Podcasts about Heidelberg Catechism

In this thought-provoking episode, Tony and Jesse delve into Jesus's twin parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price from Matthew 13:44-46. They explore the profound economic metaphor Jesus uses to illustrate the incomparable value of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through careful examination of both parables, they discuss what it means to "count the cost" of following Christ while simultaneously recognizing that no earthly sacrifice can compare to the infinite worth of gaining Christ. The conversation moves between practical application—considering how believers assess value in their spiritual lives—and deeper theological reflections on Christ's perfect sacrifice that makes our entrance into the Kingdom possible in the first place. Key Takeaways The Kingdom of Heaven has such surpassing value that sacrificing everything to obtain it is considered a joyful exchange, not a loss. Both parables show different paths to discovering the Kingdom (unexpected finding vs. intentional seeking), but identical responses: selling everything to obtain the treasure. The parables are not primarily commanding material poverty, but rather illustrating the "sold-outness" required in pursuing the Kingdom of God. Counting the cost of discipleship is not only permissible but necessary to fully appreciate the value of what we gain in Christ. The ultimate treasure we receive in salvation is not merely benefits like eternal life, but God Himself—union with Christ and fellowship with the Trinity. Christ Himself is the one who ultimately fulfills these parables perfectly, giving everything to purchase us as His treasure. The irresistible draw of the Kingdom illustrates how God's grace works in the heart of believers, compelling joyful surrender. Exploring the Incomparable Value of the Kingdom The economic metaphor Jesus employs in these parables is striking—both the hidden treasure and the pearl are deemed so valuable that the discoverers "sell all they have" to obtain them. As Tony and Jesse point out, this transaction reveals something profound about how we should view the Kingdom of Heaven. It's not simply that the Kingdom is valuable; it's that its value so far exceeds anything else we possess that the comparison becomes almost absurd. As Tony notes, "For sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine... there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how worthwhile it is." This perspective transforms how we understand sacrifice in the Christian life. When opportunities or comforts are foregone because of our faith, we're not simply losing something—we're experiencing the reality that we've chosen something infinitely more valuable. The parables teach us to view these moments not with regret but with a clearer vision of the treasure we've received in Christ. The Ultimate Prize: God Himself Perhaps the most powerful insight from the discussion is the realization that the ultimate treasure of salvation is not the benefits we receive, but God Himself. As Tony eloquently states: "All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God... we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." This perspective reshapes how we understand the value proposition of the gospel. It's not merely that we receive eternal life, freedom from suffering, or other benefits—though these are real. The pearl of great price is relationship with God Himself. This helps explain why both men in the parables respond with such dramatic, all-encompassing sacrifice. When we truly grasp what's being offered, nothing seems too great a price to pay. Memorable Quotes "What we get in salvation ultimately is we get God. We get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We get swept up into the life of the Trinity... We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that." — Tony Arsenal "I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value... it's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We'll just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it." — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [00:00:08] Tony Arsenal: All of those things are attending gifts. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. We get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. [00:00:47] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 469 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. Discussing the Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:01:00] Jesse Schwamb: Speaking of ears to hear, we're back at it again with a whole new, or let's say different parable from our Lord and Savior Jesus. And we've been talking about how really these parables give us this view of the face of heaven through these earthly glasses. And I am pretty interested in our conversation about what's coming up because sometimes we don't like to put too fine a points to our, our point of question to our faith. And in this case, we're gonna get to ask the question, what is it all worth, this kingdom of heaven, this rule and reign of Christ? What is it all about? Who are the beneficiaries of it? And what is it all actually worth? There's a little bit of economics in this, so we're gonna get there. And while we talk and do a little affirming or denying, you should just go ahead write to just skip, go. Do not collect $200 or maybe. Pass, go and collect $200. I dunno. But just go to Matthew chapter 13 and hang out there for just a second. Affirmations and Denials [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: But first, I'm always curious to know whenever we talk, are you gonna affirm with something or are you gonna die against something? We've been on a string of lots of affirmations, but I'd like to think that's just because we're fun, loving, optimistic people. But there was a day where we had to do both. And now that I only have to choose one, I do find myself gravitating almost naturally toward the affirming width. But I leave it to you, Tony, are you affirming with or denying against? [00:02:22] Tony Arsenal: I, unfortunately am denying tonight. Technical Issues with Apple Podcasts [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: So you and I already talked about it a little bit, but uh, I'm denying Apple Podcast Connect. Oh yes. So, uh, I. Obviously, like if you're affected by this, you're not hearing the episode 'cause it's not updating for you. But, uh, if you happen to be using Apple to listen to the podcast and for some reason you're listening somewhere else, maybe you realize that the podcast has not been updating for several weeks. And so you went to a different podcast catcher. Um, apple just decided for some reason that none of our feeds were gonna update. No good reason. So I've got a ticket out to Apple and hopefully we'll get it fixed. Uh, if you do know someone who listens to the show and they use Apple, please tell them to subscribe to something else or to, uh, go to the website. You can get all of the, all of the episodes on our website. You could go to Spotify, you could do something like, uh, overcast or PocketCasts. Um, it really is just Apple. It's, it's the actual account that we use to, uh, to access. Apple's Directory is not pulling new episodes and it's not pulling new episodes on another show that I run as well. So, uh, it's not just this show, it's not our RSS feed. These things happen. It'll, you know, you'll get four or five episodes all at one time. When it, when it corrects itself, usually they're pretty quick. I put in a ticket like late on Friday afternoon, so I didn't expect them to get to it on, uh, Saturday or Sunday. So hopefully by the time you're hearing this, uh, it's resolved. I would hope so, because that means it would be about a week from today. Um, so hopefully they'll have a resolve. But yeah, it's just th thorns and thistles. This is our own, our own, uh, manifestation of the curse here in this little labor that we do. It's, it's thorns and thistles right now, but no big deal. Just, uh, catch up when you can. And, uh, yeah, so denying Apple Podcasts now, really, it's, it's a great service and this is a, a little glitch. It's, it's just a little frustrating. [00:04:20] Jesse Schwamb: The sweat of our brow. Yes. Here it is. We're just toiling over getting Apple to please release our episodes. Well, it'll be your happy day if you use Apple Podcasts and then get a bunch of them all at once. That's fantastic. It's like the gift that is over in abundance. Supporting The Reformed Brotherhood [00:04:36] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, it is a good reminder that you just said, Tony, that everybody should go, just take some time. Head on over to our form brotherhood.com. You can find all the other 400 some odd episodes living over there. And while you're over there and you're perusing or searching by topic to see what we've talked about before, you're probably gonna think to yourself, this is so incredible. How is this compendium, this omnibus of all these episodes just hanging out here free of cost? And I'm so glad you're thinking about that because there are so many lovely brothers and sisters who have decided just to give a little bit to make sure that all that stuff gets hosted for free for you Yeah. And for us, so that anybody can go and explore it and find content that we hope will be edifying. So if that's something you're interested in, maybe you've been listening for a while and thought, you know what? I would like to give a little bit one time or reoccurring, we would love to, for you to join us in that mission. You can go to patreon.com/reform brotherhood, and there's all the information for you to give if that's something that you feel you would like to do, and we would be grateful for you to do it. [00:05:32] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. We, we have a group of people who support the show. They make it possible for your, uh, your ear holes to be filled with our voices. And, uh, but again, you know, the costs are going up all around and, and we would, uh, certainly love to have people partner with us. Um, we've committed to making show that the, making sure that the show is free and available. Um, it's never our intention to put anything behind a paywall or to, to barrier and in that way, but we can only do that if there's people who are supporting the show and making, making sure that we've got the funding that we need to, to keep going. So, thank you to everybody who gives, thank you to anyone who's considering it, uh, and thanking anybody who decides to, uh, jump on board with that. [00:06:11] Jesse Schwamb: Right on. We're appreciative who we really are. [00:06:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So Jesse, what are you affirming or denying today? Exploring Open Webcam DB [00:06:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, this is what I've kind of done before, but I think I've found a new place for it. I just am continually impressed and fall in love with how great and big and lovely God's world is. So I love these types of sites that give you insight into this great big world, even if it's in unexpected places or maybe in strange places. So I'm affirming with a website called Open webcam db.com. Open webcam db.com. And it's exactly like what it sounds like. It's a database that has something like 2000 live cameras streaming daily from over 50 countries, all searchable by a category. So you can find natural landscapes, airports, construction sites, and one of my recent favorites, honestly, and this is. It's so strange, but kind of awesome is this warehouse, it's called Chinese Robotic Warehouse Buzz, and it's just robots moving pallets around or like stacks of all of these items. It's mesmerizing. But I would encourage you go to open webcam db.com, search for like your stage or your country. You'll find so many amazing things. So I've sat and just watched, you know, between tasks or when you know you just need a break or you're just curious about the world. Like I look, I watched the Krakow Maine Market Square quite a bit because it's. Beautiful and brilliant, and to think about the people moving to and fro and what they're doing, what their lives are like. There's some great scenes from San Francisco Bay. There is a bird feeder in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania that I often watch. So of course, like go out as we've said, and live and breathe and be in your own communities. And as well, if you're looking at scratch that itch of just seeing all these different places, all the different things that are happening in God's created world, I can firmly and unreservedly recommend open webcam db.com for that. [00:07:58] Tony Arsenal: Nice, nice, uh, little known fact at one point, Dartmouth Hitchcock, which is the hospital that I worked for, had to block a penguin cam, uh, because it was causing such a productivity drain combined with an actual measurable decrease in internet bandwidth at the hospital. 'cause so many people were watching this little penguin cam at some zoo in Boston. I think it probably was. Yeah, I, I love this kind of stuff. I think this kind of stuff is great. Uh, I use, uh, Dartmouth College has a, like a live one that I use all the time, especially when we're trying to figure out what the weather's gonna do. You can see it on the camera. Uh, we, we often will, you know, see, especially as we get closer to the season when we're talking about traveling to the beach and whatnot, uh, often look at the ocean grove. Oh, that's right. Uh, pier cam. So yeah, check it out. Uh, sounds like a fun time. Do not share it with too many of your friends at work. Or it may crash the network and Yeah. But [00:08:53] Jesse Schwamb: yeah, for [00:08:54] Tony Arsenal: sure. That was a funny email that they had to send out. I remember that [00:08:57] Jesse Schwamb: for sure. Use, use the penguin cam responsibly. I just did a quick search. There are four different penguin cams. Uh, three of them are in the United States, one is in New Zealand, and you better believe I'm gonna be checking those bad boys out. Yes. I didn't even think about. The penguin feature here and penguins are an amazing animal. Like we could stop right now and just shift our topic to penguins if you want to. [00:09:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. ' [00:09:16] Jesse Schwamb: cause there's so much there. And the spiritual truths are so broad and deep, but I just think penguins are kind of undervalued. Birds. Everybody should go check them out. [00:09:26] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. They're, they're pretty cool. [00:09:28] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Um, I'm like, I will watch any Penguin documentary and just be astounded by Penguin. Like, whether they're Emperor Penguins or South African Penguin, wherever. I just think they're phenomenal and hilarious and seem to be living the dream. And he doesn't want a little bit of that. [00:09:46] Tony Arsenal: You just gotta get Morgan Freeman to do the voiceover in any documentary or, or nature documentary is better with Morgan Freeman doing the voiceover. [00:09:55] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I all, this might be a deep cut real quick, but I just learned this, and I'm guessing some of our listening brothers and sisters probably already know this. Maybe you do too, Tony. So, Benedict Cumberbatch, do you know where I'm going with this? Yep, [00:10:06] Tony Arsenal: yep. Pen wing. [00:10:07] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. I didn't. I cannot say that word or stumbles over its pronunciation. He did some kind of big documentary in which Penguins played at least some part. Yeah. And they were in an interview. They were giving him such a hard time because they played his reading of it like within the same kind of five minutes. And his, the word just kept degenerating in his mouth every time he said it. So it became like almost undistinguishable from the actual word. And it's like initial pronunciation. It was so hilarious. Apparently it's a big joke on the internet and I just didn't know it. [00:10:38] Tony Arsenal: Especially for someone like Bent Cumberbatch who just is, uh, like he's a world-class voice actor. [00:10:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:10:45] Tony Arsenal: And like a super smart ude guy and he just can't say the word penguin and penguin. Yeah. [00:10:51] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. He said, you got everybody go look it up. 'cause it is super hilarious. And now it's kind of gotten stuck in my head. But um, again, this suddenly became like the All Penguin episode all of a sudden. [00:11:01] Tony Arsenal: I mean like, he can pronounce his own last name just fine, but the word penguin escapes him. I like to call 'em blueberry crumble bottom or whatever. Crumble bunch. [00:11:11] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, see that's the good stuff right there. That's what everybody we know. This is what you all tune in for. This is what you're missing when Apple Podcast doesn't send everything out on time. Yeah. You're welcome. [00:11:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl [00:11:23] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, why don't we, why don't we get into it? Because you know it, it's interesting. Let's [00:11:27] Jesse Schwamb: get into it. [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: Well, it's interesting because when you, you know, you kind of, we, we sort of do the little lead to the episode and I, I suddenly realized that I think I've been interpreting this parable very differently than maybe you have or other people. Great. Do, uh, because I, I think I, I think I might have a different take on it. Let, let's do it. Yeah. So let's get into it. Uh, do you have the, the text in friend you wanna read? Uh, why don't we just do 44 all the way through 46? We'll do both parables in one reading. We'll come back and talk about it. [00:11:54] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Sorry, everybody. So here's a two for one for you. Beginning in where we're in verse 44 of Matthew chapter 13. This is Jesus speaking. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field again. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Interpreting the Parables [00:12:22] Tony Arsenal: I think maybe this is the, like the beauty of parables, uh, when Christ doesn't give us a interpretation. I, I think we're, we're, we're not free to like make up whatever we want, but these kinds of teaching tools are useful because the fact that there can be multiple interpretations actually is, is probably intentional. [00:12:43] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:12:43] Tony Arsenal: So it's funny because I think when you intro the episode here, it sounds like you're going to the kingdom of Heaven being a treasure hidden in a field, being something that we should sell everything we have and go after. And when I read this, I read it as the kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden a field. And the man who is Jesus goes and sells all that. He has. He gives all that he has and buys the field. So, and I, I think this is one of those ones where like. Probably both of those things are in play. Sure. But it's interesting 'cause I've never, I've never really read this and thought about myself as the person who buys the field. [00:13:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Interesting. [00:13:20] Tony Arsenal: I've probably heard sermons or read devotionals where people have said that and it just never clicked. And it didn't register until just now. And you were, when you were, uh, introing the parable that maybe you are the, maybe your way of introing your, your interpretation. Maybe that's the dominant one. So I, I looked at a couple quick, um, commentaries while you were speaking and I didn't get a chance to do my commentary reading before the episode. It seems like I'm the weird one. So, but it's interesting, um, 'cause again, I think that's the, kind of the beauty of parables is that sometimes the, the, um. Ambiguity of what the possible meaning could be, probably plays into the, the, um, teaching technique itself. [00:13:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I, I think that's fair. I totally can take and understand what your perspective is on this. What I find interesting is that these, we've got these two abutting each other, like the cheek to cheek parallel approach here, and in doing so, there seems to be like kind of an interesting comparison between the two. Actors in this. And I think we should get into that. Like why in one case Jesus is talking about a person who finds this in a field, which by the way, I think the, the thing that jumps out to me first about that person is this person doesn't actually own the field at first. Right. That the treasure is in. So that is interesting. I'm totally with you. But then the second one, so in the first one there's kinda almost like this sense, and I don't wanna like push this too far, but that this person who finds this treasure does so very unexpectedly, perhaps like he's even the hired hand and of course not the one who owns the field. [00:14:48] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:14:49] Jesse Schwamb: And in the second case, we have somebody who almost is volitionally looking for this thing of great value, but finds the one thing above all the other things that they're used to looking for that clearly has the greatest and most. You know, essential worth and therefore the end is always the same in both of 'em. They give everything they have. They're willing for forsake all other things with great joy, recognizing the great value that's in front of them. I think there is a place to understand that as Christ acting in those ways. I think there's also interesting, again, this comparison between these two people. So I'm seeing this as we've got these varied beneficiaries of the kingdom. They both come to this place of the incomparable value of the kingdom, but then there's also like this expulsive power of the kingdom. All, all of that's, I think in there, and again, these are really, really, really brilliant, I think, because the more that you spend time meditating on these, the layers just kind of come and they fall away and you start to really consider, well, why again is Jesus using these two different characters? Why is he using this kinda different sense of things of, of worth what the people are actually after? I think all of it's in play. You're totally right. [00:15:54] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. The Cost and Value of the Kingdom of Heaven [00:15:55] Tony Arsenal: So I think, you know, when we think about the kingdom of heaven, when we think about these perils, we made this point last week, we shouldn't, um, we shouldn't restrict, we have to be careful not to restrict the comparison to just like the first noun that comes up, [00:16:08] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:16:08] Tony Arsenal: So it's not just that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, it, it is like a treasure, but it's like a treasure that's hidden in a field. Yes. And it's not just like a treasure that's hidden in a field, it's a treasure that's hidden in a field which a man found and covered up. Right? So, so like we have to look at that whole sequence. And I think, I think, um, you know, obviously like the, the interpretation that we are the, we're the man who finds the kingdom of heaven and we, you know, we go and buy the field. Um, that, that obviously makes perfect sense now that I'm looking at a few different commentaries. It seems to be the predominant way that this gets interpreted. And we, we look at it and we say, what, well, what does this mean for like our Christian life? Like. What does it mean? Do we have to, do we have to give everything away? Do we have to sell everything we have? Is that the point of the parable? I think some people make that the point of the parable. Um, I'm not convinced that that actually is the point of the parable. Um, because it, you know, it, it, it just, there's lots in the scripture that, that, uh, doesn't seem to require that Christians automatically like, give away everything they have. Um, maybe that's your calling. Maybe it is something that God's calling you to do to sort of, um, divest yourself of your, your belongings, either to sort of fight materialism or greed or, or just because like you're gonna need to have that fluidity and liquidity to your assets 'cause you're gonna need to move around or whatever it is. But I don't think we look at this parable and have like a, like a, a command for a life of poverty or something like that. Right. Um, really this is more about the. Utter sold outness of the Christian to pursue and seek the kingdom of God. [00:17:48] Jesse Schwamb: Right? Right. [00:17:49] Tony Arsenal: And and I think that that's the same in both, even though the way that the person in the parables comes a, comes across the kingdom or they come across this, this thing of great value or thing of great price, that they find their response in both parables is the same. And to me, that that actually tells me that that's more the point of these parables. Um, or, or maybe we shouldn't even think of these as two parables, right? Some of the introductory language that we see in when we transition from one parable to another, we don't really see that here. Uh, and if, if we're gonna follow that, actually we would be going to the next parable would also kind of fall into this. But he says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. And then in 45 he says, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. We're gonna run into something like this later on when we get to like the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of lost coins. Where there are these distinct parables, but they're kind of stacked on top of each other in order to make a specific point. All of the parables that are sort of in these parable stacks are making the same point. And so I think it's not so much about like, how do we find the Kingdom of Heaven or how do we come upon the kingdom of heaven? It's more about what do we do once we've come upon it? Once we've thrown it's, that's the point of the parable that we need to unpack. [00:19:03] Jesse Schwamb: That's right. And I would add to that, like who is it that is the beneficiary of this kingdom? We have two different, very different individuals, which I, again, I think, we'll, we'll talk a little bit about, but I'm totally with you. I, I think it's, it's easier, it's almost too narrow and too easy to say. Well, this is really just about like physical ma or about wealth. Like in some way the, what we're being taught here is that you have to get rid of everything of value in exchange for this. In some ways, that almost feels too transactional, doesn't it? As if like what, what we need to do is really buy the kingdom. We express our seriousness about this kingdom or the rule and reign of God by somehow just giving up everything that we own as if to prove that we're really worthy of receiving that kingdom that we prayed enough. Right. That we've done enough, even though that we're contrite enough. Yeah. And all that stands like in direct opposition to the mercy and grace, which God gives to us through his son by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us into this kingdom. So we know it can't really be about that. And so that leads me back again to just like the lovely details here. And like you've already said in the first case, here's what really strikes me is. For probably most of us in the West, this idea of treasure is novel and maybe romantic. There's a adventure and an energy to it. Because we've all heard stories about this, whether it's like, I don't know, pirates of the Caribbean or the county Mount Cristo. Like there's something about treasure finding some kind of, or national treasure. Sorry, that just came to my mind. Like I couldn't go any further without mentioning Nick Cage. So you know, like there's something there that pulls us in that finding this thing almost unexpectedly in a hidden place of immense worth and value is, has a real draw to it. But I imagine that in Palestine being like a war torn region in Jesus' day, in the way people might store goods of great value in the fields they own. And then of course the owner may never be able to achieve for lots of reasons, including death. And then somebody might stumble upon it. And as I understand the, the laws there, of course, if you were to stumble upon something. I was in somebody else's property and and on earth that thing take it out of the ground. In this case, you would be by law required to bring that back to the person who owned the field. So there's something interesting here that this first person, probably the more meager and humble of the two with they at least respected, like their socioeconomic status is let's, we could presume maybe going about their normal work. They find this unexpectedly in the field and it's immediately recognized to be something of great value that it is to stop and to, again, there's like a measuring that happens behind the scenes. This person at least is measuring of all the things that I own, all things I could possibly own. The better thing for me to do is to consolidate all the rest of my wealth. And this case, again, it's not the message of the story to do this, it's the exemplification of what's happening here. This person is so sold out to ensure that they acquire this great treasure that they stumbled upon, that they will take literally everything else of value that they own to exchange it for this very thing. So I'm totally with you because I think the predominant message here is not like take all your wealth and make sure that you give it to the church or that it goes to ministry or to missions. That may all be well and good and it may all be the kind of calling that you receive. However, I think the principle message here is the kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth, but getting the kingdom is a happy trade off. Like that's actually a really, really good deal. And so having the omnipotent saving reign of Christ in our lives is so valuable that if, if we lose everything in order to have it, it would be a joyful sacrifice. [00:22:20] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, I think, um, I think there is a level of. Encouragement in Sacrifice and Joy in the Kingdom [00:22:27] Tony Arsenal: Sacrifice that happens for every Christian and. I mean, I, I know there's a lot of people who they, uh, come to faith as young children and we've kind of talked about that as like, that's that testimony that, you know, I think everybody really wants is like they wish they never had a time that they didn't know Jesus and Right. I don't know any parent that I've ever spoken to, and I'm certainly not any different here that doesn't want that testimony for Jesus, but, or for, for their kids in their relationship with Jesus. But. I think most people who come to faith at some point in their life when they're able to remember it, like they, they have a conscious memory of their conversion experience. There is this sort of sense of sacrifice and e even a sort of a sense of loss. Um, I think there, there are times where, and, and you know, I think maybe, um, even people who've always been in the faith, um, they probably can resonate with this. I think there are times when we might look at how our lives could have been different or could be different if we weren't in the faith. Um, and, and sometimes there's a sort of wistfulness to that. Like being a Christian can sometimes be difficult right On, um, you know, maybe you miss a promotion opportunity because you're not willing to work on the Lord's day or because you're not willing to do something unethical. Like you, you miss out on some sort of advancement and you think, well, if I could just, you know, if I could have just gotten past that, like my life would be much different. And what this parable teaches us is. That's an understandable, like that's an understandable emotion or response. Um, and there is this weighing of the cost. And in the parable here, he, like you said, there's this calculation that goes on in the background. He finds this treasure, he makes the calculation that to have this treasure is worth. Everything it's worth everything he has. He sells everything he has, and he buys the field in order to get the treasure right. And, and there's some interesting textual dynamics going on through this chapter. We've talked about how the parables kind of like the imagery across the parables in chapter 13 here of Matthew, they kind of flip certain figures around and almost, it's almost intentional because he is getting the treasure and the treasure. The kingdom of heaven here is like the treasure, but he's also getting the field right. And the kingdom of heaven is, is the field in other parables. Um, but this, this calculation that happens, um. I don't know, maybe my heart is just sensitive to this right now. I, I, I, I feel like a lot of times we look at that sort of wis wistful second glance at what could have been if we were not Christians, and we automatically feel like that's gotta be a sinful impulse. Like, how could I ever even consider what life might have been? Like this parable implies that that's the thing we actually have to do. You have to know and consider what it is you've sacrificed or will be sacrificing in order to make this transaction happen. You can't just blanketly say like, oh, of course. You know, you've gotta, you've gotta count the cost, as it were, and then you have to actually make the purchase. So I think we should look at this as a source of encouragement. Um, like I said, I'm not sure why. I feel like maybe there's, maybe there's just a, a. I dunno, I'm feeling a little weird and charismatic right now. I feel like this is something that I definitely need to be saying, like, I feel like someone needs to hear this. Maybe it's just me that needs to hear this. And that's, I'm tricking myself by thinking of someone else. But we are able, as Christians, I think God permits us and in some sense, maybe even expects and commands us to recognize what we have given to be Christians in order that we might realize how much we have gained with that transaction. It's not just this like remorse or regret, um, for the sake of remorse or regret. It's to be able to see how good and how beautiful and how worth it is the kingdom of God, uh, to, to, to claim that. [00:26:23] Jesse Schwamb: I like that there is a great discipline and a great joy in remembering worth and worthiness. So there's gonna be times, like you said, when it's hard and if you look back, look back at the ministry of Jesus, I've often thought that he's like a poor evangelizer from like modern standards. Yeah. Because often people come to him and say things like. I, I wanna be part of the kingdom of God. Well, what do I need to do to enter the kingdom of God? And here you have like a seemingly a willing convert. And he always says things like this, like, you gotta go count the cost. Yeah. Like is, is this worth it to you? Like you have to deny yourself, you have to hate your own father and your mother, and your wife and children, and brothers and sisters, even your own life. Otherwise you cannot be my disciple. And in this kind of language, it's clear that Jesus is saying you fail often. And maybe this goes back like you're saying, Tony, it's like the parable of the soil that you fail to really take into account what it means to follow with full fidelity, to commit yourself in a fully unencumbered way. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to consider that? And as human beings, we're just not good often at counting costs. We're not good at thinking about opportunity costs. And it's interesting here that we're called out to say, even if you've already purchased the field as so to speak, that as if you've been saved by Christ, to continue to remember how good it is to be in the kingdom of God. And that the joy. Of knowing as like the Heidelberg Catechism says in the first question that all things are subservient to our salvation. Yeah. That incredible worth of, that should be a source of encouragement in times of great trial and tribulation, no matter how big or small, so that this joy that this person has when they go and sells everything he has and he buys this field, you know those details, like you're saying, do press us. It really comes to us with this idea that we should be able to see plainly why having Christ is more valuable than all other things. If the omnipotence all wise, God is ruling, ruling over all things for our joy, then everything must be working for our good, no matter how painful and in the end, God is gonna triumph over all evil and all pain. So this kingdom is a real treasure. Like it is a, it is a real. A real quantity in our life and our wellbeing and in our spiritual consistency, that'll ought demand some reflection of how valuable it truly is. And then knowing that in our minds, that like influencing our behavior, our other thought patterns, and then our actual feelings about stuff. So that when, like you said, we're passed over, we're looked over, we're ridiculed for something, we go back and we count it all joy to be worthy of being part of God's kingdom, knowing that it was because of the entrance and acceptability and the identity in that kingdom that we experience. Those things, those hardships begin with. [00:29:05] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I, um, I don't want us to miss out on the fact that even as the parable may be encouraging or forcing us to think about. The cost. It, it really is trying to emphasize the great value of the kingdom. Right? Right. We, like I said, we, we don't just count the cost. In order to count the cost for its own sake. We count the cost in order to understand the great blessing that is ours in Christ. Right. All I, I count all that I have as a loss compared to the greatness of Christ Jesus. And, um, I think we just don't often do that. I, I, I think as Christians, that's probably a thought that is in our head more as young Christians, especially if we come to the faith in, in a time in our life where we're aware of things like that. We think about things like that. Reflecting on the Cost of Faith [00:29:59] Tony Arsenal: You know, I was 15 when I first came to faith and, um, I, I don't think I was in a frame of mind as a 15-year-old boy to think about, like. The cost of what I was doing, right? It's not like I was a particularly popular kid. I didn't have a, you know, I didn't, I wasn't unpopular, but it wasn't like I lost a ton of friends when I became a Christian. I didn't really lose anything that was measurable. Um, but I do think that, as, you know, someone now in my forties, looking back at, you know, 15, 20, 25 years of, of Christian life, it's easy to see that things could have been different on a sort of temporal scale. Like my, my life could probably be more comfortable in terms of wealth or opportunities or other things that might, uh, aren't, aren't even bad things necessarily. There is a sense of sacrifice. But again, God has brought us into this kingdom and he's given us parables like this and given us the ability to recognize. That we do have a cost, that there is a cost to be counted in order that we might now look at it and praise him for how great and glorious and valuable the gift that he's given us is. Understanding the Parable of the Pearl [00:31:08] Tony Arsenal: And so I think, you know, I think that's the same basic meaning of this second, second half of the same parable. I guess the, the pearl of great price or the pearl of great value. But it's not exactly the same, right? It's not like Christ is just repeating the same ver, you know, parable with, with different words for variation. Um, every word is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching correction, reproof, and training and righteousness. And I had a, I had a prophet in, uh, in Bible college who would say like, difference means difference. And he was often talking about like minute things, like the difference, um, or why, why is this word used instead of that word? This word would've worked. And, and the author chose that one. There's a reason for that. Difference means difference, but. Christ here chooses to, to tell the parable a second time, um, in a slightly different way. Uh, and Matthew chooses to record these in the same sense next to each other in slightly different ways. So what, what do we, what do we wanna pull out of this second parable that's different and what do we think it's telling us that's a little bit different than the first version Y? [00:32:14] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's a great question. Diverse Approaches to the Kingdom of Heaven [00:32:16] Jesse Schwamb: Uh, I love this idea because not until really, I was thinking about it this week when I read through them, was I really, again, drawn to the differences between these two main characters. Interestingly, I think in both, and we can make the case that the, the treasure, the kingdom of heaven here represented in both this pearl or in this literal treasure is in a way hidden. Certainly the first man is not necessarily looking for, it's still revealed to him, but the second in a way. And on the other hand, he knew this guy knows treasure. He's been seeking it with diligence in vigor, or at least like this is what he does for a living in his vocational career. He's out there trading pearls, presumably, and he knows something about them and how to evaluate them effectively. And so it's his business and he's dedicated himself to finding them. And apparently he's seen plenty of them over the years. But then all of a sudden, and this is wild, the beautiful, all of a sudden, clearly the search comes to like an abrupt end because he finds this one of immeasurable value, so much beauty exceeding and value exceeding all the other ones. And he doesn't need to search anymore. He just finds the one pearl that he can retire on a pearl with more than everything else. Or anything else that he's ever possessed and he gets it again. He does. And this brings him into symbol two with the first man. He does the same thing, then liquidate everything else and go after this one. Great pearl. So to me, and I'm curious your perspective on this, I'm not necessarily promulgating that. Well, the first one is not a seeker and the second one is like a seeker of of God things. Right? There is though, like you said, a difference in their approach and what they're after. And so I think what we can take from this, at the very least, is that there is diversity in these beneficiaries of the kingdom of God that's covering everybody. And just by these two kind of bookended or polar examples, that's what Jesus draws us to. But I would turn the question back to you. What do you think about this second guy? What do you think about the fact that his business is searching after these things? What? What do we take away from that? [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. The Ultimate Value of the Kingdom [00:34:07] Tony Arsenal: And you know, the thing that drop that jumps out to me immediately in the first parable, the kingdom of heaven is, is like the treasure hidden in the field, [00:34:16] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:16] Tony Arsenal: In the second one, the kingdom of heaven is the merchant who's searching, [00:34:20] Jesse Schwamb: right? [00:34:20] Tony Arsenal: Right. The kingdom of heaven is like the merchant in search of fine pearls who finds one. That's right. And so I think that they kind of are like, almost like mirror images of each other, right? One of them is about the treasure and what it takes to come upon it and then obtain it. The second is about the person who is coming upon the treasure and, and finding it. And then what it takes again to obtain that treasure. And I think, I think you're right, there is an element here that. Um, in this second parable, the person who is seeking for this treasure is one he's seeking for the treasure, right? Right. You get the image in this, in this first parable that the dude just kind of stumbles upon it. Um, I've heard this Todd as like, it's actually more like a guy who's just walking through a field rather than like a person working the field. And I'm not sure that matters that much, but there is this sense in the first parable that the guy kind of stumbles upon it. He wasn't looking, it wasn't what he was trying to do, but you're right in the second one, the kingdom of heaven, and this is where I, this is where I think I need to think more about it, is what does it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be like a merchant searching for fine pearls right [00:35:23] Jesse Schwamb: on. [00:35:23] Tony Arsenal: Rather than the pearls being the kingdom of heaven, which is what we see in the first bearable. Um, and I don't know the answer to that question. I think I need to, need to think about it and study it a little bit more. But I do like this distinction that in, in the first case, it's sort of a happy accident. And in the second case, this is, this is the life, this man's life work. He finds he's, he's in search of fine pearls. I'm not sure I know exactly what he's trying to do with the fine pearls. It seems like it implies that he's a pearl merchant or a pearl trader, but then he finds this pearl. He doesn't seek to sell it. He buys it. Right. [00:36:00] Jesse Schwamb: Right. [00:36:00] Tony Arsenal: And, and the, the, the fact that the parable stops with him buying it sort of implies that like. He actually is not going to sell it. He's just gonna keep this pearl. Now before the, the pearls, the, the source of the value of the pearls was kind of in the, the financial gain that selling or trading them could bring. But now he suddenly finds this pearl that is so valuable. It's so great, it's so beautiful. Everything he was working to obtain before all of the money he's gathered by finding and selling pearls in the previous like mode of living. He now gets rid of all of that just to purchase this one pearl and presumably to keep it. And I think that again, is kind of a, kind of a, um, statement on our Christian life is that we, we probably have all sorts of things that we've been doing our whole life and we are seeking to, to move forward in our life. And the kingdom of heaven is kind of the ultimate goal of all of that, for those who are in Christ, for those who are called according to his purpose. The purpose is not just to accumulate wealth. It's not even necessarily, uh, in and of itself to like grow in righteousness. It's to be transformed to the, uh, to the image of God's glory son, for the purpose of making him great, making his name renowned. Right. When we look at that passage in Romans that have kind alluded to, he's, he would transform into the image of Christ so that he might be the first born among many brothers. The Incomparable Worth of Salvation [00:37:24] Tony Arsenal: Ultimately, our, our sanctification and glorification is about making Jesus great and glorified, um, to give him glory, to have our glorification reflect his already intrinsic glory and the gift that he gives us, and I think that's kind of, kind of in play here, is that. Uh, we might have all sorts of goals in our life. We might have goals in our Christian life, um, that are good things that we should strive for, but at the end of the day, all of those things only serve to bring us to the kingdom of heaven, which is this pearl of great price that we, we purchase, we buy it and we just kind of hang onto it. It is its own treasure and it's, it's not about what this, this treasure can bring to us, right? Which is what the fine pearls were before they were about what the merchant can find and sell. It's, it's now about just obtaining the pearl and enjoying that pearl. Um, which I think is a little bit different than, than, um, what I would've thought of with the par before. [00:38:19] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, I totally agree with you. I think, I think you're actually onto something with the distinction because I think of. So much of my career has been spent in financial services among people who are buyers and sellers of things. They're traders. And the way I read this was very similar to what you were saying to me. What resonated was if this gentleman or this person is. Trading, collecting these pearls. Presumably they have appreciation for the beauty of the pearl itself. So there is like something innate that draws them to this particular thing. And with that experience and with that knowledge and with that, that appreciation of that beauty. I think when they see this other pearl, it moves from, well, why would I ever sell that? I've seen everything. This is the most beautiful pearl I've ever laid my eyes on. And now I want to keep it for me. I want to have it in my possession. I want to cherish it and not just keep it in the inventory and then turn around and sell it for markup, presumably, because there is no nothing that would be of greater value to this person. 'cause they just sold everything else that they had. So they, it's appreciation for the pearl itself. It's going after that finding and seeking that great beauty. And then that led me right into Philippians chapter four, where Paul writes the church in Philippi, beginning of verse eight. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever's honorable, whatever's just whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, whatever's commendable. If there's any excellence, if there. Anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Practice these things and the god of peace will be with you. So this idea, like you and I, Tony, have talked about like the world has great wisdom, it has great knowledge, it has things that can lead us by way of common grace into certain amounts of peace. But the pearl of great price, the seeking after the going after all these great things is to find the gospel, to be given the gospel it revealed to you. And then say everything else I count as a loss. Everything else is worthless compared to this thing. And if you're a person that can appreciate even just by turn of mind or God's influence in your life, you know, knowledge and wisdom, and you're seeking after that, which is the ultimate expression and representation of those things, and then you find you come upon this pearl of great price, the gospel wisdom and the beauty of God represented in his son Jesus Christ. And you say, this is it. I, I know enough to know, again, by the regeneration that comes through the spirit, this is the real deal. Then I think the message still stands. We come through two different directions into the same final culminating point, which is there is a condition for having this kingdom of God, for having the king on your side as your friend, but the condition isn't like wealth or power or negotiating or intelligence or even good trading behavior or going out and finding the right thing. The condition is that we prize the kingdom more than anything else we own. The point of selling everything in these parables is to simply show where our hearts are at. And so I often say in my own line of work, that cost only matters in the absence of value. Actually, it's true for everything that we. We presumably spend our time or our money on cost only matters in the absence of value. And I think like you and I could do a fun little experiment where I don't know, you ever talking to somebody about something and you're paying a cost to have that service delivered to you and you're, and you're just like totally worth it, like I would do totally worth it. Like, yeah, that's kind of the vibe I'm getting here. It's like at the end of days when we think about the worthiness of our God, that there's no one like him, that he's unequal, that he has no rival, that the gospel is the sweetest message that we're rescued literally from the pit. We're just say no matter what the cost of us personally, great or small, totally worth it, that that's what we'll be saying for all of eternity as we worship him. [00:41:45] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think even more than saying, totally worth it. I think when we are given our new eyes to see, and we no longer see through a da a glass dimly, we're gonna recognize saying that it was worth, it is is like it's a pale, like it's a faulty answer to begin with because the, for sure the worth of the kingdom of heaven surpasses anything we could imagine. And in our, you know, locked in little meat brains that we have now, we're kind of com we're just comparing it to. You know, like what, what we could have had or what we, what we've given up. Um, it, it's gonna be an incomparable comparison. Like there's no, there's no measure that is satisfying, there's no measure that can actually show us how, how worthwhile it is. And, you know, we've, we've made a point of it, like the, the blessing of salvation and, and really like what it is that we're getting, uh, in, in the. You know, the Christian understanding of salvation, it's not, it's not an eternal destiny. It's not bigger mansions in heaven. It's not freedom from death. All of those things come with it. All of those things are attending gifts. That's right. But what we get in salvation ultimately is we get God we get union with God, we get fellowship with Jesus Christ in the, the power of the Holy Spirit. We, we get swept up into the life of the, the God of the universe. Like the life of the Trinity indwells us. And we, we become a part of that. Uh, not, not in the, you know, like. Eastern Orthodox deification sense, although I think there's a proper way we can talk about deification. Um, but we get swept up into that. We gain the relationship that the son has with the father by nature. We gain that by grace and nothing can compare to that. There's nothing that we could ever point to. Um, it's funny, my, my wife and I, um, this is a little corny, but, um, we'll often say to, to each other instead of saying, I love you more than anything, we'll say, I love you more than everything. Right. And, and it's, it's a way to say like. You could take all that there is in the world, everything that I have that I could possibly consider and sum up the value. And I love my wife more than that. I love my children more than that. So it's not that I love them more than any one thing, it's that I love them more than everything combined. And this is even greater than that, right? We, we will look back at our lives and if, if it's even in our mind, if we even can, can comprehend anymore. The idea of thinking about what it costs us to obtain this pearl of great value, which is the kingdom of heaven, which is just another way to say, is just fellowship with the God of the universe. Um, we'll look at it and say no matter what it was. No matter what it could have been, I would give everything I, I love God more than everything. Right. Right. There's nothing that could ever possibly be considered that even comes close to what we gain in, in Christ Jesus, in union with, with God. And I think that's the point of this, like I think the guy who, um. Christ's Perfect Sacrifice and Our Response [00:44:58] Tony Arsenal: I think about what it would take for me to even like to sell everything, like the concept of selling everything I own. I'm not even sure how I would do that, to be honest with you. Like, I don't even know the mechanism for that kind of thing. But the idea that there's anything that could be valuable enough that I would just sell every piece of human property that I have, there's probably nothing like that in this world. Like, there probably isn't. And to, to take that comparison and then basically say like, that's just what the kingdom of God is like. 'cause that's the other thing I think we miss about parables is you, you only make a comparison when you can't describe something, um, analytically, right? There's the difference between analogically and analytically Ana lot analytically means we're able to actually quantify and explain it kind of in strict terms, right? I can, I can say that, um, uh, a heavy object ways, X number of grams or it, you know, or, um. Pounds or whatever. I can, I can measure that and make an analytical statement, or I can make an analogy, an analogy that is comparative. Uh, but by definition, or almost by by nature of the thing, when you make that comparison, you're kind of saying like, not only is it like this, but it's actually it, like it's more like this than I can even describe. Right? So when we're talking about the kingdom of Heaven here, and we say it's, it's like, it's like a man who goes, he finds a treasure and then he sells everything. He has to get that treasure. It's infinitely more like that than it actually can be described. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm rambling on that a little bit. Maybe trying to describe something that can't be described is, is hard to do. [00:46:35] Jesse Schwamb: It's, that's, yeah. But yeah, that's, that's very difficult to do. I'm actually totally with you on this. I think I understand clearly what you mean, this idea that no matter how hard we actually try to value it, we'll be incapable of doing so. Yes. And at best, it almost seems like this is a strange command in a way because it's, it's asking us to do in some ways a thing that is impossible for us to do. However, I think what you're saying is it doesn't mean that we shouldn't turn our minds toward that. We're a bit like people who, I don't know if this show is still on PBS, but like, do you know that show, remember that show The Antiques Road Show? Yeah. Where people would like come, they'd ran ransack their homes or their garages with these old antique items and they bring them to this road show where there'd be experts who would value them. And inevitably we'll be like those people who come with what we think is like a. A thousand dollars clock that we got at a garage sale thinking, wouldn't it be great? I know this is valuable. It's probably a thousand dollars. It'll be, look at the return, tenfold return, I'll get on this item, and then instead finding that it's worth $10 million when it's appraised. Yeah, I assume it'll be just like that in the Beautific vision that even maybe for all of eternity will be growing in our appreciation for just how valuable this great salvation is. And yet at the same time, I think what this should encourage us to do is to pray things like God make us real in seeing and savoring Christ in his saving work above all the other things. Yeah. So that, as you said in your example, we would cherish him above everything, above all things that you have that right place in our hearts or that we be inclined to undertake that posture, which says, God, though I cannot understand it in full. Would you help me to see that? Encouragement in Our Spiritual Journey [00:48:08] Jesse Schwamb: And I wanna just say like, as a word of encouragement, maybe I'm speaking more to myself here so everybody else can disregard this if you like, but I think sometimes there can be a little bit of intimidation then when you hear these things and say like, ah, I'm just not, I just dunno if I love God enough, like I wanna love him, or I want to want to love him more. And I think even that posture is appropriate. Yeah. Sometimes there, oftentimes in my personal life, I'll pray something like, God, help me to know how much you love me and would you give me the strength to love you back? So that even that awareness, that energy, that volition, that vitality, that, that heat, all of that, that fire itself is kindled by the Holy Spirit. It's not like we need to like try to again manufacture here. Because the point of these, these stories is not again, that we just find the means to do a transactional exchange here, but that instead we really just sit in the full promises of God. And of course to that, I would say we always need to go back to, to something like Romans eight. I mean, I know that we should, like you said, Tony, the. The standard description we give for the Bible is the one that gives itself, which is that all of it, all of it's is carried along by the Holy Spirit. All of it is God breathe. All of it is useful for something. And yet, of course, I say somewhat tongue in cheek that, you know, if I have 10 minutes to live, I'm probably not gonna the s descriptions of reading a genealogy, I'm going straight from Roman and say, Romans say, I think it's just like the pinnacle of the scriptures. And so just a couple of verses at the end there, because I think this is, this is leading us into what is this great treasure? What is the kingdom of God? Why do we value it so much? What is the saving power? And uh, these verses, I mean, always just entirely get me ready to run through a wall. So this is the end of, of Romans eight beginning verse 35. Who shall separate us from the law of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I'm sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from a love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [00:50:22] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's a good word. And I, I, I like what you're saying too, is, is I think we, we can. There's this paradoxical thing that happens when the scriptures is trying to encourage us to do something, is we often like to get our, in our own way. And, and actually that becomes a source of discouragement for us. The Bible calls us to something and we know we can't live up to it. And that's actually like part and parcel of, of reform theology to recognize that this is law, like the, the, the, the, you know, maybe not in like the strict sense, like when we talk about dividing the scripture into law and gospel, um. It may not be that this particular passage would fall under that rubric of law normally, but this idea that we need to count the cost and that we need to be treasuring Christ more and more, and then when we feel like I'm just not getting it. I'm just not there. Like, I don't, I don't treasure Christ as much as I so should. Um, that Yeah, that's right. Nobody does. Nobody can, like, that's, that's kind of the point of this, and that's why it's law is it's, it shouldn't drive you in Christ. It should not drive you to despair. Right. It should not drive you to discouragement. It should drive you to gratitude that God saved you anyways. That, that this pearl of great value is still yours even though you can't possibly deserve it. Um, you know, we're, we're a little bit different than the, the merchant and the man who finds the treasure in the field in that we can't sell everything we have and obtain it like they have the ability to do that in the, in the parables. Right. Um, we, we don't, and we never will. And so rather than let that drive you to being discouraged that like you're just not getting. I recognize God is of infinite value and we are finite creatures. So we, we could, uh, value God perfectly. Like whatever that means, and I don't even know what that means, but we could value and cherish and love God perfectly as far as our capacities are concerned, and it still would not be enough to sufficiently merit God's favor for us. Like as much as we can, even in, even in eternity. As much as we can value and worship and love and praise Jesus, he is worth infinitely more than we could ever give, even when we do it perfectly. And this is, this is why you know Christ coming to die, to live on our behalf, to die in our place. Why that's necessary is because only this is a, maybe a different take on it. We, I think we talk a lot about how, um. Only God could, could carry, bear the wrath of God and not be destroyed. Right. Right. Only God could, um, could stand up under his own wrath, could stand up under the wrath of God and bear that punishment and not be destroyed. And so therefore, um, Christ had to be not just a man, but had to be God. But on the flip side. And God requires perfect perpetual obedience, which involves loving the Lord your God, perfectly with your whole heart at all times. Right? Only God can do that too. So it's not just that God. It's not just that G

In the latest doctrinal note, Mater Populi Fidelis, the Roman Catholic Church clarifies and modifies some of its language about the work of Mary. As a Protestant, Pastor Adriel Sanchez shares what he appreciates, and where he still pushes back, on the Catholic teaching about Mary. BOOK GIVEAWAY: 100 COPIES! - https://solamedia.org/offers/creeds?sc=NN2511VYIn partnership with Crossway, we're excited to give away 100 copies of Chad Van Dixhoorn's Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms, which gathers 13 of Christian history's most important documents—including the Apostles' Creed, the Belgic Confession, and the Heidelberg Catechism—into one beautiful collection. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola is home to White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, Modern Reformation, and Theo Global. Our mission is to serve today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to see reformation in hearts, homes, and churches around the world. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/

Dr. Daniel Ragusa speaks at the Reformed Forum Annual Theology Conference, held at Lakeland Church in Gurnee, Illinois on September 27, 2025.  Dr. Ragusa, focuses on the dark period of Israel's exile and how it illuminates the deep human longing to return to God's presence, which had been lost due to their rebellion. Dr. Ragusa first establishes the devastating nature of exile by contrasting it with the desired state of dwelling in God's house, a theme illustrated by the pilgrimage described in Psalm 23. He references the Heidelberg Catechism to frame the Christian experience as moving from the "valley of exile" (sin and misery) up to the "mountain of God" (righteousness and everlasting life) through the work of the "mountain ascending mediator," Jesus Christ. Crucially, even in the midst of the exile's darkness, God's hope continues to shine through the prophets, promising restoration, which is ultimately fulfilled in the gospel and glory of Jesus Christ. Chapter Markers 00:00:00 - Introduction: Reformed Forum Conference and Speaker/Topic (The Son in Exile: Christ as the Hope of Restoration) 00:00:23 - Speaker's Greeting and Connection to Redemptive Historical Thinking 00:01:31 - Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 19: Jesus Christ as Deliverer from Exile and Misery 00:01:54 - The Catechism and the Mountain Theme: From the Valley of Exile to the Mountain of God 00:03:03 - The Redemptive Historical Approach in the Catechism (Gospel revealed in paradise, proclaimed by prophets, fulfilled in Christ) 00:03:54 - The Dark Period of Israel: Rebellion and the Curses of the Covenant (Exile) 00:04:49 - Hope in the Darkness: God Gives His Word Through Prophets (Ezekiel and Daniel) 00:05:40 - Understanding the Devastation of Exile: What God's People Lost 00:06:06 - The Covenant of Grace: The Longing to be Near God and "Coming Home" * 00:07:05 - The Pilgrimage of Psalm 23: Desiring to Dwell in the House of the Lord * 00:09:17 - Exile as the Devastating Reverse of Dwelling in God's House 00:09:50 - Definition of Exile (Dr. Ian Duguid): Longing for an unreachable home 00:11:18 - Tracing Exile to the Beginning: Adam's Fall and the First Exile 00:14:43 - The Deeper Protestant Conception of Exile: The Estrangement of Man's Heart Before God 00:17:47 - Restoration is the New Birth and Resurrection to Life in Christ 00:19:10 - True Restoration: The Holy Spirit Circumcises and Infuses New Qualities in the Will 00:29:50 - King David's Restoration from Exile (As a type of waiting on the Lord) 00:37:35 - Daniel's Vision: The Son of Man Receives the Kingdom and Restores God's People 00:38:58 - Christ Identifies with the People's Exile: His Baptism for Repentance 00:40:33 - Christ's Ministry in Galilee: Ministering to Those Who Dwelt Under the Shadow of Death 00:41:48 - Christ's Authority: He Refuses the Earthly Kingdom and Waits for the Father to Give Him All Authority 00:43:29 - Christ's Death and Resurrection: His Exile and His Restoration (Ascension) 00:44:51 - Conclusion: The Church in Exile Today and the Full Entrance into the Eternal Kingdom 00:47:33 - Out of Exile into Our Father's Home

When faced with sexual temptations, God calls us to live pure and holy lives.We'll consider:- The temptation to sin.- The consequences of giving into temptation. - The blessings of living pure and holy lives.Time:AfternoonMinister:Rev. Joe PoppeTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 41Genesis 39:1–102 Samuel 11:1–172 Samuel 11:26–27Series:The Heidelberg Catechism

All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Subscribe to the Heidelcast! Browse the Heidelshop! On X @Heidelcast On Insta & Facebook @Heidelcast Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS Call The Heidelphone via Voice Memo On Your Phone The Heidelcast is available wherever podcasts are found including Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary (Lexham Academic) Recovering the Reformed Confession (P&R Publishing, 2008) Why I Am A Christian What Must A Christian Believe? Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Each week on Hope for the Caregiver, I take listeners into the heart of what sustains us when life's weight feels too heavy. This week, I shared why our deepest comfort as caregivers doesn't come from rest, money, or even help—it comes from knowing we are not our own, but belong body and soul to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. From the Heidelberg Catechism to the story behind the hymn Have Thine Own Way, Lord, I explored what it means to surrender our weariness to the One who shapes and reshapes us like clay in the hands of a potter. Caregiving forces us to face what we can't fix—but it also invites us to trust the One who holds every broken piece. I also shared about our new addition at home—Built for Grace—and the moment Gracie saw her new accessible space for the first time. It reminded me that love doesn't cling to what used to be; it builds again with what remains. "Love that endures learns to build again with what remains." — Wendell Berry

The parable of the Good Samaritan is more than an example, it is a picture of our salvation that ought to inspire us.- A law that breaks us.- A law keeper that saves us.- A law that therefore inspires us.Time:AfternoonMinister:Rev. John YsingaTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 40Luke 10:25–37Series:The Heidelberg Catechism

The sermon centers on the radical, unconditional nature of Christian forgiveness, illustrated through Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 and reinforced by the Heidelberg Catechism's fifth petition. It emphasizes that true forgiveness flows not from human effort or moral calculation, but from the profound mercy received through Christ, who has canceled our immense debt of sin. The parable exposes the hypocrisy of a servant who, having been forgiven a staggering debt, refuses to extend even a small measure of mercy to a fellow servant, revealing that genuine forgiveness is not optional but essential to the Christian life. The king's righteous rebuke underscores that withholding forgiveness from others, despite having been freely forgiven by God, is not merely a moral failing but a spiritual rebellion with eternal consequences. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to live as living evidence of God's grace—forgiving others from the heart, not as a transaction, but as a response to the overwhelming mercy they have already received through Christ's blood.

https://media.urclearning.org/audio/janbazian/msj-2025-10-19_heidelberg-catechism-lord-s-day-2.mp3

The sermon centers on the profound theological question of why human nature is so deeply corrupted, tracing this depravity not to God's creation but to the fall of Adam and Eve, as revealed in Genesis 3 and affirmed in the Heidelberg Catechism. It argues that God created humanity in perfect righteousness, holiness, and true knowledge—after His image—yet the disobedience of our first parents, instigated by Satan's temptation to doubt God's Word, resulted in the fall. This event, far from being God's fault, reveals the tragic reality that sin originates in human pride and rebellion. The preacher emphasizes that rejecting the biblical doctrines of creation and the fall undermines the very foundation of Christian faith, leading people to blame society, parents, or culture rather than acknowledging personal responsibility. Ultimately, the spiritual profit lies in recognizing that our sinfulness is our own, which drives us to Christ for both pardon and power, transforming our lives from blame-shifting to humble dependence on God. Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 3: Q&A 6, 7 1. Vehement Denial 2. Scriptural Answer 3. Spiritual Profit

10-19-25 PM "A Concluding Word in Prayer and for Life" Scripture Reading: Romans 11:33-36, Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 52I. The Focus in Prayer and Life A. The Authority of Almighty God B. The Power of Almighty God II. The Desire in Prayer and Life A. Stated Positively B. Stated NegativelyIII. The Hope in Prayer and Life A. The Object of Hope B. The Appropriating of Hope Rev. Greg Lubbers

Dr. R. Scott Clark, author of The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary, joins us to talk about his massive new work. Dr. Sean Morris, a Presbycast regular, helps us with the interview.  Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFWVVMkM07k

The Lord our Righteousness 1. our need 2. God's provision Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 23

https://media.urclearning.org/audio/janbazian/msj-2025-10-05_heidelberg-catechism-lord-s-day-1.mp3

The sermon centers on the profound spiritual longing expressed in the second petition of the Lord's Prayer—'Your kingdom come'—emphasizing that this is not a plea for God to become king, but a heartfelt desire for His reign to be increasingly realized in the lives of believers, the church, and all creation. Drawing from Psalm 12, Acts 17, and the Heidelberg Catechism, it underscores that this petition involves a personal surrender to God's rule through His Word and Spirit, a sustained plea for the preservation and growth of the church amid relentless opposition from the forces of darkness, and a confident hope in the ultimate destruction of death through Christ's final return. The preacher calls the congregation to live in the 'already not yet' tension of salvation—acknowledging Christ's present sovereignty while earnestly praying for the full manifestation of His kingdom, where God will be 'all in all' and every tear, sorrow, and suffering will be wiped away, grounded in the certainty of Scripture and the hope of resurrection.

God calls us to honour his holy name by being faithful to our promises.We'll see:- How breaking our promises is a misuse of God's holy name.- How we are to keep our promises to the glory of God's name.Time:AfternoonMinister:Rev. Joe PoppeTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 37Deuteronomy 23:21–23Nehemiah 5:1–13Matthew 5:33–37Series:The Heidelberg Catechism

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11). Genesis 2 opens with the seventh day, where God rests, but not because he was tired. Instead, we get a picture of God finishing creation with a Sabbath that never ends. Sabbath is creation flourishing. This is illustrated in Israel's year of Jubilee in which slaves were freed, debts were forgiven, and the land was restored to those God had gifted it to; a nation created to flourish in the lavish abundance of their God. God's desire for his creation to experience and enjoy this Sabbath is expressed by Jesus through his miracles. He provides an abundance of wine, of bread and fish; he heals, gives freedom from demons and gives life to the dead. Many of these he performed on the Sabbath, giving rest to those bound by evil. Sin interfered with God's Sabbath in the beginning, continued to interfere throughout Israel's history and still stains our own lives today. Sin destroys shalom; it brings death where life was intended. Hebrews tells us that God is still at work; at work undoing the evil that is leeching health from us. He is moving history towards the ultimate Sabbath when all evil will be eradicated. We are redeemed to move into this Sabbath. Our text says, “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.” The Heidelberg Catechism offers this explanation, “that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath” (A 103). Sin is an unpopular teaching today. The Christian church has often used it to shame and manipulate people. The Catechism is helpful, “I rest from my evil ways.” The emphasis is on the individual Christian pursuing righteous ways of living; to pray with the psalmist, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). It is true that working sin out of our lives is difficult and failures are many. Yet, the Bible gives us hope, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). This was God's promise through Ezekiel, “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:27). To embrace God's sabbath, we must make every effort to set aside our evil ways. As you pray with the Psalmist, ask God to reveal one thing you can move away from, moving from sinfulness to righteousness. Trust that God will help you. Go with this blessing: Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 1 The sermon emphasizes the importance of comprehensive and faithful preaching, drawing from Acts 20 and Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 1 to underscore the responsibility of ministers to declare the entirety of God's counsel without reservation. It highlights the value of systematic instruction, rooted in Scripture, to provide comfort and assurance to believers, emphasizing the church's heritage of confessing faith and the ongoing need for elders to oversee the flock and ensure the faithful proclamation of the gospel, ultimately calling for a renewed commitment to understanding and applying the teachings of the Heidelberg Catechism as a vital expression of Christian faith. 1. The Meaning of It 2. The Objections to It 3. Our Calling with Respect to It

The sermon centers on the first petition of the Lord's Prayer—'Hallowed be Your name'—presenting it not as a mere formality but as the foundational and prioritized focus of all Christian prayer. Drawing from Psalm 99, John 17, and the Heidelberg Catechism, it emphasizes that God's name reveals His holiness, glory, and character, and that praying for His name to be hallowed is a request for deeper knowledge, reverence, and alignment of life with His divine nature. The preacher underscores that this petition is not about elevating God's holiness, which is already perfect, but about humbly seeking His revelation so that all of life—thought, word, and deed—may honor Him and reflect His glory. By anchoring prayer in God's supremacy, the sermon shows how this first petition sanctifies every other request, ensuring that even personal needs are brought before God with the ultimate aim of His honor, and it calls believers to live and pray with the eternal vision of God's name being glorified in both this world and the life to come. json

What stands between you and heaven? 1. God who protects 2. the world that seduces 3. Christ who intervenes Numbers 25 1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13 Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 44, Q/A 115

"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." - John 17:3Preservice song: Psalm 150Votum and salutationPsalm 93Profession of Faith: Apostle's Creed (recited together)Hymn 9PrayerScripture reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-40; 1 Thessalonians 1Hymn 11:1, 2Sermon: Lord's Day 34 (Q/A 94-95), Heidelberg CatechismThe LORD is God and there is no other. We will see,1. The glorious gospel: the LORD is our God2. The serious warning: there are no other “gods”3. The church's desire: to know the LORDHymn 63:1, 2Thanksgiving PrayerThanksgiving offering (e-transfer offerings@edmontonimmanuel.ca )Hymn 10Benediction (followed by 3-fold Amen)Time:AfternoonMinister:Rev. J. VanSpronsenTexts:Heidelberg Catechism: Lord's Day 34Deuteronomy 4:32–401 Thessalonians 1

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11). Genesis 2 opens with the seventh day, where God rests, but not because he was tired. Instead, we get a picture of God finishing creation with a Sabbath that never ends. Sabbath represents a flourishing creation. This is illustrated in Israel's year of Jubilee in which slaves were freed, debts were forgiven, and the land was restored to those God had gifted it to; a nation created to flourish in the lavish abundance of their God. But sin interfered in the beginning, continued to interfere throughout Israel's history and still stains our own lives today. Sin destroys shalom; it brings death where life was intended. Hebrews tells us that God is still at work; at work undoing the evil that is leeching health from us. Jesus pursued this dimension of the Sabbath in his miracles. In Mark 1:21, he frees a man from an evil spirit and gives renewed vigour to the limbs of a paralytic in 2:27. Many of his miracles were performed on the Sabbath, such as the one for a woman “who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (Luke 10:11-13). These were signs that the kingdom of God was here; the Shalom of God was being brought back to the earth; the curse of sin was being undone. Jesus resurrection from the dead marked his victory over evil. The curse was undone; his kingdom was unstoppable. That is why Christians gather for worship on Sundays. We remind each other that Christ is risen. And we celebrate the coming end of evil. The Heidelberg Catechism gives a slight nod to this matter when it says that part of our Sabbath keeping is “to bring Christian offerings for the poor” (A 103). That is why offerings are taken up during worship services. The apostle Paul got this started (Acts 24:17; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Churches are rightly involved in alleviating hunger and rebuilding where infrastructure has been destroyed. Historically, Christians began hospitals. This was all understood as following in the footsteps of Jesus working against evil. Sometimes, I hear Christians tell me that Sundays are family days. That is well and good, but it is not enough. Sundays remind us that Jesus died to end the curse and evil. We are called to be his hands and feet. As you prepare for this weekend, how will you rest, and how will you help others to entire into God's rest? Go with this blessing: Go to Jesus and he will give you rest (Matthew 11:30). May the presence of God go with you and give you rest (Exodus 33:14).

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Love must be sincere is the theme fleshed out in the rest of this chapter and beyond. The biblical significance of love has eroded so it needs our careful attention. Let's remember that godly love is not an emotion. It is an attitude, a mind-set, an aspect of the renewed mind. We are commanded to love; it is therefore a choice we make, a matter of the will. Without the enabling grace of God, none of us can love in the way the Bible calls us to. Such love is never the product of our human wills. But our wills are involved. The Holy Spirit fosters it within us. It is our job to cooperate with the Spirit in developing a consistent mind-set of love toward others. We must work actively to put love into effect in our relationships. The Christian who nurtures an attitude of love will act in the ways that Paul describes here. Such love acts in accordance with God's good and perfect will (12:2). Discernment is an aspect of this love: hate what is evil; cling to what is good (9b). Ironic, isn't it, that the exhortation to love is followed immediately by a command to hate. But we should not be surprised, for love is not blind sentiment. Rather, love passionately seeks the best for the one loved. Thus, it must hate everything evil that is incompatible with the loved one's highest welfare. Paul's word for ‘hate' suggests a very strong aversion, an abhorrence, a loathing, a vomiting out. Whereas his word for cling, suggests supper glue, a bonding like two pieces of steel welded together. Love must be sincere is the positive version of the command, “do not kill.” The Heidelberg Catechism offers us this explanation of that, “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…By forbidding murder God teaches us that he hates the root of murder: envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness” (Q 105 & 106). When love encounters what is evil, it refuses to participate, nor does it merely look the other way. Love dares to confront someone doing evil, not to judge or browbeat, but to inspire righteousness. On the other hand, love “clings to what is good.” To repel evil and cling to good, love must know the difference. How can we train ourselves in the ways of love? Anyone who has tried knows its not easy. Like all Christian virtues, prayer and scripture are the beginning. How else will we know God's version of love? We can also get our minds engaged in other ways. How about watching an episode of a favourite Netflix show or a chapter of a favourite novel? Then discern the ways in which the characters practice love or the lack there of. We may find some brilliant nuances of love right among our favourite characters. As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May your day end with rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May you rest in his provision as he brings night, and then new dawn.

9-14-25 PM "A Petition concerning Our Bread"Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 8, Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 50I. The Direction of the Petition A. The Description of this Direction B. The Comfort in this DirectionII. The Request of the Petition A. A Humble Request B. A Continual Request C. A Simple RequestIII. The Spirit in the Petition A. A Spirit of Faith B. A Spirit of Contentment C. A Spirit of GratitudeRev. Greg Lubbers

The sermon explores the nature of temptation and the Christian's responsibility to resist it, drawing heavily from Matthew 4 and the Heidelberg Catechism. It emphasizes that temptation is a deceptive tool employed by the devil to make sin appear appealing and obedience unappealing, highlighting the importance of constant vigilance and prayer to avoid falling prey to its influence. The message underscores God's sovereignty in allowing trials, not to punish, but to cultivate humility and dependence on His grace, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of sin's destructive power and a fervent plea for deliverance from both its guilt and its pervasive influence, ultimately seeking to live a Christ-like life. 1. Temptation and the Devil 2. Temptation and God 3. Temptation and Our Prayers

Catchisms are, quite simply, question-and-answer summaries of the faith. For centuries Christians have catechisms to teach the fundamentals of the faith, and to disciple new believers. The Westminster Catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, Luther's Catechism, and others have been used by Christians since the Reformation. But some so-called “low church” traditions – Baptists, non-denominational evangelical churches, and others – don't have a strong tradition of using catechisms. And even those denominations that have catechisms as part of their tradition – Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans, and others – don't use catechisms as they have in years past. Trevin Wax and Thomas West want to see a resurgence in the use of catechisms, and they've written one that they think can be used by folks who are not used to using the catechisms of the past. They call their new book The Gospel Way Catechism, and it includes 50 basic questions about the Christian faith, provides short direct answers, and then provides a bit of commentary and scripture to help you understand the answer. Trevin Wax is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Cedarville University. I've had Trevin on the podcast before, and I always find myself nourished by what he has to say. His co-author, Thomas West, is pastor of Nashville First Baptist Church and the founder and former pastor of Redeemer Queen's Park in London. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

The sermon centers on the profound blessing of forgiveness, drawing from Psalm 32 and the Heidelberg Catechism's explanation of the Lord's Prayer. It emphasizes that true happiness and joy stem from recognizing one's status as a poor sinner with an unpayable debt, a debt ultimately satisfied by Christ's sacrifice. The message underscores the importance of both confessing sins and extending forgiveness to others, mirroring God's grace, and highlights that receiving forgiveness requires a firm resolution to forgive, ultimately leading to restored relationships and a deeper understanding of spiritual dependence on God's mercy. 1. For What We Ask 2. The Way We Receive It 3. Our Ability to Ask

The sermon emphasizes contentment as the key to navigating earthly concerns, particularly financial ones, and living in accordance with God's will. Drawing from 1 Timothy 6 and the Heidelberg Catechism, the message cautions against the pursuit of wealth, highlighting that true gain lies in godliness and a stable heart, regardless of outward circumstances. It encourages believers to pray for daily bread, understanding this to encompass all necessary provisions, and to flee the temptations of covetousness, overwork, and a desire for status, ultimately laying hold of eternal life through righteousness, faith, and love. 1. Contentment Felt 2. Contentment Lived 3. Contentment Prayed For

Cody Schwichtenberg is a pastor at First Reformed Church in Herreid, South Dakota, which is part of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) denomination. Raised in Iowa with a Lutheran background, Cody transitioned to the Reformed tradition in his early twenties. He attended Heidelberg Theological Seminary in Sioux Falls, where he delved deeply into biblical and theological studies. Cody has served in his pastoral role since 2015, and he is passionate about teaching and reinforcing the foundational principles of the Reformed faith through the Heidelberg Catechism.Episode Summary:In this enlightening episode of RenewalCast, hosts Coalt Robinson and Jay Wipf engage with Pastor Cody Schwichtenberg to explore the significance of the law and gospel distinction within the Christian faith, particularly focusing on its representation in the Heidelberg Catechism. The discussion aims to clarify the misconceptions surrounding legalism and antinomianism, providing insights into how these issues surface within church teachings. Pastor Cody elucidates how understanding these distinctions can profoundly affect a believer's spiritual journey, offering solace and strength in faith.With the backdrop of historical confessions, the trio delves into how the Heidelberg Catechism structures its teachings around key biblical principles. They explore how these frameworks aid Christians in avoiding the theological pitfalls of legalism, which mistakenly merges law and grace, and antinomianism, which dismisses God's law altogether. Resources:Theocast - A podcast introducing the hosts to the law-gospel distinction."The Whole Christ" by Sinclair Ferguson - A book that influenced Cody's understanding.The Heidelberg Catechism -AN ORTHODOX CATECHISM (1680)

Gen. 3:14–21 Isa. 55 Lk. 24:36–49 Acts 17:16–34 What's the difference between the law and gospel? In this final message in a short summer series, Ben Phelps shows how the law is woven into the nature of things, but the gospel of the Lord Jesus can only be found in the holy Scriptures.

The sermon emphasizes trusting God as the ultimate provider, urging listeners to lay up treasures in heaven rather than accumulating earthly possessions, as true security lies in divine care, not material wealth. Drawing from Matthew 6 and the Heidelberg Catechism, the message cautions against equating blessing with possessions and encourages a life of diligent work, generous giving, and freedom from worry, rooted in the understanding that God's sovereignty and grace are paramount, and that seeking first the kingdom of God will ensure all other needs are met. 1. An Attitude 2. A Life 3. A Carefulness

Old Goshenhoppen Reformed Church: A Historical Reflection on Faith and Perseverance Watch a detailed exploration of the ~300 year history of Old Goshenhoppen Reformed Church. This video presents a comprehensive account of this Pennsylvania congregation, established by German Reformed settlers in the Perkiomen Valley. Delve into its theological foundations rooted in the Reformation and the Heidelberg Catechism. Understand the church's unique history as a union church with the Lutherans, its resilience through the Revolutionary War, and the evolving faith community. Reflect on how this enduring congregation maintains its commitments to biblical teachings and historical traditions over centuries. This narrative provides a contemplative look at a steadfast community of faith. Version: August 13th

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:25-26“The idea of the Spirit held by the average church member is so vague as to be nearly nonexistent. When it is thought of at all, it is likely to be misunderstood as an influence or an impersonal power.”A.W. Tozer“From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten... while no evangelical would deny His existence, I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives.”Francis ChanWhat do you believe concerning the “Holy Spirit”?First, that the Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God. Second, that he is given also to me, so that, through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever.Heidelberg Catechism, Q.53THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A PAST/PRESENT POWER APPLIED TO A CHRISTIAN, HE'S THE PERSON OF GOD WHO HAS COME TO MAKE HIS HOME IN A RESURRECTED HEART.25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:25-26THE TEACHERTeacher: someone who helps others learn, understand, and grow in knowledge, skills, character, or wisdom.MATH EQAUTION PIC***Teacher: someone who takes what is formless and void to the student, and brings order to the chaos through words.25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:25-26ONE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT'S PRIMARY ROLES IS TO PARTNER WITH GOD'S WORD TO CREATE ORDER.Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested[a] on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Acts 2:2-4Modalism: a theological view that posits the Trinity is not three distinct persons within one Godhead, but rather one God who reveals Himself in different "modes" or “manifestations"THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CREATIONIn the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life,[a] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.John 1:1-5THE HOLY SPIRIT IN EZEKIELThe hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;[a] it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.Ezekiel 37:1-10THE HOLY SPIRIT IN JESUS31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.Luke 1:31-35GOD'S SPIRIT WORKS IN TANDEM WITH GOD'S WORDTRY TO SEPARATE GOD'S SPIRIT FROM HIS WORD AND YOU WILL GETWORSHIP THAT IS “WITHOUT FORM” (John 4)22 You worship what you do not know;John 4:22They worshipped a God whom they did not really know. Thereason for this was their rejection of most of His revelation inthe Old Testament. On top of this, the Samaritans had addedpagan concepts to their faith, concepts that came from theirGentile forefathers.Dr. Thomas ConstableWORSHIP THAT IS “VOID” (Matthew 23)2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.Matthew 23:2“AM I GIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT THE WORD TO WORK WITH?”LEARNING TO DWELL AND FEAST ON THE BIBLE IS THE START TO A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE“AM I GIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT ROOM TO WORK WITH THE WORD?”DON'T READ ALONE. INVITE THE HELP OF THE TEACHER....

What does it really mean for a Christian to be “anointed”? Join us as we continue our Heidelberg Catechism series, exploring the profound truth of Q31 & Q32 that every believer, by faith, shares in Christ's own anointing. We'll break down this powerful reality—how the Holy Spirit marks, enables, and calls each of us to participate in Jesus' ongoing work as prophet, priest, and king. We find that “anointing” isn't just for a select few, but is the daily and extraordinary gift of God to every follower of Jesus. Learn how belonging to Christ empowers and equips you for service, witness, and hope in a broken world—and how your life, no matter how “ordinary,” carries eternal significance because you are set apart by the Spirit.

Lev. 4:13–21 Ps. 50 John 1:1–18, 29–34 Heb. 9:22–10:18 Moving from the section of the catechism that explains our guilt on to the "grace" section, we learn what God Himself has done to pay the sinner's debt on their behalf. Ben Phelps preaching.

Lev. 26:9–13 Isa. 40:1–2 Matt. 10:26–33 Rom. 14:7–9Rev. Nick Alons (Lynwood United Reformed Church) opens to the beautiful first question of the Heidelberg Catechism and shows us from Scripture where the exclusive, extensive, and enduring comfort we all need comes from.

Exod. 24:3–8 Prov. 17:15 Matt. 26:26–29 Rom. 6:15–7:6If we are now—because of sin—unable to keep God's law, then why are we still held to that standard? The answer has to do with the justice of God. In this doctrinal sermon, Ben Phelps opens up the concepts of mercy and justice, and how these are manifested in the cross of Jesus Christ.

In this episode of The Chorus in the Chaos, Blake and Jack tackle the Ninth Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” But as they quickly uncover, this commandment isn't just about lying—it's about gossip, slander, exaggeration, and the thousand subtle ways we undermine truth in daily life. Jack opens with a vivid personal illustration of a leaky ceiling and how unchecked deception functions like a drip—slowly saturating and eventually destroying. The conversation moves through scripture, theology (featuring insights from Kevin DeYoung and Thomas Watson), and practical application with the Heidelberg Catechism guiding the way.  

What is Your Only Comfort in Life and Death? What brings you true comfort in a world filled with uncertainty? From the heart of the Reformation to the depths of your soul today, this message unpacks why belonging to Christ is the only comfort that can carry us through anything life—or even death—brings. In this message, we launch a new series on the Heidelberg Catechism by exploring its famous first question: “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” We dig deep into the beautiful, hope-filled answer the catechism gives—one that anchors us in the truth that we are not our own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. If you have ever wrestled with anxiety about the future, doubt about your place in God's family, or simply wonder what “comfort” really means in Christ—this message is for you.

Genesis 1:26–31, 2:15–17 Jeremiah 17:9–10 John 8:31-47 Galatians 3:7–14Ben Phelps helps us see the the heights of our creation by our good God, the depths of our fall into sin, and the heights once again of our re-creation by the Holy Spirit.

Caleb, Andrew, and Stephen began looking at Lord's Day 15 of the Heidelberg Catechism and parallel texts in the Westminster Larger Catechism. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.onceforalldelivered.com/subscribe

*Recording begins midway through*Genesis 6:5–8 2 Samuel 12:1–15 Mark 10:17–22 Romans 3:9–20 What's the difference between the law and the gospel? This sermon kicks off Ben Phelps' short summer series, guided by the Heidelberg Catechism, that answers that question. In this message, we learn what the law reflects when sinners like us look into it.

Could reclaiming the practice of catechetical preaching be the key to deeper discipleship and richer congregational life today? In this compelling episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Pastor Danny Hyde invites listeners to revisit the timeless wisdom of the catechisms—not just as theological documents, but as vibrant, pastoral tools for shaping hearts and anchoring churches in gospel truth.Danny Hyde serves as pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in California and is the author of numerous books, including Welcome to a Reformed Church and Grace Worth Fighting For. A passionate advocate for Reformed theology, Danny shares his journey of learning to preach Christ faithfully from all of Scripture, especially the Old Testament. Much of his early formation came under the mentorship of the late Dr Edmund Clowney, former president of Westminster Theological Seminary. Clowney's Christ-centred hermeneutic and biblical-theological approach continue to shape generations of preachers. In this episode, Danny reflects on the lessons he learned firsthand from Clowney about letting Scripture's redemptive storyline lead us to the person and work of Jesus.The conversation then turns to the catechisms—particularly the Heidelberg Catechism—and why they still matter for preachers and congregations today. Danny explains how catechetical preaching can deepen theological literacy, form congregational identity, and foster gospel clarity in a distracted world. He highlights how the pattern of question and answer is not just pedagogical, but pastoral—echoing the truth of God into the minds and hearts of His people.This episode includes reflections on the importance of confessional identity, pastoral mentorship, and the preacher's task of proclaiming Christ without growing repetitive. You'll also hear a surprising story about how the Heidelberg Catechism once appeared on the shelves of TBN, and how even unlikely partnerships can bear witness to deep truth.Whether you are sceptical about tradition or eager to recover the old paths, Danny Hyde offers a gracious and persuasive vision for preaching that is rooted in Scripture, guided by confession, and centred on Christ.Recommended episodes: Danny's first episode on the show:  https://cgnmedia.org/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/long-obedience-in-the-same-location-danny-hydeBryan Chapell's episode :  https://cgnmedia.org/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/pulpit-flourish-vs-pastoral-care-with-bryan-chapell Preaching Like a Puritan: https://cgnmedia.org/podcast/expositors-collective/episode/preaching-like-a-puritan-pastoral-care-and-problems-with-the-quadriga-roberto-gazga Upcoming Training Event – We're Coming to Florida!Join us in St. Petersburg, Florida for a two-day Expositors Collective training weekend:

What if the crushing weight of modern life isn't a bug in the system but a feature of a false belief? In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Alan Noble to explore his compelling book, You Are Not Your Own. Together, they unpack why our culture's demand to “define yourself” leads to despair, and how belonging to Christ—not ourselves—is the good news we’ve been trained to forget. Drawing from the Heidelberg Catechism, zoocosis, and Sylvia Plath, this conversation dives deep into anthropology, social pressure, identity, and the role of the Church in resisting cultural formation. A quietly radical episode that reminds us that true freedom isn’t found in self-expression, but in surrender. Explore the book: You Are Not Your Own at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount)

Ready? 1,2,3! Let's walk this out together…. 1.   One Big Truth from Karen and Susan to find our footing: Antidotes to Control and Anger: Proverbs 19:21 & Proverbs 29:11. 2.     Two resources to keep learning:  ·      enCourage Podcast series about Belonging to Christ- from Heidelberg Catechism question#1 ·      TGC Article: Fighting to Say Yes, When God says No.   3. Three Questions to discuss together:   1.What do you tend to try to control: people or circumstances?   2. How can the elusiveness of control lead to anger in your life?   3. What would it look like for you to surrender your desire to control this week and delight in your sovereign Savior? Spend time in prayer relinquishing the areas of your life that you are seeking to control and trust in His good will for your life.   To listen to the rest of this series go to enCourage Podcast-  https://women.pcacdm.org/stumbling-forward-together/

Dr Clark finishes the series, "The Comfort of the Covenant." This series will show us the value of having a good covenant theology in order to help us understand the history of redemption correctly and well. And, more particularly, to help understand the gospel and how the gospel relates to the covenant of grace. In this episode, Dr. Clark continues discussing A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism by Caspar Olevianus and considers Olevianus' discussion of our final standing before God. This episode of the Heidelcast is sponsored by the Heidelberg Reformation Association. You love the Heidelcast and the Heidelblog. You share it with friends, with members of your church, and others but have you stopped to think what would happen if it all disappeared? The truth is that we depend on your support. If you don't make the coffer clink, the HRA will simply sink. Won't you help us keep it going? The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All your gifts are tax deductible. Use the donate link on this page or mail a check to Heidelberg Reformation Association, 1637 E Valley Parkway #391, Escondido CA 92027. All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Heidelcast Series: The Comfort Of The Covenant Subscribe To the Heidelcast Browse the Heidelshop! On Twitter @Heidelcast How To Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS New Way To Call The Heidelphone: Voice Memo On Your Phone Text the Heidelcast any time at (760) 618–1563. The Heidelcast is available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES Heidelblog Resources The HB Media Archive The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions Heidelberg Catechism (1563) The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025) Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008). What Must A Christian Believe? Why I Am A Christian Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Dr Clark continues the series, "The Comfort of the Covenant." This series will show us the value of having a good covenant theology in order to help us understand the history of redemption correctly and well. And, more particularly, to help understand the gospel and how the gospel relates to the covenant of grace. In this episode, Dr. Clark continues discussing A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism by Caspar Olevianus and considers Olevianus' discussion of the articles of last things. This episode of the Heidelcast is sponsored by the Heidelberg Reformation Association. You love the Heidelcast and the Heidelblog. You share it with friends, with members of your church, and others but have you stopped to think what would happen if it all disappeared? The truth is that we depend on your support. If you don't make the coffer clink, the HRA will simply sink. Won't you help us keep it going? The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All your gifts are tax deductible. Use the donate link on this page or mail a check to Heidelberg Reformation Association, 1637 E Valley Parkway #391, Escondido CA 92027. All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Heidelcast Series: The Comfort Of The Covenant Subscribe To the Heidelcast Browse the Heidelshop! On Twitter @Heidelcast How To Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS New Way To Call The Heidelphone: Voice Memo On Your Phone Text the Heidelcast any time at (760) 618–1563. The Heidelcast is available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES Heidelblog Resources The HB Media Archive The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions Heidelberg Catechism (1563) The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025) Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008). What Must A Christian Believe? Why I Am A Christian Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Dr Clark continues the series, "The Comfort of the Covenant." This series will show us the value of having a good covenant theology in order to help us understand the history of redemption correctly and well. And, more particularly, to help understand the gospel and how the gospel relates to the covenant of grace. In this episode, Dr. Clark continues discussing A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism by Caspar Olevianus and considers Olevianus' dicussion of articles of faith. This episode of the Heidelcast is sponsored by the Heidelberg Reformation Association. You love the Heidelcast and the Heidelblog. You share it with friends, with members of your church, and others but have you stopped to think what would happen if it all disappeared? The truth is that we depend on your support. If you don't make the coffer clink, the HRA will simply sink. Won't you help us keep it going? The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All your gifts are tax deductible. Use the donate link on this page or mail a check to Heidelberg Reformation Association, 1637 E Valley Parkway #391, Escondido CA 92027. All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Heidelcast Series: The Comfort Of The Covenant Subscribe To the Heidelcast Browse the Heidelshop! On Twitter @Heidelcast How To Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS New Way To Call The Heidelphone: Voice Memo On Your Phone Text the Heidelcast any time at (760) 618–1563. The Heidelcast is available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES Heidelblog Resources The HB Media Archive The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions Heidelberg Catechism (1563) The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025) Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008). What Must A Christian Believe? Why I Am A Christian Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Dr Clark continues the series, "The Comfort of the Covenant." This series will show us the value of having a good covenant theology in order to help us understand the history of redemption correctly and well. And, more particularly, to help understand the gospel and how the gospel relates to the covenant of grace. In this episode, Dr. Clark continues discussing A Firm Foundation: An Aid to Interpreting the Heidelberg Catechism by Caspar Olevianus and considers Olevianus' explanation of the person and work of the Holy Spirit and our sanctification. This episode of the Heidelcast is sponsored by the Heidelberg Reformation Association. You love the Heidelcast and the Heidelblog. You share it with friends, with members of your church, and others but have you stopped to think what would happen if it all disappeared? The truth is that we depend on your support. If you don't make the coffer clink, the HRA will simply sink. Won't you help us keep it going? The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All your gifts are tax deductible. Use the donate link on this page or mail a check to Heidelberg Reformation Association, 1637 E Valley Parkway #391, Escondido CA 92027. All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Heidelcast Series: The Comfort Of The Covenant Subscribe To the Heidelcast Browse the Heidelshop! On Twitter @Heidelcast How To Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button below Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS New Way To Call The Heidelphone: Voice Memo On Your Phone Text the Heidelcast any time at (760) 618–1563. The Heidelcast is available everywhere podcasts are found including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES Heidelblog Resources The HB Media Archive The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions Heidelberg Catechism (1563) The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025) Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008). What Must A Christian Believe? Why I Am A Christian Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization