What We Believe by Pastor Doug

The Heidelberg Catechism: "instructions" for belief. (The last post!)  

  Heidelberg Catechism days 45-52 part 2: The Lord's Prayer part 2 Questions & Answers: LORD’S DAY 48 123. Q – What does the second request mean? A – “Your kingdom come” means, Rule us by Your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to You. Keep Your church strong, and add to it. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against You and every conspiracy against Your Word. Do this until Your kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it You are all in all. LORD’S DAY 49 124. Q – What does the third request mean? A – “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” means, Help us and all people to reject our own wills and to obey Your will without any back talk. Your will alone is good. Help us one and all to carry out the work we are called to, as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven. LORD’S DAY 50 125. Q – What does the fourth request mean? A – “Give us today our daily bread” means, Do take care of all of our physical needs s...

Heidelberg Catechism days 45-52 part 1: The Lord's Prayer part 1   Questions and Answers: LORD’S DAY 45 116. Q – Why do Christians need to pray? A – Because prayer is the most important part of the thankfulness God requires of us. And also because God gives His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who pray continually and groan inwardly asking God for these gifts and thanking Him for them. 117. Q – How does God want us to pray so that He will listen to us? A – First, we must pray from the heart to no other than the one true God, who has revealed Himself in His Word, asking for everything He has commanded us to ask for. Second, we must acknowledge our need and misery, hiding nothing, and humble ourselves in His majestic presence. Third, we must rest on his unshakable foundation: even though we do not deserve it, God will surely listen to our prayer because of Christ our Lord. This is what He promised us in His Word. 118. Q – What did God command us to pray for? A – Ev...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 33-44 - The Ten Commandments, part 3 - Love others!   Questions and Answers: LORD’S DAY 39 104. Q – What is God’s will for you in the fifth commandment? A – That I honor, love and be loyal to my father and mother and all those in authority over me; that I obey and submit to them, as is proper, when they correct and punish me; and also that I be patient with their failings – for through them God chooses to rule us. LORD’S DAY 40 105. Q – What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment? A – I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor – not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds – and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. 106. Q – Does this commandment refer to only killing? A – By forbidding murder God teaches ...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 33-44 - The Ten Commandments, part 2 - Love God!   Questions and Answers: 93.      Q – How are these commandments divided? A – Into two tables.   The first has four commandments, teaching us what our relation to God should be.   The second has six commandments, teaching us what we owe our neighbor.   94.      Q – What does the Lord require in the first commandment? A – That I, not wanting to endanger my very salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, magic, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures.   That I sincerely acknowledge the only true God, trust Him alone, look to Him for every good thing humbly and patiently, love Him, fear Him, and honor Him with all my heart.   In short, that I give up anything rather than go against His will in any way.   95.      Q – What is idolatry? A – Idolatry is having or inventing something wh...

  Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 33-44 - The Ten Commandments, part 1 Questions & Answers: LORD’S DAY 34 92. Q – What does the Lord say in His law? A – The catechism quotes from Exodus 20:1-17 (the Ten Commandments): And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall l...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 33 - an empty tomb means new life!   Questions and Answers: 88.        Q – What is involved in genuine repentance or conversion? A – Two things:   the dying-away of the old self, and the coming-to-life of the new.   89.        Q – What is the dying-away of the old self? A – It is to be genuinely sorry for sin, to hate it more and more, and to run away from it.   90.        Q – What is the coming to life of the new self? A – It is the wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to.   91.        Q – What do we do that is good? A – Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God’s law, and is done for His glory; and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition.

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 32 - Gratitude!   Questions and Answers: 86.        Q – We have been delivered from our misery by God’s grace alone through Christ and not because we have earned it:   Why then must we still do good? A – To be sure, Christ has redeemed us by His blood.   But we do good because Christ by His Spirit is also renewing us to be like Himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all He has done for us, and so that He may be praised through us.   And we do good so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and so that by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ.   87.        Q – Can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and impenitent ways? A – By no means.   Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or t...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 31 - don't lose your keys!   Questions and answers for this Lord's Day: 83.       Q – What are the keys of the kingdom? A – The preaching of the holy gospel and Christian discipline toward repentance.   Both preaching and discipline open the kingdom of heaven to believers and close it to unbelievers.   84.       Q – How does preaching the gospel open and close the kingdom of heaven? A – According to the command of Christ:   The kingdom of heaven is opened by proclaiming and publicly declaring to all believers, each and every one, that, as often as they accept the gospel promise in true faith, God, because of what Christ has done, truly forgives all their sins.   The kingdom of heaven is closed, however, by proclaiming and publicly declaring to unbelievers and hypocrites that, as long as they do not repent, the anger of God and eternal condemnation rest on them.   Gods ...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 30 = Thanksgiving!   Questions and answers: 80. Q – How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic mass? A – The Lord’s Supper declares to us that our sins have been completely forgiven through one sacrifice of Jesus Christ which He Himself finished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with His very body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where He wants us to worship Him. … 81. Q – Who are to come to the Lord’s table? A – Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their continuing weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves. 82. Q – Are those to be admitted to the Lord’s Supper who show by wh...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 29 - Communion = togetherness!   Questions and answers: 78.        Q – Are the bread and wine changed into the real body and blood of Christ? A – No.   Just as the water of baptism is not changed into Christ’s blood and does not itself wash away sins but is simply God’s sign and assurance, so too the bread of the Lord’s Supper is not changed into the actual body of Christ even though it is called body of Christ in keeping with the nature and language of sacraments.   79.        Q – Why then does Christ call the bread His body and the cup His blood, or the new covenant in His blood?   (Paul uses the words, a participation in Christ’s body and blood.) A – Christ has good reason for these words.   He wants to teach us that as bread and wine nourish our temporal life, so too His crucified body and poured-out blood truly nourish our souls for eternal life.   But m...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 28 - The Lord's Supper - it is His table - it is free!   Questions from the Heidelberg Catechism for Lord's Day 28: 75.      How does the Lord’s Supper remind you and assure you that you share in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross and in all His gifts? A – In this way:   Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup.   With this command He gave this promise:   First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely His body was offered and broken for me and His blood poured out for me on the cross.   Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so surely He nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with His crucified body and poured-out blood.   76.   ...

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 27 - baptism part 2: LOOK! I’ve been baptized and I want to follow Jesus!  

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 26 - baptism part 1  

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 25 - We need to REMEMBER!  

  Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 24 - I'm not perfect, so I GET to start over, a lot!

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 23 - "I love you, God!"  

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 22 - the bottom-line to what we believe: HOPE! And we all need HOPE!  

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 21 - Unity!  

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