Eternally Assured

" The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty." - Exodus 34:6-7a The word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen His glory,  glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth - John 1:14    "Jesus Christ is the fullest expression of God's steadfast love and faithfulness to save His people from their sins" - Rev. Brad Lenzner Being in a state of persistent discouragement during this time has a way of mercilessly taking an emotional toll on you. I am afraid to admit that I currently live under this heaviness. Throughout the past few weeks, I have been meditating on a Lord's Day sermon preached a few weeks ago based on John 1:14 (I will share the link at the end of this post).  There was one particular connection the pastor made between Exodus

"This is not an artificial arrangement. Guilt, Grace Gratitude. This is what will set your life free in the joy of the comfort of the Gospel - both in life and in death. Know it well and live by it" - John Fonville  What is your only comfort in life and in death?  (Heidelberg Question and Answer 1) Answer: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way, that without the will of my Heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head. Indeed all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore by His Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him. How many things must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?  (Heidelberg Question and Answer 2) Answer: Three: First ho

"In short, when you love God, you make him the greatest pleasure of your life. When we can consider what real love for God is, you can easily see that you cannot love God in this way if you think you are under the curse and wrath of God. You cannot love God if you are under the continual secret suspicion that He is really your enemy!" -  Walter Marshall (The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification) Edited by Bruce McRae What is Sanctification? Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)  A Secret Suspicion I am currently reading a book called the Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall. The first chapter of the book spent time exploring what it really means to love God. There were several pages that I read in which I felt like I was being spiritually filleted. To love God -

(Heidelberg Q&A 49) How does Christ's Ascension into heaven benefit us?  First he is our Advocate in heaven before the Father. Second we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he, our Head will also take us, his members up to himself. Third he sends us his Spirit as a counter pledge by whose power we seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and not the things that are on earth My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1st John 2: 1-2) Advocate: a person who pleads for or in behalf of another, intercessor.  Have you ever felt exhausted and weighed down by the condemnation that can come from your own heart? Is your mind an endless list of evaluations of motives and sins? Weary one, are you c

(Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 52) How does Christ's return to "judge the living and the dead"comfort you?  In all distress and persecution, with uplifted head, I confidently await the very judge, who has already offered himself to the judgement of God in my place and removed the whole curse from me. Christ will cast all his enemies and mine into everlasting condemnation, but will take me and all his chosen ones to himself into the joy and glory of heaven.  I have been at a loss of words for the past few days, unable to completely process what has transpired in the aftermath that follows the murder of a black man in broad daylight at the hands of an evil man who bears the badge of civil authority - the authority that ironically is supposed to preserve and protect life rather than take it. I feel overwhelmed and helpless at the state of our world and the state of justice. Right now, all I want to do is sit in the dust and weep. If anything - the Gospel of Christ

How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us? We can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature will separate us from his love, for all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved. (Heidelberg Catechism Q: 28) " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way though the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns The nations rage, the kingdoms totter, he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our

"To the Churches of Galatia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" Galatians 1:3 "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" 2nd Corinthians 1:2 "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 1:7 "To those who are called, sanctified, by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you" Jude 1:2 "To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God, Speak Tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her. that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Isaiah :40 1-2 What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil, and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father in heaven, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him. (Heidelberg Catechism Q and A 1)            As 2019 comes to a close and with the rise and fall of Advent, I have been reflecting upon a single word that