50:15). “For everyone who asks receives” (Luke 11:10). Our Father in heaven
already knows what we need (Matt. 6:8) but still He requires us to ask Him,
because He wants <i>us</i> to realize what our <i>real</i> <i>needs</i> are;
and that <i>He</i> is the only who can meet our needs. “We do not obtain the
blessings which are necessary for us, except we ask them at the hands of God;
for He has promised them to none but such as ask. Prayer is, therefore, just as
necessary for us as it is necessary for a beggar to ask alms” (Ursinus, 620). <o:p></o:p></div>
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But don’t the
wicked receive many gifts from God, who nevertheless do not ask or desire them?
“The wicked do indeed received many gifts [Matt. 5:45]; but not such as are
principle nor peculiar to the elect, as faith, repentance, conversion,
remission of sins and regeneration. And still further, the gifts they do
receive do not contribute to their salvation, but to their destruction”
(Ursinus, 620). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our
greatest need as Christians is for a continual supply of God’s grace and Holy
Spirit, so that we might live an obedient and thankful life. Jesus says to all
believers: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask Him!” Since we believers already have the Holy Spirit, to ask our
Father to give us the Holy Spirit is to ask for an <u>increase</u> of the
Spirit’s grace and gifts, primarily the gift of sanctification, which is
precisely what produces in us the faith and desire to call upon Jesus as LORD
(1 Cor. 12:3). “God effects in us a desire for the Holy Spirit and gives Him to
us in the very same moment…. We might also make a distinction between the <u>beginning</u>
and <u>increase</u> of the Spirit within us, inasmuch as we do not desire the
latter before we have the former. No one desires the Holy Spirit, except he in
whom the Spirit dwells” (Ursinus, 621). For the Christian, prayer is a way of
life: giving thanks, praying for help, and giving thanks for the help received:
“pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God”
(1 Thess. 5:18; cf. Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6-7). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 117: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What
belongs to such prayer which is acceptable to God and which He will hear</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b><u>First</u>, that with
our whole heart we call only upon the one true God, who has revealed Himself to
us in His Word, for all that He has commanded us to ask of Him; <u>second</u>, that we thoroughly know
our need and misery, so as to humble ourselves in the presence of His divine
majesty; <u>third</u>, that we
be firmly assured that notwithstanding our unworthiness He will, for the sake
of Christ our Lord, certainly hear our prayer, as He has promised us in His
Word<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Three things are
necessary for our prayers to be acceptable to God. <u>First</u>, we must
sincerely ask the true God <u>what He commands</u> us to ask. “God is Spirit,
and those who worship Him must worship in spirit [sincerely] and truth
[according to Scripture]” (John 4:24). “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that <i>if we ask anything
according to His will</i>, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). “God does not desire us
to direct vague and wandering petitions to Him, being uncertain what we should
pray for. A king would consider himself derided and mocked if anyone were to
kneel before him, without knowing what to ask as his hands” (Ursinus, 620). <u>Second</u>,
we must ask <u>with</u> <u>humility</u>, which is to realize how unworthy we
are to receive the help we so desperately need. “I am not worthy of the least
of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown me” (Gen. 32:10);
“we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor
do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (2 Chron. 20:12). <u>Third</u>,
we must ask <u>with assurance</u> that God will hear our prayer for Jesus’
sake. Jesus said, “whatever you ask [<i>according to His will</i>] in My name,
that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask
anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14; cf. Mark 11:24; Heb. 11:6). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 118: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What has
God commanded us to ask of Him</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
<b>All things necessary for soul and body,
which Christ our Lord comprised in the prayer which He Himself taught us.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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When the
disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), Jesus taught them
what we call the Lord’s Prayer (recorded in Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13).
Jesus did not say, “Pray these exact words and no other.” He said, “In <i>this</i>
<i>manner</i>, pray” (Matt. 6:9); that is, pray <i>like</i> this. The Lord’s Prayer “contains, in the most condense form,
all things which are to be sought as necessary for soul and body. It is in like
manner a rule or pattern with which all our prayers ought to conform and
agree…. Hence Augustine declares that all the prayers of the saints which we
have in the Scriptures are contained in the Lord’s Prayer. Augustine also adds,
that we are at liberty to express the same things in other words when we pray”
(Ursinus, 625-626).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 119: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
Lord’s Prayer</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your
name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For
Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The remainder of
the Catechism will explain the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fc6eb6dpCuRwni/WEEK%2045%20HC%20116-119.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 116-119</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fc9b511rKUZP4m/WEEK%2045.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 45</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-51311121876429920082017-11-04T12:27:00.001-05:002017-11-04T12:27:50.322-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 44: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 113-115<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 44</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 113-115</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 113: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
the tenth Commandment require</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">?
<b>That not even the least inclination or
thought against any commandment of God ever enter our heart, but that with our
whole heart we continually hate all sin and take pleasure in all righteousness.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Tenth
Commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house [or wife, or anything
that is your neighbor’s],” is the one commandment that speaks <i>directly</i>
to the heart. The word <i>covet</i> means
“strong desire.” By itself it is not a bad word. It depends on what we strongly
desire. We can earnestly desire <i>good</i> things, as Paul commanded us in 1
Corinthians 12:31: “<i>covet</i> [earnestly
desire] the best gifts.” The Tenth Commandment forbids “coveting those things
which God has forbidden” (Ursinus, 606). Even if we don’t <i>take</i> what belongs to our neighbor, it is a sin to <i>want</i> it. Even if we don’t sleep with our
neighbor’s spouse it is a sin to wish we could. Even if we don’t rob a bank, it
is a sin to wish we could and to rejoice in others who do. Love “does not
rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). The Tenth
Commandment is last to teach us that obeying <i>all</i> of God’s commands is a matter of the heart. “You shall <u>love</u>
the LORD your God with all your <u>heart</u>” (Deut. 6:5). “You shall <u>not
hate</u> your brother <u>in your heart</u>…. but you shall <u>love</u> your
neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:17-18). “The Lord Jesus Christ re-emphasized
this truth in His sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20-48), that the commandments
require heart-purity and heartfelt love to God and our neighbor. The natural,
unregenerate man – such as the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were proud of their
outward obedience and resented Jesus’ teaching about the heart [<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Matt. 23:28; John 7:7</span>]”
<span style="font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>,
283).</span><span style="font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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When God redeems
us by faith in Jesus Christ, He not only forgives the eternal <i>penalty</i> of our wicked heart, He also <i>purifies</i> our hearts in sanctification,
so that with our whole heart we continually hate all sin (even the least
inclination or thought against any commandment of God) and take pleasure in all righteousness. “Make me walk in the path of Your
commandments, for I <u>delight</u> in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
and not to covetousness” (Psalm 119:35-36). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The cure for covetousness is contentment. “Let
your conduct be without <u>covetousness</u>;
and be <u>content</u> with such
things as you have: for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you”
(Heb. 13:5). “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be <u>content</u>. But those who <u>desire</u> to be rich fall into temptation…For
the <u>love</u> of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:8-10). Therefore,
to sum up how to be content: “1. We must be satisfied with what God gives us
because He is free and sovereign, and He gives us what He wishes us to have for
our best. He alone is Master of our lives. 2. God is all-wise and infinitely
good in giving His gifts. His love toward us in Christ is perfect. He never
withholds from us that which is for our spiritual good and for His glory. To
think that God would be unfair to us is folly and unbelief. We deserve nothing,
and all we have, we have received by God’s rich mercy. 3. Contentment with
God’s providence enables us to live in peace and joy, in gratitude and praise.
The unsatisfied person is never happy, and is likely to break the commandments
of God in order to get what he desires. Having the Lord and His salvation, we
need nothing more, and our joy is full” (Jones, 284).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 114: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Can those
who are converted to God keep these Commandments perfectly</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">? <b>No, but even the holiest of men, while in this life, have only a small
beginning of such obedience, yet so that with <u>earnest</u> <u>purpose</u>
they begin to live not only according to some, but according to all the
Commandments of God.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span>“The natural man, who is
un-regenerated, is not able to obey God’s holy will in any degree [Rom. 8:7] ….
But the question asks if the <i>converted</i> or regenerated person can keep
God’s holy commands perfectly.” Since the regenerated person “still has his ‘old
man,’ the old nature of sin, he is unable to give God perfect obedience…. The
most sanctified Christians, such as the Apostles, are still sinful and not
perfect. The Scriptures tell us of Noah’s drunkenness [Gen. 9:21]. Job cursing
the day of his birth (Job 3:1-2), David’s acts of adultery and murder (2 Sam.
11), Peter’s shameful denial of his Lord (Luke 22:54-62), and Paul’s confession
of indwelling sin (Rom. 7:21). … Christ taught us to pray for <i>daily</i>
forgiveness, even as we pray for our <i>daily</i> bread (Matt. 6:11-12; cf. 1
John 1:8-10)” (Jones, 287-288). Since the Lord commands us to “be perfect, just
as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48), we only have a small
beginning of the obedience which God requires. But at least by God’s grace we
have a beginning, and an <u>earnest purpose</u> to obey <i>all</i> of God’s
commands, just as Paul did: “I <u>delight</u> in the law of God according to
the inward man” (Rom. 7:22). “For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments” (1 John 5:3). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 115: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Why then
does God so strictly enjoin the Ten Commandments upon us, since in this life no
one can keep them</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">? <b><u>First</u>,
that as long as we live we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature,
and so the more earnestly seek forgiveness of sins
and righteousness in Christ; <u>second</u>,
that without ceasing we diligently ask God for the grace of the Holy Spirit,
that we be renewed more and more after the image of God, until we attain the
goal of perfection after this life.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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There are <u>two reasons</u> why God
requires us to obey His commands perfectly even though we never will in this
life. <u>First</u>, the more we learn what God requires in His commands, the
more we discover how far short we fall (Rom. 3:20-23; 7:7); and the more earnestly
we seek forgiveness and righteousness in Christ. “O wretched man that I am! Who
will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our
Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25). <u>Second</u>, God’s law is not only designed to drive
us to Christ for<i> </i>forgiveness but also for<i> renewal</i>
(sanctification), so that God’s holy image is more and more restored in us
(Eph. 5:1). We not only need <i>daily</i> <i>forgiveness</i>
for covetousness, we also need <i>daily</i> <i>renewal</i> so that we “put to
death…evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5) and learn to
be more content with the Lord’s loving presence in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). “Not
that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I
may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of
me...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those
things which are ahead…. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:12-13, 20). So,
“God commands us to seek and to desire the perfect fulfillment of the law in
this life…because He purposes at length to accomplish it in those who desire
it, and to grant it to us after this life, if we here truly and heartily desire
it” (Ursinus, 616).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fccc8eeARP3LyT/WEEK%2044%20HC%20113-15.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation HC Lord's Day 44 QA 113-115</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59fdf6fd3a99cGJM5mgX/WEEK%2044.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 44</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-4225731083362146502017-10-21T15:03:00.000-05:002017-11-04T12:23:26.916-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 43 KNOX REFORMS SCOTLAND<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 43</u> KNOX REFORMS SCOTLAND</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">After
bloody Mary came to the English throne, John Knox fled for his life; and “ended
up as co-pastor of the English refugee congregation in Calvin’s Geneva,” which
he said was “the happiest period of his life” (Needham, <i>2000 years</i>,
3:407). In 1558 he wrote his first revolutionary book, in which he argued that
“female rule…contradicted both the law of nature and God’s revealed law in
Scripture, and female rulers must be deposed. The treatise was aimed chiefly
against Mary Tudor [bloody Mary];” but “soon after the book’s publication, Mary
Tudor died and was succeeded by a female Protestant sovereign, Elizabeth [who
helped to make England a Protestant country again]. Knox’s book alienated
Elizabeth badly,” and “also outraged most Protestants,” including Calvin who
“had its sale in Geneva banned” (Ibid. 408). On the whole, Calvin and Knox were
on the same page. Knox judged Geneva to be “the most perfect school of Christ
that ever was in the earth since the days of the apostles.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">In
1559, Knox returned to Scotland, “determined to do for his country what Calvin
had done for the city of Geneva” (Nichols, <i>Reformation</i>, 97). “In May,
after he preached a fiery sermon that making images of Jesus, God, and saints
and praying to them is against the Bible, his listeners became so energized
that they started to destroy all the pictures and statues in the church. The
same thing happened in other cities. Soon there was an actual war, and Mary
Guise [who was ruling Scotland for her sixteen-year-old daughter Mary Stuart
who was also Queen of France] had to ask France to send more troops to help
her. Seeing they could easily be outnumbered, the Protestant lords asked
England to come to their rescue…. Finally, in March 1560, the English army came
to the rescue and defeated the French in battle” (Simonetta Carr, <i>John Knox</i>,
37, 40). In June Mary of Guise died. On August 17, “the Scottish Parliament
decreed a change of religion. Protestantism instead of Catholicism was made the
religion of the country. A Calvinistic confession of faith, largely the work of
John Knox, was adopted. The pope’s authority and all jurisdiction was abolished
and the celebration of the mass was forbidden” (Kuiper, <i>Church in History</i>,
217). In January 1561, Parliament approved Knox’s<i> Book of Discipline</i>,
which introduced Presbyterian church government modeled after Calvin’s system
in Geneva, where each congregation is governed by elders (<i>presbyters</i>),
elected from its own membership. “For the conduct of public worship Knox
prepared a <i>Book of Common Order</i>. To a great extent this order of worship
was based on the form for public worship used by the church of English refugees
in Geneva. That in turn was based on the form designed by Calvin. This form of
worship consisted in prayer, reading of Scripture, the sermon, congregational
singing, and the taking up of an offering” (Kuiper, 218-219). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Mary
Stuart, Scotland’s lawful queen, arrived in August 1561. Her attempt to obtain
freedom to practice her catholic faith was vigorously opposed at every step by
Knox, who “affirmed in a sermon that one mass was more dreadful than an
invasion of Scotland” (Needham, 3:420). Knox was summoned into Mary’s presence
four times, and each time “got the better of the queen,” even once “reducing
her to hysterical tears by his forthright no-nonsense commitment to a
Protestant Scotland in which the idolatry of the mass could have no place”
(Ibid. 421). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59eba5e84134cl9WWypz/WEEK%2043%20Knox%20Reforms%20Scotland.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Knox Reforms Scotland</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59eba5e808e71v7RL2WY/WEEK%2043.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 43</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-34730505938265818162017-10-21T15:01:00.002-05:002017-10-21T15:40:55.272-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 43: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 112<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 43</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 112</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 112: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
the ninth Commandment require</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
</span><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">That I bear false witness against no one,
twist no one’s words, be no backbiter or slanderer, join in condemning no one
unheard or rashly; but that on pain of God’s heavy wrath, I avoid all lying and
deceit as the very works of the devil; and that in matters of judgment and
justice and in all other affairs, I love, speak honestly, and confess the
truth; also, insofar as I can, defend and promote my neighbor’s good name.</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span>The Ninth Commandment, “You shall
not bear false witness against your neighbor,” is designed for “the establishment
and preservation of truth amongst men… for the glory of God and the safety of
our neighbor” (Ursinus, 600-601). Behind this command is the fact that God
Himself is “a God of <i>truth</i> and
without iniquity” (Deut. 32:4); “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb. 6:18). God
created mankind in His image to imitate Him by thinking, speaking, and
practicing the truth. Mankind fell by believing Satan’s lie, “You shall not
surely die.” Mankind is saved by believing the truth: “believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Jesus said, “I am <i>the</i> <i>truth</i>”
(John 14:6). When God redeems us from sin through faith in Jesus Christ, He
gives us a love for truth and a hatred of lies: “lying lips are an abomination
to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Prov. 12:22). Therefore,
by the work of the Holy Spirit, “a righteous man hates lying” (Prov. 13:5). But
the habit of lying, like every sinful habit, is hard to break. Therefore, Paul
tells <i>Christians</i>, “putting away lying, let each of you speak truth with
his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). When we lie, we imitate the devil, who is “the
father of lies” (John 8:44). All liars will suffer God’s eternal wrath in hell
(Rev. 21:8). Believers will suffer God’s loving discipline. God disciplined Jacob
by allowing him to be deceived – first by his uncle Laban; and then by his own
sons who led him to believe that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The reputation
and honor of our neighbor is his sacred right [Prov. 22:1]; and it is a grave
sin to tear down his reputation and good name by speaking lies [25:18], or even
by speaking unkindly about him” (Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>, 280). To twist
someone’s words means “so changing the words of another person that a wrong
message is given [Psalm 56:5] ….
Backbiting is speaking behind a person’s back in an evil and hurtful
manner (even though truthful facts are reported), so that injury is done.
Slander is telling things about another person which we know to be untrue.” <i>Joining
in condemning another person unheard or rashly</i> refers to “<i>believing</i>
a lie on insufficient evidence [Prov. 18:13] …. We must warn others who tell us
questionable things that they must beware of gossip [Prov. 18:8]. Even if we
know something evil about another person, we are <i>not</i> to speak of it to
others before first approaching the person <i>privately</i>
and seeking his repentance – in which case, we should forget the matter and not
repeat it to others [Matt. 18:15]” (Jones, 280-81); “nor are those lies which
are uttered for politeness sake, excused, because we may not do evil, that good
may come…. God did not bless [the Hebrew midwives] because they lied, but because
they feared Him and would not slay the children of the Israelites [Ex. 1:15-21]”
(Ursinus, 601-602). <o:p></o:p></div>
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God told Joshua
to use military deception in defeating Ai (Joshua 8:1-26). May we say that Rahab’s
lie was a form of military deception, since she chose Israel’s side in the war
on Jericho? What about those who hid Jews in Nazi Germany?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59eba5e87cff6hUWHJAW/WEEK%2043%20HC%20112.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 112</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59eba5e808e71v7RL2WY/WEEK%2043.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 43</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-86442398199089881002017-10-14T11:39:00.000-05:002017-10-14T11:40:26.205-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 42: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 110-111<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 42</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 110-111</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 5.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><b style="font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 110: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
God forbid in the eighth Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">?
<b>God forbids not only such theft and
robbery as are punished by the government, but God views as theft also all
wicked tricks and devices, whereby we seek to get our neighbor’s goods, whether
by force or by deceit, such as unjust weights, lengths, measures, goods, coins,
usury, or by any means forbidden of God; also, all covetousness and the misuse
and waste of His gifts.</b></span></div>
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The
Eighth Commandment, “You shall not steal,” is designed for “the preservation of
the property or possessions which God has given to every one for the support of
life” (Ursinus, 595). Behind this commandment is the fact that “all property –
the world itself – belongs first of all to God the Creator: ‘the earth is the
LORD’s, and all its fullness” (Psalm 24:1). The Lord God gives His property to
men as a sacred trust, and each person who owns property is responsible to use
his property to serve God…. Never may we call our property or money absolutely
our <i>own</i>, any more than our bodies and souls are our own, for it all
belongs to our faithful Savior. We are always <i>stewards</i> or <i>caretakers</i>
of God’s possessions…. All that we possess has been given to us by God to be
used for His glory [Matt. 25:14-30]” (Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>, 274). “Behold,
all souls are Mine” (Ezek. 18:4). “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,
says the LORD of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). Daniel rebuked wicked King Belshazzar:
“you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone,
which do not see or hear or know; and <u>the <b>God</b> who holds your breath
in His hands and <b>owns</b> <b>all your ways</b>, you have not glorified</u>”
(Dan. 5:23). The Lord rebuked the wicked servant who buried his talent: “you
ought to have deposited <b>My money</b> with the bankers, and at My coming I
would have received back <b>My own</b> with interest” (Matt. 25:27).<o:p></o:p></div>
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If the
steward mismanages the owner’s property or money it is stealing. If we misuse
and waste God’s gifts we steal from God, by robbing Him of the glory He would
have received had we used our gifts in His service (Eph. 6:5-8). Tithing is a
reminder of stewardship, which is why God says that if we do not tithe we are
stealing from Him. “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, in
what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). <o:p></o:p></div>
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To steal from our neighbor is also to
steal from God, for God has given our neighbors everything they have to be used
for His glory. Therefore, “the private ownership of property is a divine right.
Property belongs to persons and no one has the right to take another person’s
property ‘by force or by deceit.’ … Six <i>deceitful</i> ways of stealing from
our neighbor are listed here: unjust weights, lengths, measures, goods, coins,
usury are mentioned. Weights, lengths, and measures refer to business honesty.
Unjust coins refer to <i>counterfeit</i> <i>coins</i> (coins made of a cheap
metal which are passed off as precious metal) or <i>clipped</i> <i>coins</i> (a
piece shaved of silver and gold coins, a trick often practiced in the Middle
Ages). ‘Usury’ is charging <i>excessive</i> interest on money loaned to another
person, or charging any interest on a loan to a Christian brother in need
(Leviticus 25:35-36). The book of Proverbs has many statements about dealing honestly
and justly with our neighbor. ‘Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
but a just weight is His delight” (Prov. 11:1; cf. 13:11; 14:23; 20:10; Isaiah
1:22-23).… Other forms of cheating are false advertising (television has much
of this!), receiving stolen goods (Prov. 29:24), not paying one’s debts, not
paying wages (Lev. 19:13; James 5:4), and gambling … (Prov. 13:11; 16:8; 2
Thess. 3:10-12)” (Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>, 275). <o:p></o:p></div>
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“The right of private property,
under God, is the foundation of the economic system called ‘capitalism.’ Freedom
and private property are required by God’s Word for man’s societal life. The
United States of America was founded by men who were steeped in these moral
teachings of Scripture received from their Reformed and Puritan heritage. They
embodied the basic principles of private property, economic freedom, and honest
money (money with real value) into our basic law, the United States
Constitution. Ungodly men have tried to do away with the Eighth Commandment” in
exchange for a society in which “the government takes over the land, the
property, and businesses with the promise to ‘help the poor.’ This ungodly kind
of government is called Socialism or Communism or the Welfare State. It has
been tried many times in history,” with the same results: “the persecution of
the church and the enslavement of the people to godless dictators…. It is the
duty of government to protect your rights, not take them away by confiscating
property, imposing excessive taxes, and curtailing your right to work how and
where you wish, by government restrictions. King Ahab sinned against God by
taking away Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21), and King Rehoboam sinned by taxing
the people too heavily (1 Kings 12:3-4, 14, 16)” (Ibid.). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Many socialists argue that the
Bible endorses the common ownership of property in Acts 4:32: “the multitude of
those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that
any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”
But the Bible goes on to make it clear that this practice was <b><i>voluntary</i></b>.
After Ananias and his wife lied about how much money they gave to the common
storehouse, Peter said to them, “While [the land] remained, was it not<i> <b>your own</b></i>? And after it was sold, was it not in<i> <b>your
own control</b></i>” (Acts 5:4).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 111: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">But what
does God require of you in this Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>That I further
my neighbor’s good where I can and may, deal with him as I would have others
deal with me, and labor faithfully, so that I may be able to help the poor in
their need.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Stealing begins with greed in our
heart (Mark 7:22), with a desire to <i>take</i> instead of to <i>give</i>. The
biblical cure for stealing is to ask the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and for
spiritual renewal, so we learn the true meaning of His words, “It is more
blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 22:35). God ordained work as a means to
provide for our needs (Prov. 13:11; 14:23; 1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Cor. 12:14), and to <i>give</i>
to others who are in need. “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let
him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to <i>give</i>
to him who has need” (Eph. 4:28; cf. Prov.
13:22; 19:17; 2 Thess. 3:10). <o:p></o:p></div>
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As believers, we are learning to be faithful stewards, working for
God’s glory, putting off our greed and
putting on hard work and generosity. We are learning to fight against
the desire to be rich (1 Tim. 6:9-10); and if we are rich we are learning not
to “trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all
things to enjoy.” We are learning to “be rich in good works, ready to give,
willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:17-18). God’s grace is teaching us to treat others the
way we want to be treated (Matt. 7:12).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59e23b51772f6Um10glE/WEEK%2042%20HC%20110-111.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 110-111</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59e23b51488b9E3hKFV3/WEEK%2042.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 42</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-54334958324719659912017-10-07T14:24:00.000-05:002017-10-07T14:27:44.550-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 41: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 108-109<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 41</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 108-109</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Question 108: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
the seventh Commandment teach us</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">?
<b>That all unchastity is accursed of God,
and that we should therefore loathe it with our whole heart, and live chastely
and modestly, whether in holy wedlock or in single life.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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The Seventh
Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” forbids more than merely the
outward act of <u>adultery</u> (<u>s</u><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">exual intercourse between a married person and a person who
is not his or her spouse</span></u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">).</span>
Jesus said, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed
adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). Adultery begins with lust in our
heart. “And pornography isn’t just a male problem. Both sexes have immoral
fantasies. Women might be more captured by romantic literature and men by
erotic pictures, but the end result is the same—you are committing adultery in
your thought life” (David Powlison, “Breaking Pornography Addiction”). Jesus
died on the cross, to deliver us from the penalty of lust, and also to purify
our hearts, so that we begin in this life to learn by His Holy Spirit to be
sexually pure (chaste), whether in marriage or in single life. “For this is the
will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from sexual
immorality” (1 Thess. 4:3-5). “The design of this commandment is the
preservation of chastity…and the guarding of marriage, or keeping it holy”
(Ursinus, 590). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The seventh commandment forbids all sexual
impurity (unchastity), including <u>fornication</u> (<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">sexual intercourse
between people not married to each other), <u>homosexuality</u> (sexual
intercourse between people of the same sex), <u>incest</u> (sexual intercourse
with a parent, child, sibling, or grandchild), <u>bestiality</u> (sex with an
animal), and </span><u>polygamy</u> (having more than one spouse at the same time).<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span>“Do not be deceived: neither <u>fornicators</u>, nor
idolaters, nor <u>adulterers</u>, nor <u>homosexuals</u>, nor <u>sodomites</u>,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will
inherit the kingdom of God. And such <b>were</b> some of you. But you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified.” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Only
the Lord Jesus Christ can deliver us from both the penalty and addiction of
sexual impurity, so that we learn to love chastity and loathe unchastity with
our whole heart (Ps.
119:127-128). <o:p></o:p></div>
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God hates lust not only because it spoils
His image in mankind, but especially because it destroys the marriage
relationship. “Marriage is a lawful and indissoluble union between one man and
one woman, instituted by God [Gen. 2:18-25; Matt. 19:4-6];” “that it might be
the means of perpetuating and multiplying the human race in a lawful manner
[Gen. 1:28];” that it might be the means to “gather to Himself out of the whole
human race, thus lawfully propagated, an everlasting church, which shall
rightly know and worship Him [Gen. 17:7; Mal. 2:14-15; 1 Cor. 7:14];” “that it
might be an image or resemblance of the union between Christ and the church
[Eph. 5:30-32];” and “that wanton and wandering lusts might in this way be
avoided [1 Cor. 7:1-5] (Ursinus, 592-593). <u>“Marriage is honorable among all, and the [marriage] bed <i>undefiled</i> [see the Song of Solomon]; but
fornicators and adulterers God will judge</u>” (Heb. 13:4). <o:p></o:p></div>
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God
“hates divorce” (Mal. 2:16). But He does permit divorce in the case of “sexual
immorality” (Matt. 19:9) and in the case of an unbelieving spouse deserting
their believing spouse: “if the unbeliever departs, let him depart” (1 Cor.
7:15). “Actions which are tantamount to desertion constitute adequate grounds
for divorce. For example, the deliberate and unrepentant withholding of food,
clothing, and sexual relations,” or “spousal abuse which is life-threatening or
destructive of the “cleaving” aspect of marriage [Exodus 21:10-11] ….
Remarriage is lawful for persons divorced on biblical grounds [Matt. 19:9; 1
Cor. 7:15]” (RCUS paper on Divorce and Remarriage).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 109: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Does God
forbid nothing more in this Commandment than adultery and such gross sins</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>Since both our body and soul are temples of the Holy Spirit, it is His
will that we keep both pure and holy; therefore, He forbids all unchaste
actions, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, and whatever may entice thereto.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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In order for us
to keep our body and soul sexually pure, we must remember that the Holy Spirit
lives in us, which means that our body and soul are a temple of the Holy
Spirit. He lives in us to sanctify us, to purify our hearts, so that we may
more and more die unto sin and lead holy and blameless lives. “Flee sexual
immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits
sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or you not know that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you
are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:18-20). This is why He
commands us to be holy: “as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all
your conduct” (1 Pet. 1:15). He intends to use the command to be holy to <i>make</i>
<i>us</i> holy, in answer to Jesus’ prayer: “<u>Sanctify</u> them <u>by</u>
Your truth. <u>Your Word</u> is truth” (John 17:17; cf. Ps. 119:9; Rom. 12:2; Eph.
5:26). Through prayerful reading of God’s Word, we desire to obey God’s Word.
“Make me walk in Your commands, for I <i>delight</i> in it. Incline my heart to
Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at
worthless things” (Ps. 119:35-37). Our lust will not condemn us or separate us
from God’s love, but it still grieves the Holy Spirit who dwells in us; “do not
grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30). It is because we love God that we
do not want to grieve Him with our sexual sins. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is also
because we <u>fear</u> God that we avoid “all unchaste actions, gestures,
words, thoughts, desires, and whatever may entice thereto.” Just because our
heavenly Father will not punish us in hell for our sins, does not mean He will
not discipline us for our sins in this life. “Whom the LORD loves He chastens”
(Heb. 12:5; cf. Ps. 99:6-8; 1 Cor. 10:8). The Lord chastened Samson (Judges 16)
and David (2 Samuel 12) for their sexual sins. “As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19). “By the fear of the
LORD one departs from evil” (Prov. 16:6; cf. Gen. 39:7-12). “Nothing is more
powerful to overcome temptation than the fear of God” (Calvin). “Therefore, …
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness <u>in the fear of God</u>” (2 Cor. 7:1). “The eyes of the
Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3).
“I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young
woman?” (Job 31:1). “I will set nothing
wicked before my eyes” (Ps. 101:2-3). We do not need to look at pornography in
order to have sexual fantasies, but pornography will provide plenty of fuel for
the fire. Better not to strike the match. An ounce of prevention is better than
a pound of cure (Gal. 6:10). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous” (1 John 1:9). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59cfcaa45b89b1ygDZlR/WEEK%2040%20HC%20105-107.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 105-107</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59d9289e81d5fIT0Udzu/WEEK%2041.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 41</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-74764012363813981002017-09-30T12:04:00.000-05:002017-10-07T14:25:43.622-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 40: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, QA’S 105-107<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 40:</u> Heidelberg Catechism,
<u>QA’s 105-107</u></span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 4.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 105: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
God require in the sixth Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
That I do not revile, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor either in thought,
word, or gesture, much less in deed, whether by myself or by another, but lay
aside all desire of revenge; moreover, that I do not harm myself, nor willfully
run into any danger. Wherefore also to restrain murder the magistrate is armed
with the sword.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Ten
Commandments go deeper than merely commanding or forbidding an <i>outward</i>
action. “The law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14). God is more concerned with purity of heart than with outward appearance.
We do not keep God’s commands if we only keep them outwardly. The Lord said the
Pharisees “honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Matt.
15:8). “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like
whitewashed tombs which indeed appear <i>beautiful</i> <i>outwardly</i>, but <i>inside</i>
are full of dead men’s bones and all <i>uncleanness</i>. Even so you also <i>appear</i>
<i>righteous</i> to men, but <i>inside</i> you are full of hypocrisy and <i>lawlessness</i>”
(Matt. 23:27-28). “The Pharisees had
infected the people with a perverse opinion: that he who has committed nothing
by way of outward works against the law fulfills the law. Christ reproves this
most dangerous error, and He declares an unchaste glance at a woman to be
adultery [Matt. 5:28]” (Calvin, <i>Institutes</i>, 2.8.7). Jesus died for our
sins, not only to save us from the <i>penalty</i> of a wicked heart, but also <u>to
purify our hearts</u> (Acts 15:9) so we love the Lord and obey His commands out
of thankfulness for our salvation (John 14:15). Jesus “gave Himself for
us, that He might <u>redeem</u> us from <u>every lawless deed</u> and <u>purify</u>
for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Sixth Commandment,
“You shall not murder,” requires <i>more</i> than merely avoiding the outward
act of murder. You would not be pleased if you knew that the person who praised
you really hated you and wished you were dead; or worse, was planning your death!
“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart” (Psalm
55:21). God’s law has always forbidden hate and required love in our hearts,
first for God and then for our neighbor. “You shall love the LORD your God with
all your heart” (Deut. 6:5). “<u>You shall not hate</u> your brother in your
heart…. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children
of your people, <u>but you shall love</u> your neighbor as yourself: I am the
LORD” (Lev. 19:17-18). There is no neutrality; we either love or hate. To
ignore or avoid someone intentionally, or to be indifferent, is not love, and is
therefore a form of hate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Sixth
Commandment “<u>forbids</u> every unlawful injury inflicted upon our own or our
neighbor’s life and safety;” and <u>requires</u> “the preservation of our own
and of our neighbor’s life and safety” (Ursinus, 589). This is based on the
fact that human life is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26; 9:6), “which we
may not destroy either in ourselves or in others” (Ursinus, 584). </div>
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<o:p></o:p>Not all killing
is murder. To kill <i>without</i> God’s approval is murder. But to kill <i>with</i>
God’s approval is not murder. Killing animals for food (Gen. 9:3) or killing in
self-defense is not murder (Ex. 22:2-4). And if
it is not wrong for an individual to kill in self-defense, then it is not wrong
for an individual soldier or an army to kill if necessary to protect their life
and country (Luke 3:14). Pacifists object to using force on the basis of
Christ’s command to love our enemies and to turn the other cheek. But they fail
to realize that such commands apply to the <i>individual</i>
<i>Christian</i>, <i>not</i> to the civil magistrate. Right after the Bible tells
Christians, “do not <u>avenge</u> yourselves” (Rom. 12:19), it says that the
magistrate “is God’s minister, an <u>avenger</u> to execute wrath on
evil-doers” (Rom. 13:4). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The <u>death
penalty</u> is not murder. God instituted the death penalty to avenge and
restrain murder. “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; <b>for</b>
in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6; cf. Lev. 24:17). Murder is an
attack on God’s image. If we shed innocent blood we must pay with our own blood;
“life for life” (Deut. 19:21). The death penalty is <u>God’s vengeance</u>
against the murderer. “Hence when the magistrate puts wicked transgressors to
death, it is not man, but God who is the executioner of the deed” (Ursinus,
587). To spare the murderer is “a cruel mercy, by which society itself is
injured” (Ibid. 588). In 1922, Hitler was convicted of murder and after two
years in jail was released, only to go on to murder millions of people! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 106: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Does this
Commandment speak only of killing</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
No, but in forbidding murder God teaches us that He abhors its very root,
namely, envy, hatred, anger, and desire of revenge; and that in His sight all
these are hidden murder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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God not only
hates murder, He hates the very root of murder, which begins in the human heart.
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, <i>murders</i>” (Mark 7:21). Murder begins with such things as
envy, hatred, anger, and a desire of revenge. Even if Cain never murdered his
brother Abel, his envy, anger and hatred against his brother was hidden murder
in God’s eyes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“<u>Whoever hates his brother is a murderer</u> and you know
that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). Hidden murder
needs God’s forgiveness in Christ just as much as murder in cold-blood. Jesus
said, “whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of
the judgment,” and “whoever says, ‘you fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire”
(Matt. 5:22). Even when our anger is justified, we must be careful not to sin
but to deal with our anger biblically. “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let
the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil”<span style="font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> (Eph. 4:26-27). </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 107: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">But is this
all that is required: that we do not kill our neighbor</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? No, for in condemning envy,
hatred, and anger, God requires us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show
patience, peace, meekness, mercy, and kindness toward him, and to prevent his
hurt as much as possible: also, to do good even unto our enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The only antidote
to envy, anger, hatred, and a desire for revenge is to show patience, peace,
meekness, mercy, and kindness toward our neighbor (Col. 3:12-14). Instead of
resentment and bitterness, we must seek reconciliation with our brother (Matt. 5:23-24).
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men”
(Rom. 12:18). Instead of taking revenge on our enemies, Jesus says, “love your
enemies…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun
rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
(Matt.5:44-45; cf. Rom. 12:17-21). The only proper response is, “God, be
merciful to me the sinner!” (Luke 18:13). “Create in me a clean heart, O God”
(Psalm 51:10).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59cfcaa45b89b1ygDZlR/WEEK%2040%20HC%20105-107.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 105-107</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59cfcaa482996uNB44cW/WEEK%2040%20HC%20105-107.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 40</a><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-27372020965211444312017-09-23T11:57:00.000-05:002017-09-23T11:57:30.568-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 39 BLOODY MARY<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 39</u> Bloody Mary</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> “Princess Mary, the only surviving child
of Henry VIII and [his first wife] Catherine of Aragon, was dedicated in her
allegiance to the Catholic Church and Catholic Spain, the birthplace of her
mother” (DeMar, <i>Reformation</i>, 227). Mary remembered what happened to her
and her mother back in 1533. When Archbishop Cranmer </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: .05pt;">had
declared her mother’s marriage to Henry unlawful so Henry could wed Anne Boleyn,
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Mary was declared
illegitimate and removed from the line of succession to the throne. In 1544,
Henry reinstated Mary to the line of succession behind her half-brother,
Edward, born to Henry’s third wife Jane Seymour in 1537. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Before Edward VI died in 1553, knowing
full well that after his death Mary would restore Catholicism in England, he
devised a complicated scheme to prevent her from taking the throne. He named
his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey his success-or. After Edward died, Jane
was proclaimed queen of England on July 10, 1553. Jane’s father-in-law, the
Duke of Northumberland, set out with forces to capture Mary, but before he
could do so she raised her own army and rallied other support-ers, prompting
the royal government to switch its allegiance from Jane and declare Mary the
legitimate queen. Jane, who had reigned for just nine days, was imprison-ed with
her husband in the Tower of London, and Northumberland was executed. Later,
Jane and her husband were tried, found guilty, and executed as traitors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: .05pt;"> Queen Mary
worked to return England to Catholicism, undoing the reforms </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">made by Edward. </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: .05pt;">She
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">brought the Church of
England back under the authority of the pope, deposed Protestant bishops, and
restored traditional Roman Catholic worship</span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: .05pt;">. In 1554, she married </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">King Philip of Spain, “the most
deadly foe of Protest-antism in all Europe. Many English Protestants fled
abroad: most found refuge in Germany and Switzerland [John Knox fled to Geneva].
Protestants who stayed behind in England were now arrested and tried for heresy</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">”
</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Needham,
<i>2000 Years</i>, 3:393). </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; letter-spacing: .05pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> “The most notable victims of Mary’s
persecution were the two bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. As the
flames curled around their bodies Latimer spoke courage and comfort to his
fellow martyr: ‘This day we shall light such a candle, by God’s grace, in
England, as I trust shall never be put out.’” (Kuiper’s History, 226). Mary’s
next victim was Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, who was promptly
excommunicated. Even though Cranmer weakened and signed a denial of the
Protestant faith, Mary decided to make an example of him and burn him anyway.
But just before he was to die on March 21, 1556, he stunned everyone by
renouncing his denial and reaffirming his Protestant faith. As the flames rose
around him at the stake, the old archbishop in dramatic fashion held out the
hand which had signed the denial, “so that it was the first part of his body to
be burnt away” (Needham, 3:394).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Before she died in 1558, Mary had more
than 270 Protestants burned at the stake, earning her the name “Bloody Mary,”
given to her by John Foxe (1516-1587) in his famous <b><i>Book of Martyrs</i></b>. Foxe hoped the church would never forget.
At least the Anglican prayer book did not forget: “Keep us, O Lord, constant in
faith and zealous in witness, after the examples of thy servants Hugh Latimer,
Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer; that we may live in thy fear, die in thy
favor, and rest in thy peace.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59c690f59ddbd9R5JAU7/WEEK%2039%20Bloody%20Mary.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 History: Bloody Mary</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59c690f549c46GiLgC1M/WEEK%2039.pdf" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 39</a></div>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-50455138726295076762017-09-23T11:55:00.000-05:002017-09-30T11:54:26.321-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 39: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 104<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 39</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 104</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 104: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
God require in the fifth Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
<b>That I show all honor, love, and
faithfulness to my father and mother, and to all in authority over me, submit
myself with due obedience to all their good instruction and correction, and
also bear patiently with their infirmities [weaknesses], since it is God’s will
to govern us by their hand.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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The
Fifth Commandment, “honor your father and your mother,” is first in the second
table of the law, because it is in the home where we begin to learn how to love
our neighbor as our self and to submit to all authority in society. The purpose
“of this commandment is the preservation of civil order,” and parental
authority and government “was the first established among men” (Ursinus, 575).
Behind this commandment is the truth that God governs us through various kinds
of authority. “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities
that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority
resists the ordinance of God” (Rom. 13:1-2). The only exception to our obedience
to men is if they command us to disobey God, in which case, “we ought to obey
God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Parental authority is the foundation of all
authority. Since God knows the depravity of our hearts, that we submit to
authority grudgingly, He starts us off with that submission which is easiest to tolerate, in order to gradually
accustom us to submit to all other lawful authority. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
fact that the Bible directs this commandment to children in the church teaches
us that God redeems children through faith in Christ from the penalty and bondage
of sin, including the sin of dishonoring parents; so that they learn to honor,
love, and obey their parents out of thankfulness for salvation. “Children, obey
your parents <i>in the Lord</i>, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). The words, “in
the Lord,” mean that this obedience “should be religious; arising out of the
conviction that such obedience is the will of the Lord. This makes it a higher
service than if rendered from fear or from mere natural affection” (Charles
Hodge, on Eph. 6:1).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The basic meaning of the word <i>honor</i>
is “weighty, of great value and worth.” To honor our parents is to treat them
as carrying a lot of weight, as very valuable and worthy of respect, because it
is God’s will to govern us by their hand. Therefore, we “should treat them with honor, obedience, and gratefulness. It follows
from this that we are forbidden to detract from their dignity either by
contempt, by stubbornness, or by ungratefulness [Matt. 15:4-6]” (Calvin, <i>Institutes</i>,
2.8.35). On the other hand, “when God requires
parents to be honored, He at the same time demands that they so discharge the
duties of parents as to be worthy of honor [Prov. 22:6; Eph. 6:4]” (Ursinus,
576).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Honoring
parents also means to bear patiently with their weaknesses, even when they
behave dishonorably (Gen. 9:18-23). This does <b>not</b> mean children have to
put up with abuse. Parents who abuse their children are breaking the law, and
abusing the authority God gave them. Therefore, “if our parents spur us to transgress
the law, we have a right to regard them not as parents, but as strangers who
are trying to lead us away from obedience to our true Father” (Calvin, <i>Institutes</i>,
2.8.38). Abused or abandoned children do not have the right to be bitter or to
rage against society. Only the Lord can heal their broken heart and bitterness.
“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me”
(Psalm 27:10). <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59c690f516b7c2jQ1jHc/WEEK%2039%20HC%20104.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 104</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59c690f549c46GiLgC1M/WEEK%2039.pdf" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 39</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-41076638595145878852017-09-16T13:58:00.000-05:002017-09-23T11:52:58.145-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 38: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA 103 <div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 38</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA 103</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 103</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">: <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">What
does God require in the fourth Commandment</span>? <b>In the <u>first</u> place, God wills that the ministry of the Gospel
and schools be maintained, and that I, <i>especially
on the day of rest</i>, diligently attend church to learn the Word of God, to
use the holy sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian
alms. In the <u>second</u> place, that all the days of my life I rest from my
evil works, allow the Lord to work in me by His Spirit, and thus begin in this
life the everlasting Sabbath.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Hebrew word <i>Sabbath</i> means <i>rest</i>,
or ceasing from labor. God established the weekly Sabbath day when He <i>finished</i>
His work of creation in six days and <i>rested</i> the seventh day: “on the
seventh day God <i>ended</i> His work which He had done, and He <i>rested</i>
on the seventh day” (Gen. 2:2). God’s resting does not mean He was tired or
stopped His work of providentially preserving and governing the universe (John
5:17). It means He <i>ceased</i> His work of <i>creation</i>. After creation
week, for example, God did not <i>create</i>
any new people but He brought new people into existence according to His providential laws of reproduction.
God’s rest also means He <u>delighted</u>
in His finished work of creation. “God <i>saw</i> everything that He had made,
and indeed it was <i>very</i> <i>good</i>” (Gen. 1:31); “on the seventh day He <i>rested</i>
and was <i>refreshed</i>” (Ex. 31:17). God was refreshed “in the sense of His
receiving joy and delight in the contemplation of the beauty of what He had
created” (Kelly, <i>Creation and Change</i>, 238). “<b><i>Then God blessed the
seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work</i></b>”
(Gen. 2:3). To bless a day means to make it a day of blessing for man. The Lord
Jesus said, “The Sabbath was <i>made</i> <i>for</i>
man” (Mark 2:27). To sanctify (make holy) a day means to set it apart from the
other days. By resting the seventh day God set it apart from the other six days
to be a day of rest for man – to <b>imitate God’s rest</b>. <u>Thus, the main
purpose of ceasing from work is <i>not</i> for <i>physical</i> refreshment, but
<i>spiritual</i> refreshment</u>! <o:p></o:p></div>
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“God rested; then He blessed this rest…He
dedicated every seventh day to rest, that His own example might be a perpetual
rule.” Since “it was commanded to men from the very beginning that they might
employ themselves in the worship of God, it is right that it should continue to
the end of the world<span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">”
(Calvin on Genesis 2:3). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“The <u>principle</u>
underlying the Sabbath is formulated in the Decalogue itself. It consists in
this, that <u>man must copy God</u> in his course of life” (Vos, <i>Biblical
Theology</i>, 139). “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy [set apart]. Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath
of the LORD your God. <u>In it you shall do no work</u>.” <b>Why</b>? “<b><u>For</u></b>
in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath
day and hallowed [<i>sanctified</i>] it” (Ex. 20:9-11). <u>The unchanging moral
principle of the Sabbath command is that God created us in His image to imitate
Him in all of life – to work six days for His glory and to rest one day for His
glory</u>. The fall <i>ruined</i> our
ability to imitate God, but redemption through faith in Christ <i>restores</i> our ability to imitate God out
of thankfulness for salvation. “Therefore, be imitators of God as dear
children” (Eph. 5:1); “be holy for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:16). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u> The day can
change without changing the moral principle</u>. Christ’s resurrection on the
first day of the week did <i>not</i> abolish the weekly cycle of working six
days and resting one day for God’s glory (Mt. 5:17). Rather, it showed that Christ
perfectly fulfilled the law, paid the eternal penalty of sin, and obtained
eternal life (eternal rest!) for all who believe in Him (He. 4:3). <u>The new
covenant has a new day of rest</u> (just as it has new signs and seals –
baptism and the Lord’s Supper) to show that sinners are saved only by trusting
(<i>resting</i>) in the <i>finished</i> <i>work</i> of Christ alone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The new day of rest, which “<i>God has
instituted through the church</i> [under the authoritative leadership of the
apostles],” is “the first day of the week, which is called Sunday, or, more
properly, the Lord’s Day, which the Christian Church has observed in the place
of the seventh day from the time of the Apostles [Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:7], in
view of the resurrection of Christ, as appears from what the Apostle John says:
‘I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10)’.” (Ursinus, 562).<o:p></o:p></div>
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In regards to
Romans 14:5, Galatians 4:10, and Colossians 3:16, most reformed commentators
agree with Matthew Henry: “Paul is not speaking of the Sabbath command. Paul is
speaking abo<span style="font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">ut special Jewish feast days, such as Passover, Pentecost, new
moons, and the feast of Tabernacles.”</span></div>
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The main focus on the day of rest is still
spiritual worship and refreshment – to “call the Sabbath a <u>delight,</u>” to
“<u>delight</u> yourself in the LORD” (Isaiah 58:13). This is why there is
still to be a <i>holy assembly</i> every Sabbath (Lev. 23:3; Heb. 10:24-25).
“God will not only be praised and called upon by everyone privately, but also
publicly by the whole church [Ps. 68:26], for His own glory and comfort. It is
for this reason that Christ has added a special promise to such prayers as are
offered up publicly [Matt. 18:19-20]” (Ursinus, 571). <u>The ministry of God’s
Word is still the means by which God saves and sanctifies His elect</u> (Ex.
31:17; Ac 15:21; 20:7; Rm. 10:17; Ep. 4:11-16). <span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Therefore, “To
keep holy the Sabbath, is not to spend the day in slothfulness and idleness;
but to…devote it to the purpose for which God instituted it” (Ibid., 558); “to
frequent the public gatherings of the saints for the purpose of hearing and
learning the doctrine delivered from heaven [Acts 2:42], and having heard it,
to meditate seriously upon it and inquire into its truth [Acts 17:11]” (Ibid.,
567). It is our <i>daily</i> duty to meditate in Scripture (Ps. 1:2), but “<u>every
seventh day has been especially selected for the purpose of supplying what was
lacking in daily meditation</u>” (Calvin, Gen. 2:3).<o:p></o:p></div>
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“When God forbids
us to work on the Sabbath day, He does not forbid every kind of work [such as works
of love, which our own necessity or that of our neighbor requires (Matt.
12:7-12; Mark 2:27)], but only such works as…hinder the worship of God, and the
design and use of the ministry of the church” (Ursinus, 558). Some believers
work on the Sabbath out of necessity – nurses, public officers, and others. But
they can still make time for private devotions and Bible study. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u> Every commandment has a wider meaning</u>,
as Jesus pointed out in the Sermon on the Mount. You shall not murder also
means you shall not hate your brother in your heart (Matt. 5:21-22). You shall
not commit adultery also means you shall not lust after a woman in your heart
(Matt. 5:27-28). You shall do no work on the day of rest also means you shall <i>rest</i>
<i>every</i> <i>day</i> from your evil works, allow the Holy Spirit to work in
your heart (by doing your daily Bible reading and prayer), and thus begin in
this life the everlasting Sabbath (cf. Heb. 4:9-10). <o:p></o:p></div>
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To sum up [lest we make too sharp a
distinction between the “continental” and “puritan” view of the Sabbath]: “The
Lord’s Day (Sunday) shall be kept a holy day, devoted to the public worship of
the Lord, to reading the Holy Scriptures, to private devotions, and to works of
love and mercy” (<i>RCUS Constitution</i>, article 180).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59bd732160374EY0CDYj/WEEK%2038%20HC%20103.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QA 103</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59bd73219d33clSOpbQ7/WEEK%2038.pdf" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 38</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-55682553897622495652017-09-09T12:09:00.000-05:002017-09-09T17:47:55.306-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 37: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 101-102<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 37</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s 101-102</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 101</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">: <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">But
may we swear reverently by the name of God?</span> <b>Yes, when the magistrate requires it, or when it may be needful
otherwise, to maintain and promote fidelity and truth to the glory of God and
our neighbor’s good; for such an oath is grounded in God’s Word, and therefore
was rightly used by the saints in the Old and New Testaments.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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When the Lord Jesus said to His disciples,
“Do not swear at all” (Matt. 5:34), He was <i>not</i> abolishing the lawful
oath required in God’s law on certain solemn occasions. “You <i>shall</i> take
oaths in His name” (Deut. 6:13); “and <i>swear</i> by His name” (Deut. 10:20; cf. Ex. 22:10-11). Jesus said, “Do
not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to
destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17). Jesus Himself swore an oath when
commanded to do so by the high priest (Matt. 26:63-64; cf. Heb. 6:13). The
apostle Paul swore at least one oath. “I call God as witness against my soul,
that to spare you I came no more to Corinth” (2 Cor. 1:23). <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the ways Jesus fulfilled the law
was to clarify its true meaning, in order to correct the scribes and Pharisees’
perversions of God’s law. They perverted the oath by saying it was okay to swear
without using God’s name. As Jesus pointed out, they swore by heaven, by earth,
by Jerusalem, by their own head (Matt. 5:34-36). “The Jews made a distinction
between binding and nonbinding oaths. Instead of using the divine name (which
would be binding), they swore ‘by heaven or by earth or by anything.’ …that
would be non-binding and would not incur the wrath of God” (Hendriksen, <i>Commentary</i>,
James 5:12). But Jesus said that to swear by anything is to swear by God, for
God stands behind everything (Matt. 23:21-22). Oath-taking is a very serious
matter, and it is to be done only when necessary. In our daily conservations
with people there is no need to swear at all. “But let your Yes be Yes and your
No, No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matt. 5:37). As
Christians, living before the face of God, we are under oath at all times to
tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, out of thankfulness
for our salvation (Eph. 4:15, 25). <o:p></o:p></div>
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In a court of law, especially, the oath is
necessary – first and foremost because it promotes the glory of God. God is a
God of truth; and the manifestation of truth is glorious to God. The oath also
contributes to our neighbor’s safety. Law and order depend on men speaking
truthfully and being faithful to their word. Because of man’s natural tendency
to speak lies, the oath is required in this sinful world. There is no higher
motive for telling the truth than the fear of God’s wrath. An oath temporarily
reminds sinners that they will be judged for what they say, and this does
reduce the amount of exaggeration, distortion, and perjury. In our courts
today, “So help me God,” is being removed from the oath. Why then should people
tell the truth?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 102:</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">May
we swear by the saints or by any other creatures?</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">No, for a lawful oath is a calling
upon God, that He, as the only searcher of hearts, may bear witness to the
truth, and punish me if I swear falsely; which honor is due to no creature<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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Only God can make the oath meaningful. The
unbeliever will go to hell for lying; the untruthful believer will receive
God’s fatherly discipline (1 Cor. 11:31-32). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59b41e25a145ca0KMaqW/WEEK%2037%20HC%20101-102.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism QAs 101-102</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59b46ed9eea434mwa7qV/WEEK%2037.pdf" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 37</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-2435954506003124522017-09-09T12:06:00.004-05:002017-09-09T17:48:36.306-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 37 CALVIN AND SERVETUS<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 37</u> Calvin and Servetus</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> The same year King Edward VI died in
England (1553), Michael Servetus was burned to death as a heretic in Geneva.
Ever since, Calvin’s Geneva has been stigmatized as a symbol of religious
dogmatism, intolerance and cruelty. What people don’t know is that Calvin’s
world agreed with the execution of Servetus, and that “there was no occasion
for another capital punishment of heresy in the Church of Geneva after the
burning of Servetus” (Schaff, 8:798). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> Servetus was a Spanish scholar, physician,
and Anabaptist who published a book attacking the doctrine of the Trinity, even
“comparing the Trinity to Cerebus, the three-headed dog of Greek mythology. He
denounced Trinitarians as heretics” (DeMar, <i>Reformation</i>, 208). He also
denounced infant baptism as a diabolical invention and destructive of
Christianity. A rejection of the Trinity and infant baptism were capital
crimes. Europe was a Christian society, where every citizen was born and
baptized as a member of both church and state. Therefore, to reject the Trinity
was to reject Christianity and to reject infant baptism was to reject
citizenship. Both Catholics and Protestants viewed the Anabaptists as
revolutionary and dangerous to society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> The Roman Catholic Inquisition in Vienne,
France condemned Servetus to die by burning. But he “escaped and made his way
to Geneva where he arrived on Sunday, August 13, 1553. He was promptly
arrested” (DeMar, 209). “When Roman Catholic authorities learned that the
escaped Servetus was in Geneva, they demanded that he be returned to their
jurisdiction. The Genevan City Council then offered Servetus a choice: he could
either return to Vienne or remain in Geneva. Servetus chose to remain in Geneva
and take his chances with Genevan justice [he probably hoped to benefit from
the hostility the city council had towards Calvin]” (DeMar, 210). “Calvin’s
opponents had done all they could to hinder the trial of Servetus. Because they
had tried to protect a man whom everybody condemned as a great heretic, they
were now thoroughly discredited. Their power of opposition was broken” (Kuiper,
<i>Church in History</i>, 198). On October 27<sup>th</sup>, Servetus was
sentenced to burn to death. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> Calvin agreed that Servetus should be put
to death, but he disagreed with the Roman Catholic idea that the church
“possessed both a religious and a secular sword” (RCUS pastor Mark Larson, <i>Calvin’s
doctrine of the State</i>, p.3). Calvin argued that it was the job of the
state, <i>not</i> the church, to execute heretics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> Both Farel and Calvin pleaded with
Servetus to cry “for mercy to God whom you have blasphemed” (Schaff, 8:784).
“Calvin had asked that Servetus be spared the agony of being burned to death,
urging the Small Council to use the more humane method of beheading. The
government refused this request” (Larson, 85-86). If Servetus died without
repentance, then (like all others who have died without repentance) he is
suffering in “the fire that shall never be quenched” (Mark 9:43).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> “Calvin was certainly at fault…in accepting
the widely-held belief of the age that heretics should be put to death. We are
all prone to judge men of former days by the standards of the age in which we
ourselves live…. Perhaps God allows blemishes in his own children, while on
earth, in order that men should not idolize them and put them, as it were, on
pedestals” (</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">S.M. Houghton, <i>Sketches from Church
History</i>, 109</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59b41e253755c0gUjph4/WEEK%2037%20Calvin%20and%20Servetus.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Calvin and Servetus</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;">For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59b46ed9eea434mwa7qV/WEEK%2037.pdf" style="color: #888888; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 37</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-32918772575814133592017-09-02T12:04:00.000-05:002017-09-02T14:49:16.305-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 36 ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 36</u> England and Scotland</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> When Luther died in 1546, Calvin was busy reforming
Geneva, and answering the official Roman Catholic counter reformation in
progress since 1545 at the Council of Trent (northern Italy). This Council lasted
until 1563 (a year before Calvin’s death). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> Meanwhile the reformation was spreading in
England and Scotland. “Patrick Hamilton, a student of Martin Luther who was the
first to bring Reformed preaching to Scotland, was burned at the stake for his
faith in 1529” (DeMar, <i>Reformation to Colonization</i>, 229). Later, some
young men from Scotland, after visiting Luther’s university at Wittenberg,
returned to their native country to spread Luther’s doctrines. “The transition
from Lutheranism to Calvinism took place under George Wishart” (Kuiper, <i>Church
in History</i>, 216). A priest by the name of John Knox served as Wishart’s
bodyguard. </span><span style="background: white; color: #293144; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">But “Wishart wouldn't let Knox come with him to his trial and
execution” (reformationhistory.org). Wishart was hanged and burnt at the stake in
1546. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> “Wishart’s other followers, retaliated by
murdering Cardinal Beaton, Scotland’s supreme Catholic official. For nearly a
year those espousing Reformed principles made some headway in Scotland from
their base at the castle at St. Andrews. With the help of French forces,
Catholics regained the upper hand, taking the castle and sending its Protestant
inhabitants, John Knox among them, to the galley ships as prisoners” (Nichols, <i>Reformation</i>,
96). For nineteen months, Knox “toiled as a galley-slave. Day after day he had
to ply the oars in the hot, smelly hold of a French ship,” constantly “pestered
with suggestions that he should pray to the image of Mary” (Kuiper, 216). After
his release in 1549, “Knox went to England where he preached and eventually
became chaplain to Edward VI” (DeMar, 230). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> Also in 1549, Calvin’s wife, Idelette,
died. “Calvin was devastated. Writing to his friend and fellow Reformer Pierre
Viret, he declared his grief: ‘I have been bereaved of the best companion of my
life.’ To Farel he stated, ‘I do what I can to keep myself from being
overwhelmed by grief’.” (Nichols, 119). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> When King Henry VIII died in 1547, his
nine-year old and sickly son Edward VI (by his third wife Jane Seymour) came to
the throne. At his coronation, Archbishop “Cranmer referred to him as the
second Josiah, as a king who would restore England to the true faith” (DeMar,
226).</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> <span style="background: white;">Calvin dedicated several of his commentaries to Edward
and wrote several letters to him. “Under Edward’s leadership, a number of
important changes took place: religious services were conducted in English, the
Catholic Mass was abolished [images were also removed], clergy were permitted
to marry, and English Bibles were freely printed” (DeMar, 226). </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Distinguished Protestant refugees,
Martin Bucer, Peter Martyr, Jan Laski, and John Knox were also helping with
reform efforts</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Bucer
worked with Cranmer to improve the <i>Book of Common Prayer</i> (a service book
still used today for use in worship). John Knox helped Cranmer formulate the
Church of England’s official creed, the <i>Forty-Two Articles</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";"> “The Reformation in England seemed to have
complete victory within its grasp.” But “Edward [only 16] died of tuberculosis
in 1553” (Kuiper, 227). The “young king died, praying, ‘My Lord and God, save
this realm from popery, and maintain it in true religion” (DeMar, 226). His Catholic
sister Mary succeeded him to the throne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59aae4736318coeM3M7I/WEEK%2036%20England%20and%20Scotland.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 England and Scotland</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59aae3da84fc9XDRm2OH/WEEK%2036.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 36</a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-36861725038685662492017-09-02T11:54:00.002-05:002017-09-02T11:54:42.112-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 36: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 99-100<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation
500 <u>WEEK 36</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s 99-100</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Question 99:</span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">What
is required in the third Commandment</span>?<b> That we must not by cursing, or by false swearing, nor yet by unnecessary
oaths, profane or abuse the name of God; nor even by our silence and connivance
be partakers of these horrible sins in others; and in summary, that we use the
holy name of God in no other way than with fear and reverence, so that He may
be rightly confessed and worshiped by us, and be glorified in all our words and
works.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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God has many descriptive titles
(such as Almighty, Most High, the Holy One, Sovereign), and one <u>primary name</u>:
Jehovah or Yahweh – the equivalent of <b>I AM</b> (Ex. 3:13-14). In the English
Bible, God’s primary name is translated LORD. “I am the LORD, that is My name”
(Isaiah 42:8). “God’s name stands for all that God is. … to profane (despise or
take lightly) the name of God is to blaspheme God Himself (Leviticus 24:11,
15)” (Jones, <i>Study Helps</i>, 241). The word ‘vain’ means ‘frivolous,
insincere, thoughtless.’ To take the LORD’s name in vain is to take His name
upon our lips irreverently, insincerely, rashly, lightly, or thoughtlessly: “Oh
my God, Thank God, Good Lord, Hallelujah, Jesus Christ.” God’s name is
abused in the following ways: (1) <u>by cursing</u>. “All cursing which
proceeds from hatred, and from a desire of private revenge leading to the
destruction of our neighbor, is … wicked; because it desires that God should be
made the executioner of our corrupt wishes and passions” (Ursinus, 538); (2) <u>by
false swearing</u>: lying after swearing to tell the truth; “you shall not
swear by my name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the
LORD” (Lev. 19:12); (3) <u>by unnecessary oaths</u> (explained in Q&A 101);
(4) <u>by our silence</u> (explained in Q&A 100); (5) <u>by our
disobedience</u> (Prov. 30:9; Rom. 2:24). We must use the holy name of God <i>only</i>
with fear and reverence. “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name!” (Psalm
8:1; cf. 100:4-5). “Hallowed by Your Name.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 100:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> <span style="text-transform: uppercase;">Is
the profaning of God’s name, by swearing and cursing, so grievous a sin that
His wrath is kindled against those also who do not help as much as they can to
hinder and forbid it</span>? <b><i>Yes, truly, for no sin is greater and more
provoking to God than the profaning of His name; wherefore He even commanded it
to be punished with death [Lev. 24:15-16]<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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It “is not enough merely to keep
our mouth shut and not utter profanity, but we have to open them and defend the
name of God when others profane it… As Christians, we are prophets (see Question
31 and 32) and must ‘confess His name’ to the world [<i>especially</i> when it
is profaned]” (<i>Study Helps</i>). By our silence and connivance (acting as if
nothing happened) we give the impression we approve of blasphemy: if a person “hears
the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he has seen or known of it; if
he does not tell it, he bears guilt” (Lev. 5:1). “The partner of a thief hates
his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing” (Prov. 29:24). Would
we be silent if our mother’s name was cursed? Jesus said, “He who loves father
or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37). “For whoever is
ashamed of Me and My words, … the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He
comes” (Mark 8:38). With respect and wisdom, we must show our disapproval of
blasphemy (Matt. 7:6; Col. 4:5-6).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br /><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59aae0f12b0a2HwODAnN/WEEK%2036%20HC%2099-100.docx" rel="" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 90-100</a><br /><br />For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59aae0ac593b9Sr24hJX/WEEK%2036.pdf" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 36</a><br /></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="color: #888888; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<o:p><a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="color: #888888; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a> </o:p></div>
Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-76682637630439134472017-08-26T16:36:00.000-05:002017-08-26T16:36:02.804-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 35: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 96-98<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 35</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s
96-98</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 96: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
God require in the second Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
<b>That we in no way make any image of God,
nor worship Him in any other way than He has commanded us in His Word.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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In the first commandment, the true God
commanded that He alone should be worshipped. In the second commandment, He
requires us to worship Him in a way that “is pleasing to Him, and not with such
worship as that which is according to the imagination and device of man [Acts
17:29]” (Ursinus, 517). When the Israelites made the golden calf, they were not
intending to worship another god, but rather they proclaimed “a feast to the
LORD [Yahweh]” (Ex. 32:5). They worshiped the LORD with an image. Having spent
over 400 years in Egyptian bondage, the Israelites got the idea of making a
bull from the Egyptians who thought the bull was a good representation of
divine power. Like all pagans, they believed that by honoring the image, the
god’s power and blessing would flow to them from the image. Listen to the
pagans as they speak for themselves: ‘who but a perfect child considers these
idols to be gods?’ ‘Rather, we worship the gods by them.’ ‘I worship not this
visible thing, but the divinity dwelling there invisibly.’ (quoted by Turretin,
2:55). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The LORD repeatedly warned Israel
not to worship Him the way the other nations did (Deut. 12:2-4, 29-32). “You
shall not worship the Lord your God in that way…. Whatever I command you, be
careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut.
12:31-32; cf. 1 Cor. 10:20). God has not left us free to worship Him as we
think best. God has revealed what pleases Him in Scripture (Matt. 15:9). For
this reason, our love to God through Jesus Christ should lead us to worship Him
the way He requires in Scripture. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth [sincerely in accord with the truth of His
Word]” (John 4:24). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The reason why images of God are
forbidden is because God <i>cannot</i> be
imaged. God is infinite, “the heaven of heavens cannot contain” Him (1 Kings
8:27). “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), “dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no
man has seen nor can see” (1 Tim. 6:16; cf. Ex. 33:20; John 1:18). “To whom
then will you compare God? Or what <i>likeness</i> will you compare to Him?”
(Isa. 40:18). Therefore, “you shall not make any <i>likeness</i> of anything…” (Ex. 20:4). All images of God are lies and
detract from His glory (Hab. 2:18).<o:p></o:p></div>
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What
about pictures of Jesus? Jesus said, “all should honor the Son just as they
honor the Father” (John 5:23). If it is wrong to make an image of God the
Father it is equally wrong to make an image of God the Son! He is not just a
man. He is also infinite God. “No man ever spoke like this Man!” There was no
attempt by the apostles to make a portrait of Jesus, or to put on a passion
play (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16; Rev. 1:14-16)! When pictures of Christ were first
introduced they were condemned by the church fathers. The Council of Elvira (AD
306) declared: “there ought not to be images in a church, that what is
worshipped and adored should not be depicted on the walls.” As late as AD 754,
the 7<sup>th</sup> ecumenical council decreed “no images of Christ should be
painted or graven, not even as it respects His human nature; because nothing
but His humanity could be expressed by art; and those who make such images,
seem to establish again the error of Nestorius, or Eutyches” (Ursinus, 527).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The reformation sought to return to
the basic principles of worship as practiced in the early church, which was
modeled after the Jewish synagogue. “The first Christians [were Jewish
believers and] took over many of the worship traditions of the synagogue. They
did not take over the rich and sumptuous ceremonial of the Temple, but rather
the simpler synagogue service, with its Scripture reading, its sermon, its
prayers, and its psalmody” (Hughes Oliphant Old, <i>Worship</i>, 43). The
“highest worship of God is to hear Him speaking by human lips, and to yield
subjection to His Word” (Calvin). “The best and true ornament of our churches
is the pure and unadulterated doctrine of the gospel, the lawful use of the
sacraments, true prayer, and worship in accordance with God’s Word” (Ursinus,
533). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 97: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">May we not
make any image at all</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>God may not and cannot be imaged in any
way; as for creatures, though they may indeed be imaged, yet God forbids the
making or keeping of any likeness of them, either to worship them or to serve
God by them<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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The Second Commandment “does not
absolutely forbid us to make, or to have images, likenesses and statues,
because the art of painting, sculpture, casting and embroidery, is reckoned
among the gifts of God which are good and profitable to human life, and God
Himself had certain images placed in the tabernacle (Ex. 31:3; 35:30) and
Solomon had upon his throne images of lions, and had figures of palm-trees and
cherubim carved upon the walls of the temple by the command of God (1 Kings
6:23, 29; 10:19-20)” (Ursinus, 526). But those images were part of the
structure, not part of the worship, of the temple; and they passed away with
the passing away of OT worship. God does not want us to use man-made religious
images in our worship of Him. God has given us images of His own choosing:
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Not even a cross is to be considered a sacred symbol.
If you want to have a cross for decoration, or wear one around your neck,
that’s fine, just so long as you don’t superstitiously think that a cross is
necessary for a person or a Church to be Christian.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 98: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">But may not
pictures be tolerated in churches as books for the people</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>No, for we should not be wiser than God, who will not have His people
taught by dumb idols, but by the lively preaching of His Word<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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The
Medieval Church used pictures, statutes and relics, rather than the Bible, to
instruct its members. The reformers learned from the Bible that the way to
instruct people concerning Christ is to preach Christ to them from the Bible
and to teach them to read the Bible for themselves. “Preach the Word!” (2 Tim.
4:2). A picture of a man hanging on a cross tells you nothing about who the man
was or why he’s hanging there or why we need to believe in him. Pictures do not
teach truths. This is why they are called dumb idols. Only words can convey
truth. Faith does not come from looking at images, but by the <i>hearing</i> of
the word of God (Rom. 10:17). It is the <i>message</i> not the <i>image</i> of the cross that brings salvation. “For the message of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18); “it pleased God through the <i>foolishness</i> of the message preached to
save those who believe…because the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1
Cor. 1:21, 25). <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59a1e3b7e4eceiAZiwiG/WEEK%2035%20HC%2096-98.docx" rel="" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 96-98</a><br />
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For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59a1e3b77b0f1tGXO0k0/WEEK%2035.pdf" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 34</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<o:p><a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a> </o:p></div>
Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-14266176661182187212017-08-18T16:11:00.000-05:002017-08-26T16:47:33.381-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 34: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 92-95<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 34</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s
92-95</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 92: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
Law of God</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>“And God spoke all these words, saying: I
am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. [<u>First Commandment</u>] You shall have no other gods
before Me. [<u>Second</u>] You shall not make for yourself a carved image – any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor
serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those
who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My
commandments. [<u>Third</u>] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God
in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. [<u>Fourth</u>]
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all
your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you
shall do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant,
nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your
gates. For in six days the Lord made heavens and the earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the
Sabbath day, and hallowed it. [<u>Fifth</u>] Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
[<u>Sixth</u>] You shall not murder. [<u>Seventh</u>] You shall not commit
adultery. [<u>Eighth</u>] You shall not steal. [Ninth] You shall not bear false
witness against your neighbor. [<u>Tenth</u>] You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male
servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that
is your neighbor’s.”</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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We were created
in God’s image to imitate God by obeying His law – which harmonizes with His
eternal and unchangeable wisdom. God created Adam and Eve with a knowledge of
His law (Rom. 2:14-15). “The law was engraved upon the heart of man in his
creation, and is therefore known to all naturally” (Ursinus, 104). “Since the
fall, however, which resulted in the corruption and depravity of our nature, a
considerable part of the natural law has become obscured and lost by reason of
sin [Rom. 7:7], so that there is only a small portion concerning the obedience
which we owe to God still left in the human mind. It is for this reason that
God repeated, and declared to the church the entire doctrine and true sense of
His law, as contained in the Decalogue [i.e. the Ten Commandments]” (492). God
wrote the Ten Commandments in <b>stone</b> (Exodus 31:18) as His <b>permanent</b>
will for mankind. The other laws (both <i>ceremonial</i> and <i>judicial</i>)
were <i>temporary</i>, designed only for Israel in the Promised Land, and were
abolished by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:14-16).<o:p></o:p><br />
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But the Ten
Commandments were not abolished. Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to
destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”
(Matt. 5:17). Jesus fulfilled the law “by teaching it and restoring its true
meaning and sense, which He did by freeing it from the corruptions and glosses
of the Pharisees, as appears from His sermon on the Mount” (Ursinus, 496). He fulfilled
the law by obeying it perfectly and suffering its curse on the cross (Gal.
3:13). “Christ fulfills the law in us by His Spirit, by whom He renews us in
the image of God [Rom. 8:4] …. This obedience is commenced in us in this life
by the Spirit of Christ, and will be perfected in the life to come” (Ursinus,
496). We were “created, and have been redeemed by Christ and regenerated by the
Holy Spirit, that we might keep this law … both in this life and in the life to
come [2 John 1:7; 1 John 2:3-4; 1 Cor. 7:19]” (Ursinus, 491). <o:p></o:p><br />
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The preface to the law, “I am the
LORD your God, who delivered you from bondage,” makes it clear that God redeems
His people from the bondage of sin in order that they might obey His law out of
thankfulness for salvation (John 14:15; 15:14). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 93: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">How are
these Commandments divided</span><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? Into two tables: the first of
which teaches, in four commandments, what duties we owe to God; the second, in
six, what duties we owe to our neighbor<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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The Ten
Commandments were written on “<i>two</i>
tablets of stone” (Ex. 34:1), for they contain all we owe to <b>God</b> and our
<b>neighbor</b>. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with
all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the <b>first</b> and great
commandment. And the <b>second</b> is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these <i>two</i> commandments
hang all the law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 94: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What does
God require in the first Commandment</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
That, on peril of my soul’s salvation, I avoid and flee all idolatry, sorcery,
enchantments, invocation of saints or other creatures; and <u>that I rightly
acknowledge the only true God</u>, trust in Him alone, with all humility and
patience, expect all good from Him only, and love, fear, and honor Him with my
whole heart; so as rather to renounce all creatures than to do the least thing
against His will<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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To have other
gods is not to have the true God (the God of the Bible), or to worship anything
that is not God. The unbelieving and ungodly have always “worshipped and served
the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25). Sorcery, enchantments, or
praying to unseen spirits are just some of the many ways people try (vainly) to
find answers and help apart from the true God (see Deut. 18:10-12). God saves
us so that we might begin in this life to love and desire Him more than anyone
or anything else, so that our greatest desire is to please Him, and to fear to
do the least thing against His will (Luke 14:26-33). “As the deer pants for the
water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God, my soul thirsts for God, for the
living God” (Ps. 42:1-2). “Make me walk in the path of Your commands, for I
delight in it” (Ps. 119:35). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 95: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is
idolatry</span><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? Idolatry is to conceive or have something else in
which to place our trust instead of, or besides, the one true God who has
revealed Himself in His Word.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Part of putting
off the old man and putting on the new man is to avoid and flee all idolatry.
Since we believers are not perfectly sanctified in this life, the sin of
idolatry still clings to our heart, and therefore we must daily fight against
it: “do not become idolaters as were some of them…. Therefore, my beloved, flee
from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:7, 14).
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). Every day we need
to be reminded to put God first. “Seek <i>first</i> the kingdom of God” (Matt.
6:33).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59a1e3b847a58Qk5PqMQ/WEEK%2034%20HC%2092-95.docx" rel="" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 92-95</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/59a1e3b887046uGIxEWZ/WEEK%2034.pdf" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 34</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<o:p><a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a> </o:p></div>
Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-89672158128732827782017-08-12T14:58:00.001-05:002017-08-12T14:59:19.124-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 33: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 88-91<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 9.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 33</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s
88-91</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 88: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">In how many
things does true repentance or conversion consist</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>In two things:
the dying of the old man, and the making alive of the new.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Having considered why we must do
good works (out of thankfulness for salvation), we will now learn that doing
good works is part of what it means to live a repentant and converted life –
which is exactly what sanctification involves. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The terms <i>repentance</i> (change
of mind) and <i>conversion</i> (turning around) basically mean the same thing:
to turn from sin to God for forgiveness and to obey Him out of thankfulness for
salvation in Christ (Acts 11:21). “<i>Repent</i> therefore and <i>be</i> <i>converted</i>,
that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). The <i>repentance</i> of the
Gentiles (Acts 11:18) is called “the <i>conversion</i>
of the Gentiles” (Acts 15:3).<o:p></o:p></div>
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When
God grants us true repentance so that we are truly converted, this is the
beginning of our life-long experience of sanctification. By His Holy Spirit God
has set us free from the enslaving power of our old sinful nature by giving us
a new holy nature (2 Cor. 5:17). This does not mean we no longer have our old
sinful nature, but it does mean we are no longer <i>slaves</i> to it (Rom. 6:6,
14). We have a new nature that hates sin and desires to please God out of
thankfulness for salvation (Col. 3:10). “There is a part of us which is re<b>new</b>ed
[the new man] and a part which retains its natural corruption [the old man]”
(Calvin). The process of sanctification is the process of repentance and
conversion, of turning from our old sinful nature and living according to our
new nature. Scripture says to “<u>put to death</u>” (Col. 3:5) or “<u>put off</u>,
concerning your former conduct, <u>the old man</u> which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and … <u>put on the new man</u> which was
created according to God [in His image], in righteousness and holiness” (Eph.
4:22-23). We are sanctified “so that we may more and more<i> </i><u>die unto
sin</u><i> </i>and<i> </i><u>lead holy and unblameable lives</u>” (Q&A 70).
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 89: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
dying of the old man</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>Heartfelt sorrow for sin, causing us to
hate and turn from it always more and more<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The <i>dying</i> of the old man is
the life-long <i>process</i> of mortification, of putting to death our sins by
the grace and power of the Holy Spirit: “if by the Spirit <b>you put to death</b>
the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). “Therefore, <b>put to death</b>
your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil
desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5; cf. Eph. 5:22-32). The
Holy Spirit works in our hearts a godly sorrow for sin (Joel 2:13), which
causes us to hate our sins and to turn from them more and more; “godly sorrow
produces repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10). “I <i>abhor</i> myself, and <i>repent</i>
in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6). This is a very painful process (Gal. 5:17). The
apostle Paul, speaking as a new man in Christ, expressed what is true for every
believer, “I do the very thing I <i>hate</i>…. For I do not do the good I <i>want</i>
to do but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do
not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin [my old sinful nature] that
dwells in me” (Rom. 7:15, 19-20). “Our conversion to God is not perfect in this
life, but is here continually advancing, until it reaches the perfection which
is promised in the life to come” (Ursinus, 474). “He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it” (Phil. 1:6). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 90: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What is the
making alive of the new man</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">?
<b>Heartfelt joy in God through Christ,
causing us to take delight in living according to the will of God in all good
works<span style="text-transform: uppercase;">.</span><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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The making alive of the new man is
the life-long process of God <b>remaking</b> us into His holy image, causing us
out of thankfulness and joy to put on the new man. The old man must decrease.
The new man must increase. Paul tells his fellow believers: “you have put on
the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who
created him…. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender
mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering,” etc. (Col. 3:10, 12).
“Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ
also has loved us” (Eph. 5:1-2). Just as heartfelt sorrow causes us to hate sin
and turn from it more and more, heartfelt joy in God through Christ causes us
to take delight in living according to God’s will in all good works (Rom. 5:1;
Gal. 2:20). “I <i>delight</i> to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within
my heart” (Psalm 40:8). When we do not put our sins to death but give in to
them, then we must confess our sins to God and pray for the renewal of the new
man. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and <i>renew</i> a right spirit within
me…. <i>Restore</i> to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:10, 12; cf. Jer.
31:18; Luke 12:32). “<i>Revive</i> us, and we will call upon Your name” (Psalm
80:18). <o:p></o:p></div>
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To sum up, the sanctified life is
putting off the old man and putting on the new man. For example, “putting away <b>lying</b>,
let each one of you speak <b>truth</b> with His neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). “Let him
who stole <b>steal no longer</b>, <b>but</b> rather let him <b>labor</b>…that
he may have something to <b>give</b> him who has need. Let <b>no corrupt word</b>
proceed out of your mouth, <b>but what is good</b> for necessary edification”
(Eph. 5:28-29). To put it very simply: “<u>Turn away from evil</u> and <u>do
good</u>” (1 Peter 3:11). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">Question 91: </span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">What are
good works</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">? <b>Those only which proceed from true faith,
and are done according to the Law of God, unto His glory, and not such as rest
on our own opinion or the commandments of men.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u>Three things are necessary for
our works to be good</u>: (1) <u>A good root</u>: True faith. “Without faith it
is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). Remember that prior to regeneration
we are spiritually dead incapable of doing anything good. “A bad tree cannot bear
good fruit” (Matt. 7:18; cf. Matt. 12:33). The Lord makes us spiritually alive,
giving us faith in Christ; and from the seed of faith comes a tree full of good
fruit. True believers are “those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit”<b>
</b>(Mark 4:20; cf. Heb. 13:15); (2) <u>A good standard</u>: God’s law (John
14:15; 1 John 2:4) – <i>not</i> what is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25);
not according to the traditions or commandments of men (Matt. 15:9). (3) <u>A
good goal</u>: God’s glory; “whether you eat or drink, or <i>whatever</i> <i>you</i>
<i>do</i>, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). To do anything to the
glory of God, “is to do it, that we may testify our love, reverence and
obedience to God, and that for the sake of showing our thankfulness for the
benefits which we have received,” and not “from a desire to advance our own
selfish interests;” God must “be respected <i>first</i> whenever we do
anything; nor must we care what men may say, whether they praise or reproach
us” (Ursinus, 478). Our good works are not <i>perfectly</i> good, but the
unregenerate have no good works at all! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a892addGQPEbQX/WEEK%2033%20HC%2088-91.docx" rel="" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 88-91</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a83cb4bLU4yYJv/WEEK%2033.pdf" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 33</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
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<o:p><a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a> </o:p></div>
Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-89446766825810181012017-08-05T15:17:00.000-05:002017-08-05T15:17:07.653-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 32: HEIDELBERG CATECHISM QA’S 86-87<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 32</u>: Heidelberg Catechism <u>QA’s
86-87</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 86: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Since,
then, we are redeemed from our misery by grace through Christ, without any
merit of ours, why must we do good works</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">?
<b>Because Christ, having redeemed us by
His blood, also renews us by His Spirit after His own image, that with our
whole life we show ourselves thankful to God for His blessing, and that He be
glorified through us; then also, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith
by the fruits thereof; and by our godly walk win also others to Christ.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Having now considered
the greatness of our sin and misery (Q&A 3-11), and how we believers have
been redeemed from our sin and misery (Q&A 12-85), we will now learn how we
are to show ourselves thankful for our redemption (Q&A 86-129).<o:p></o:p></div>
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We have already
learned from Q&A 64 that “it is impossible that those who are implanted
into Christ by true faith, should not bring forth fruits of thankfulness.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Good works are the fruit of redemption (Matt. 7:18; Mark
4:20; Eph. 2:10; Titus 2:14). <o:p></o:p></div>
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There are <b><u>five reasons</u></b><u>
why we must do good works</u>: <b>(1)</b> to show that Christ, having redeemed
us (from the eternal penalty of sin) by His blood, is also sanctifying and
renewing us by His Holy Spirit (Col. 3:9-10) so that we become more like Him,
“who went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). “He who says he abides in Christ
ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6); <b>(2)</b> that
with our whole life we show ourselves thankful to God for our redemption. “I
will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth”
(Psalm 34:1); <b>(3)</b> that God may be glorified through us. “Whoever offers
praise glorifies Me” (Psalm 50:23). “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will
deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Psalm 50:15); “you were bought at a
price; <i>therefore</i>, <i>glorify</i> <i>God</i> in your body and in your
spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20; cf. Rom. 12:1); <b>(4)</b> that we may be assured of our faith, as we
see the fruits of faith in our hearts and lives (Matt. 7:17; Gal. 5:6, 21-22; 2
Pet. 1:10). The first fruit of true faith is a confession of sins to God for
forgiveness (1 John 1:9; Luke 18:13); <b>(5)</b> that by our godly walk
we may bring others to Christ. “Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16;
cf. 1 Peter 3:1; Prov. 11:30). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Question 87: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; text-transform: uppercase;">Can they,
then, not be saved who do not turn to God from their unthankful, unrepentent
life</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">? <b>By no
means, for, as Scripture says, no unchaste person, idolater, adulterer, thief,
covetous man, drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like shall inherit the
kingdom of God [1 Cor. 6:9-10].<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Because the
unbeliever lives an unthankful and unrepentant life (Rom. 1:21), they do not do
good works <i>at all</i> (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 3:12). Unlike the believer, they do
not ask God to forgive their sins and to help them do good works. They are
deceived if they think grace means it is not necessary to forsake their sins
and obey God out of thankfulness. “Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the
kingdom of God. And such <b><i>were</i></b> some of you. But you <b><i>were</i></b>
washed, but you <b><i>were</i></b> sanctified, but you <b><i>were</i></b>
justified.” (1 Cor. 6:9-11).<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a813561Rz652m1/WEEK%2032%20HC%2086-87.docx" rel="" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Heidelberg Catechism 86-87</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a78aa00Yl1jBie/WEEK%2032.pdf" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 32</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1094899744793968228.post-12796657727338930512017-08-05T15:14:00.001-05:002017-08-05T16:05:38.841-05:00REFORMATION 500 WEEK 32 JOHN CALVIN RETURNS TO GENEVA<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;">Reformation 500 <u>WEEK 32</u> John calvin Returns to Geneva</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">On
September 13, 1541, Calvin returned to Geneva. “The following Sunday Calvin
went up into the pulpit at Geneva, and simply began again to expound holy
Scripture at the place where he had left off when he had been banished [<i>does
anyone know exactly where he had left off</i>?]” (Cadier, <i>The Man God
Mastered</i>, 107). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">“Upon
his return to Geneva, Calvin drew up a <i>Church Order</i>, a set of rules for
the governing of the church…. It was based on the teaching of Scripture that
Christ has ordained four offices in the Church: pastors, teachers or
professors, elders, and deacons. The cornerstone of Calvin’s form of church
government is the office of elder. Elders are chosen from among the members of
the church. Together with the minister or pastor they form the consistory. The
elders’ office is to watch over the purity of doctrine and life of the members
of the church, of each other, and of the minister. To the consistory Calvin
assigned the right of discipline of the members of the church to the point of
excommunication…. For Calvin, the freedom of the Church was concentrated in the
Church’s right of excommunication without outside interference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">“Upon
one occasion, certain citizens of Geneva whom the consistory had excommunicated
came into the church armed. Their plan was to force admission to the communion
table. They threatened Calvin’s life if he should refuse to administer the
sacrament to them. Protectingly, Calvin stretched out his hands over the bread
and wine, and declared that they would be able to take of it only over his dead
body. By sheer moral courage and strength, he made them desist from their
attempt to gain admittance by force to the communion table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">“Bitter
opposition often arose against the strict discipline of the Church over the
moral life of the members. More than once it looked as if Calvin would be
expelled a second time from Geneva. What in the end saved the day for Calvin
was the influx into Geneva of refugees from other countries and the case of
Servetus [which we will visit later]” (Kuiper, 197-198). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">While
Calvin was trying to make Geneva into a Christian city, back in Germany Martin
Luther was dying. “Luther and Calvin never met, but they did exchange letters.
In one letter [Jan. 21, 1545] Calvin wrote, ‘Would that I could fly to you,
that I might even for a few hours enjoy the happiness of your society … but
seeing that it is not granted to us on earth, I hope that shortly it will come
to pass in the kingdom of God’.” (Nichols, <i>Reformation</i>, 78).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif";">“Catholics
and Protestants awaited news of Luther’s death – the Catholics hoped for a
terrible death (to prove that he was wrong) and the Protestants a triumphant
one (to prove that he was right) [a crowd of people surrounded his death bed
and tried to comfort him, as he kept repeating the words, ‘For God so loved the
world that He gave His only Son’] …. Martin Luther died in the early morning
hours of February 18, 1546, only a few steps from the house in Eisleben where
he was born sixty-two years earlier.” He “was buried in front of the pulpit in
the Castle Church of Wittenberg … an appropriate place. The pulpit was the
place of his life’s work. He was a
preacher of the Word of God. And faithful to the end” (<i>Legacy of Luther</i>,
73-74). Among his most famous words were, “I did nothing; the Word did
everything.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b>NOTE</b>: These Posts were written and designed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">as bulletin inserts </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">by <a href="http://www.rcus.org/directory/pastors/?cn-s=fagrey&cn-cat=" target="_blank">Pastor David Fagrey</a> of the<a href="http://gracereformedrapidcity.com/" target="_blank"> Grace Reformed Church of Rapid City, SD</a> . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Link to this blog entry as a bulletin insert: </span><a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a7c45010856HKU/WEEK%2032%20John%20Calvin%20Returns%20to%20Geneva.docx" rel="" target="_blank">Reformation 500 John Calvin Returns to Geneva</a><br />
<br />
For a double-sided PDF for easy printing: <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-18691788/documents/598624a78aa00Yl1jBie/WEEK%2032.pdf" target="_blank">Reformation 500 Week 32</a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s1600/RCUS+Seal.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwwhoIjMPbFdi-oYCyL-IohNlpYBRjICcDBCPiSoIhZopexb1DWczlN_i0jJA0N1iENFYnSG9bIpRgpafMa_DLOSkQfeLEq9gRLL-eRmQq_rakNpzRvu-bKsV5XBkNaQmtMt_YVaWOMTg/s200/RCUS+Seal.PNG" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Official Seal of the RCUS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This is the seal of the <a href="http://www.rcus.org/" target="_blank">Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS)</a>. As you can see its history goes back to 1748, when the RCUS began. We celebrate with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation we praise God for what is probably the most amazing spiritual revival in the history of the world.</div>
<div style="text-indent: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://omahareformed.org/ref-500-years-links-and-files" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Page on Omaha Reformed Church's Website: Links to all Bulletin Inserts.</a>Real Religionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09415116146064286825noreply@blogger.com0