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**LD 1** **The Believer's Only Comfort** **Workbook pages 2-8** **Scripture Reading: Isa 40: 1-5** *Summary: My only comfort in life and death is that I do not belong to myself, but that I belong totally to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.* **Introduction** The Heidelberg Catechism is often c...

**LD 1** **The Believer's Only Comfort** **Workbook pages 2-8** **Scripture Reading: Isa 40: 1-5** *Summary: My only comfort in life and death is that I do not belong to myself, but that I belong totally to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.* **Introduction** The Heidelberg Catechism is often called a book of comfort. In fact, many have identified "comfort" as the theme of the Catechism. That is clear from this Lord's Day where the word comfort appears in the very first question: "What is your only comfort in life and death?" It is also clear from the catechism itself. As you make your way through the catechism you will discover that time and time again the Catechism asks what is the comfort, what is the profit, or what advantage is a certain doctrine to the believer. From this it is clear that the main intention of the Catechism is to comfort the people of God. What does this mean? Let us find out as we study this Lord's Day together **Outline** The Believer's Only Comfort I. What it Is (Q + A 1) II\. How It Can Become Mine (Q + A 2) **Questions For Discussion** *1. This Lord's Day speaks of comfort. What is meant by this word? What kind of comfort is this?* The comfort of which this LD speaks is not a material or physical comfort. It has nothing to do with good food, warm clothes, cosy furniture or a fancy car. The comfort spoken of here is a spiritual comfort. It is the comfort of having one's sins forgiven, of being adopted as a son or daughter of God, of being made an heir of eternal life. It is the comfort of being saved by Christ. *2. What is the essence of this comfort?* It is knowing that I am not my own but belong, body and soul, in life and death, to Jesus Christ. In other words, it is having a living relationship with Jesus Christ. *3. How is it possible for sinners who by nature are enemies of Christ to "belong" to Christ?* This is only possible through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Hence our Catechism says "He \[i.e. Christ\] has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood". *4. What are the benefits of "belonging" to Christ?* There are several: a\. He pays the penalty for our sins (1 Jn 1: 7) b\. He delivers us from the power of the devil (Heb 2: 14) c\. He preserves us (Jn 10: 28) Visscher: When we belong to Christ, He takes care of a guilty past, He comforts us in an insecure present, and He promises us a glorious future *5. How can this comfort become mine? What three things do we have to know? (Q + A 2)* a\. How great my sins and miseries are b\. How I am delivered from all my sins and misery c\. How I am to be thankful to God for such deliverance In other words, we have to know something of guilt, grace and gratitude NOTE: This is basically the "Table of Contents" for the entire Catechism. The rest of the Catechism is devoted to an explanation of each one of these three things. Thus: a\. LD 2-4: Guilt b\. LD 5-31: Grace c\. LD 32-52: Gratitude *6. Where do we have to turn to learn about these three things?* To the Bible which is God's Word. The Bible contains everything we need to know in order to be saved. Therefore if you want to know more about these things you must read, study the Bible and listen to it preached. *7. What truth must we keep in mind with reference to these three things?* a\. There is a certain order to these three things. Guilt precedes grace and grace precedes gratitude. b\. We do not come to a full and complete understanding of these three things all at once. This kind of knowledge requires a lifetime to gain. Even then, what we know of these three things will always be imperfect. **Review** 1\. Our only comfort in life and in death is knowing that we belong to Christ 2\. In order to enjoy this comfort we must know three things. We must know: a\. How great my sins and miseries are b\. How I am delivered from all my sins and misery c\. How I am to be thankful to God for such deliverance **What About You?** The idea of belonging to someone else does not appeal to many people today -- especially not many young people. We like to be our own boss. We like to be independent. But the Bible says the key to happiness is becoming the property of Jesus Christ and living for Him. How does that strike you? Does that appeal to you? Or does the idea turn you off? Ask God to open your eyes to see the necessity and comfort of belonging to Him. **Homework** 1\. Memorize LD 1 (bold) 2\. Answer questions 1-6\ **LD 2** **The Knowledge of Our Misery** **Workbook pages 9-14** **Scripture Reading: Rom 7: 7-25** *Summary: Our misery is due to the fact that we are unable to love God and our neighbour.* **Introduction** In LD 1, Q+A 2 we saw that we must know three things in order to live and die happily: 1\. how great my sins and miseries are, 2. how I may be delivered from my sins and miseries and 3. what gratitude I owe to God for such deliverance. The first of these requirements (how great my sins and miseries are) is the subject of the first section of the Cat which begins here in LD 2 and ends with LD 4. Although only three Lord's Days are devoted to this subject, we should not think that it is not very important. It is. If we do not see our sin and misery we will never see our need for a Saviour. No one ever came to Christ who did not first experience their need for Him. So before we discuss the doctrine of deliverance, we need to know what we need to be delivered from, namely our sins and miseries. **Outline** The Knowledge of Our Misery I. The Source of This Knowledge (Q + A 3, 4) Il. The Confirmation of This Knowledge (Q + A 5) **Questions For Discussion** *1. Q + A 3 makes reference to "sins and miseries"* *a. What is sin?* Sin is "missing the mark" (think of an arrow that misses the bullseye). Any thought, word or action that does not conform to the requirements of the law of God is sin. *b. What is misery?* The original German word is *elend* which was commonly used to describe someone who had been banished from his home land. Such a person feels "out of sorts". He is confronted with a language he does not understand, customs he is not used to, and faces that he does not recognize. At the same time he feels this strong desire to go home. The result is his life is filled with misery, longing, emptiness and frustration. That is misery. Illustration: Paul in Romans 7, Adam and Eve after the fall. The fall introduced alienation between man and God, man and wife, and man and creation) *2. What source reveals to us our sin and misery?* The law of God (Q + A 3) *3. What is meant by the law of God?* The Bible uses the word "law" in three ways: a\. it can refer to the entire Bible (John 10: 34) b\. it can refer to the five books of Moses (Gen - Deut) (Matt 5: 17) c\. it can refer to the Ten Commandments (Exo 20, Deut 5) In this context it refers to the Ten Commandments - the "moral" law of God. It is the moral law which reveals to us our misery. *4. What does the law of God require of us? (Q + A 4)* The law requires us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbour as ourself (Mat 22: 37-40). We call this the summary of the law. It is based on Deut 6: 5 and Lev 19: 18. *5. What does it mean to "love" in this context?* It means to be totally devoted to, totally concerned about. *6. How does the summary of the law reveal to us our sin and misery?* By requiring something we cannot do. None of us can love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and our neighbour as yourself. In fact, due to our fall in Adam the exact opposite is the case. We hate rather than love (Q + A 5). That is our sin and our misery. It is our sin because in failing to love God and our neighbour we fail to keep the law of God. (that is sin). It is our misery because in failing to keep the law of God we become alienated from God. We stand under His wrath and condemnation. *7. Some say that the natural man (i.e. man apart from God's grace) is still capable of keeping the law of God -- at least to some degree. For example, there are many people who never kill anyone or commit adultery. How then can the Catechism say that we are prone to hate God and our neighbour? Isn't that a bit extreme?* No. Outward obedience to the law of God is not true obedience for it proceeds from wrong motives. The only obedience that is acceptable to God is obedience that proceeds from love. *8. What is necessary in order to see this?* Our eyes need to be opened by the Holy Spirit. **Review** 1\. Sin is missing the mark. Misery is alienation from God 2\. The law reveals to us our misery 3\. The law here refers to the moral law -- the Ten Commandments 4\. The law reveals to us our misery in that it requires something that we cannot do -- love God and our neighbour. **What About You?** Every Sunday we read the law of God. Sometimes we also read the summary of the law. What effect does this have on you? Do you let it simply go in one ear and out the other? Or does it convict you? Ask God to open your eyes to see the demands of the law and to convict you when those demands are not met. **Homework** 1\. Memorize LD 2 (bold) 2\. Answer questions 1-4, 5-8 why is\ **Lord's Day 3** **The Origin of Our Sin and Misery** **Workbook pages 15-23** **Scripture Reading: Gen 3: 1-23** Summary: Originally God made man good in every respect but man rebelled against God and so corrupted himself and all creation. **Introduction** In LD 2 we learned that we are prone by nature to hate God and our neighbour. That is our sin and misery. Here in LD 3 we learn why this is the case: it is because of the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve in Paradise. **Outline** The Origin of Our Misery I. It Does Not Lie With God (Q + A 6) II\. But With Man (Q + A 7, 8) **Questions For Discussion** *1. Q + A 6 begins by asking: Did God then create man so wicked and perverse? There are many who think so. They say God created man imperfect. Man cannot help it that he is the way he is. God made him that way. Man is like a defective automobile rolling off the assembly line. God knew He was defective and therefore should have made the necessary repairs but He did not do so. Therefore ultimately it is God's fault. Is that true?* No. "God created man good and in His image, in true righteousness and holiness" (Q + A 6) *2. What is "true righteousness and holiness"?* a\. righteousness: having a perfect standing in relation to the law of God b\. holiness: separated from sin and dedicated to God *3. What conclusion can we come to?* It is not God's fault that man is the way he is. God created man perfect. *4. If that is true, what is the explanation for man's condition?* Q 7: "From where then did man's depraved nature come?" (depraved: corrupt; inclined to evil) Answer: "From the fall and disobedience of our first parents Adam and Eve in Paradise" *5. The Catechism here points us to the fall as recorded in Gen 3: 1-23. What happened at the fall?* God commanded Adam and Eve not to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve, under the instigation of the devil, disregarded God's command. She partook of the fruit and gave some to her husband Adam. We refer to this as the fall. *6. What was the consequence of the fall?* Q + A 7: "...our nature became so corrupt that we are all conceived and born in sin" *7. How bad is our condition? (Q + A 8)* Very bad indeed. We are, by nature, "totally unable to do any good and inclined to all evil". In other words, we are utterly unable to get ourselves out of the pit into which we have willfully fallen. *8. Is there any hope for us?* Yes there is. But this requires a complete overhaul and renewal of our nature. Our Catechism refers to this as regeneration. *9. What is regeneration?* Regeneration (narrowly defined) is that work of the Holy Spirit by which He implants into the heart of a sinner a principle of holiness by which he is enabled to respond to the call of the gospel. By nature we are dead in sins and trespasses. As such we are utterly unable to respond to the call of the gospel to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But when the Holy Spirit regenerates us, he enables us to respond to this call. The result is we receive a new nature. The effects of the fall are reversed. *10. What terms does the Bible use to describe this transformation?* "Born again" (John 3), "new heart" (Jer. 31) *11. How can we become regenerated?* We cannot do this ourselves. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. But He promises to work this grace in the heart of every sinner who asks Him. **Review** 1\. The fault for man's sin and misery does not lie with God but with man. Its origin must be traced back to the fall of Adam and Eve in Paradise 2\. The fall into sin is so serious that we are totally unable to do any good and are inclined to all evil 3\. Our only hope is to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God **What About You?** We have learned today that we can and must be born again. Have you been born again? We know that we have been born again when we have seen something of our sin and our need of a Saviour. Has the Lord worked that in your heart? If not, ask Him to do that for you today. That is the first step to being saved.