Category: Heidelberg Catechism
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The Third Petition: “Your Will Be Done” (War of Wills)
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” May this be our prayer too, today until that glorious day when our Lord redeems us from our own sinful will, and gives us perfect, obedient will.
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The Second Petition: “Your Kingdom Come”
The kingdom is already here with us, “in our midst,†when Christ started preaching his gospel of repentance and salvation. But it is also not yet in its fullness and glory. This is because from Genesis 3:15 all the way to his Second Coming, the kingdom of the Seed of the woman will always be…
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The First Petition: “Hallowed be Your Name”
“Hallowed be your name†has a passive, not active mood, which means that someone else has to make God’s name holy. Who will “hallow†his name?
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“Our Father in Heaven”
Be comforted then as you begin your prayer, “Our Father who is in heaven,†that he hears your prayers, and that he will lovingly and patiently give you all things necessary for body and soul because he is able to do so as the majestic and powerful God in heaven.
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“When You Pray…”
Most evangelicals shun formal prayers like the Lord’s Prayer or the Psalms, thinking that spontaneous, led-by-the-Spirit prayers are more acceptable to God. But often, pastors end up with babbling, mindless prayers, often mumbling repetitiously because they do not know what to say. What can be more beneficial than a prayer composed beforehand, filled with Scripture…
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Sermon Series on Prayer
Today (February 10, 2013), we come to the last portion of the third part of the Heidelberg Catechism, which is about sanctification or living as citizens of God’s kingdom. The first part of sanctification is the explanation of the moral law, the Ten Commandments. The second part is about prayer, which we begin today.
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The Ninth Commandment: Lies, Truth, and Faith
The devil is the father of liars, deceivers, slanderers, and false accusers. But our God is the God of truth. Who do you believe and obey?
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The Eighth Commandment: Doing Honest Work
All your labors to live peacefully and with prosperity on this earth will ultimately be in vain if you do not receive the food and drink of eternal life that Christ worked for throughout his life all the way to his ultimate sacrifice for you.
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The Seventh Commandment for Everyone: Holiness
In 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Paul summarizes God’s will for us: “our sanctification†or holiness. In this regard, the Catechism says we are to “live chastely and modestly, whether in holy marriage or single life.â€
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The Sixth Commandment: Pro-Life!
Man was crowned with glory and honor, being made a little lower than the angels. Like man, after first being made lower than the angels, Jesus was later crowned with honor and glory at his resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven at God’s right hand.