Let us open our Bibles once again this evening. First of all, our Old Testament reading is taken from Isaiah chapter 41 to 11, and our New Testament reading from Romans 8, 31 to 39. Listen then to the word of God. Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling, in the desert prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low. The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed. And all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. A voice says, cry out. And I said, what shall I cry? All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout. Lift it up. Do not be afraid. Say to the towns of Judah, here is your God. See, the sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart. He gently leads those that have young. And then we turn to Romans chapter 8, beginning at verse 31. What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all. How will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we face death all day long. We are considered a sheep to be slaughtered. Now in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heights nor depths nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Bless, Father, the reading of God's holy word. May he bless it to our hearts and to our lives. A scripture reference this evening is taken from the first Lord's Day of the Heidelberg Catechism. For a confessional reference, the well-known opening question and answer, what is your only comfort in life and death, that I am not my own, but the long body and soul in life and death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, is fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven. In fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to Him, Christ, by His Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for Him thus far. after the proclamation of the gospel let's respond with the singing of Psalter hymnal 445 when peace like a river beloved congregation of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ there is power in a song A well-written, thoughtful, touching, spiritual song can be like good medicine. I've seen it often. When a believing father or mother, grandfather or grandmother reaches old age, they often take refuge in a song or in a whole series of songs. Well, do I remember, for example, a very old lady in one of our nursing homes in Langley. As she grew older, her eyes went, her hearing went, her legs went, and I suspect a lot of other things went as well, but not her voice. Even well into her 90s, she could sing. And what did she sing? The Psalms, mostly. As a matter of fact, she sang some of them in Dutch and a lot of them in Frisian. And she sang them one after the other. She knew the all by heart. On other occasions, not even all that long ago, when ministering to someone who was dying and to this lady's family, I was struck by it once again, the power of a song. A good song can still the most anxious soul. A good song can bring real peace. Music is therapy, therapy while living, therapy while suffering, therapy while even dying. Of course, you might ask at this point, what does music and a good song have to do with this opening Lord's Day of the Heidelberg Catechism? Well, has it ever struck you that in a certain way this question and answer one of our catechism is very much like a good song. And indeed, it's no wonder that we have some hymnals in which this particular question and answer have even been turned into a song. You might say the obvious has been set to music and to rhyme. And I'm sure that in a way, Frederick III, who commissioned it, and those who composed it, whether Olivianus or Ursinus or both, would not have been surprised by this either. It didn't take very long for them to realize that they had a gem on their hands. And I'm also sure that they would have been quick to say that it was God who inspired them to write it. Of course, it's not Scripture. But somehow it has managed to capture the central thrust of the Scriptures in a most remarkable and consoling manner. Yes, and believers throughout the Palatinate, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, and the Low Countries soon felt exactly the same way. For more than anything else, it's this opening question and answer that account for the catechism's popularity. Of course, the other questions and answers play a role too with their clear, personal, direct, biblical and insightful answers. But you know, it's the opening one that sets the tone for everything else that follows. And everywhere, in no time at all, it could be heard in Europe and soon beyond. And at the same time, in all kinds of situations of life, it could be heard as well. As the saints were being led away to be burned at the stake, it could be heard. And as the saints were being confined to the concentration camps in various parts of the world during the Second World War, it could be heard as well. As the saints are being forced to go into battle, and who knows, maybe even today, it can still be heard. But what's so special about this particular song? What's so special about this opening, Lord's Day, of our Heidelberg Catechism? I think in one word, it is Christ. This is a song that's all about Jesus Christ. It's not about you and me and how we feel. It's not even in the first place about our hurts and pains. Neither is it about our dreams and desires. No, it's about the most amazing person that has ever lived and still lives today. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only at the same time, I would add, it's not about Jesus Christ in the abstract. It's not about Jesus Christ as some kind of theological invention. It's not about Him even as a biblical concept. It's not even about Him as a doctrinal figure. Now you can say it's much more personal and much more direct than that. It's about who He is and what He does and it's about belonging to Him. It's about being under his ownership, care, supervision and watchfulness. What makes this opening part of the catechism so special is that it's all about Jesus Christ and being owned, lock, stock and barrel by him. Of course, someone here may be thinking, well, so what? What's so special about belonging to or being owned by Jesus Christ? big deal. And on the surface, it has to be admitted we may have some difficulty grasping all of this and its value. After all, ours is a very self-absorbed kind of age. There is ample evidence to support the contention that modern man is rather selfish and self-centered. And we seem to think that all of life's problems can be boiled down to almost one thing, and that is a lack of human self-esteem. And such a lack seems to justify about everything. Well, just the other day, the real problem, according to the assessment of the Parole Board of Canada, in dealing with a parolee who had recently murdered a pensioner in one of our interior cities in British Columbia, It was said by the Parole Board of Canada that the big problem with this particular offender was a lack of self-esteem. If only he had been more full of himself, more confident in himself, more at peace with himself, he would never have committed this heinous crime. And so the modern answer to most of our problems is people, you need to look inward. You need to believe in yourself. You need to be proud of yourself. You need to tap into your hidden gifts and resources. But, beloved, that's not what the Scriptures teach us and that's not what the Catechism summarizes for us either. It doesn't urge us to sing the song of self-esteem, but it urges us all through our life to sing the song of Christ's esteem. Or if you will, it is saying that our true value is not in who we are, but in who or whom we belong to. Our true value is in whom we belong to. Now you may wonder about that. How does that work? Well, not so long ago, one of our family members came home with an interesting illustration that was heard on the radio that kind of drove the point home. It was all about a motorcycle. It seems that one neighbor was visiting another neighbor and he noticed that this neighbor had something under a tarp in his garage. And he asked what it was and he was told, Oh, that's an old motorcycle. The tarp was lifted. The visiting neighbor asked after a while if he could buy it. And the other neighbor was rather reluctant for, he said, You know, it really doesn't work. But finally a deal was struck for a paltry sum of money. And so the motorcycle came under new ownership. Nothing much happened with that motorcycle until one day the new owner decided that he should try to get it running. And so he phoned the local dealer and asked about parts, and the dealer asked him some questions about the make and the model, and you know how that goes. But a few days later, the dealer called again and wanted even more details about the motorcycle. And meanwhile, the new owner was growing rather anxious. Was this motorcycle hot? Had it been stolen? Was it about to be repossessed? The plot sickened when he received a call from out of town. Would you please describe the motorcycle? Oh, and would he also look under the seat and see if anything perhaps was written under the seat? And there was something written there. A few words, two words. And the words were, the king. Upon hearing that, the man on the other end of the phone offered a considerable amount of money for the motorcycle. Only the other man smelled a rat. Something just wasn't right in this whole thing. He declined the offer. A few days later, he received another phone call about the same motorcycle from still another person. Only this time, the amount of money that was being offered for it was considerably higher. So what was going on here? Well, it turned out that that motorcycle at one time had been owned by Albus Presley, the so-called king of rock and roll. Of course, you're wondering, what does this story have to do with Lord's Day One, right? Well, I think it's a very fitting illustration proving the point that what gives real value to something or someone is not who they are. but who they belonged to. You know, that old motorcycle, probably a Harley, in and of itself had little or no value. But because at one time it happened to belong to Elvis, suddenly it was worth loads and loads of money. But, and here is the point, think now of yourself as a child of God. Do you have all kinds of value? Do you have immense worth? And if you have it, why is it? Is it because of your looks, your personality, your name, your intelligence? No, the scriptures say that you and I have value because inscribed on our hearts and foreheads are the words, the King of Kings. We belong to the King of glory. We belong to Jesus Christ. That's where and in whom our true worth and value are to be found. Is it thus any wonder that our song is therefore about Him? But then you ask, what is it that belongs to this song? What is all included in it? Well, look further and what do you see? You can see that the first stanza is all about Christ buying or purchasing me. It says he has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. As you look at those words, think of three things. Think of the problem, the solution, and the result. The problem, my friends, is not blowing in the wind. The problem is my sins. I know, of course, that we don't want to hear that. We also hardly ever hear that anymore, it seems, these days. The problems of life find their origin, it seems, almost everywhere else. My upbringing was the problem or my parents were the problem or the circumstances under which I was nurtured were the problems or perhaps it's a matter of discrimination. The modern approach is for people to look outside of themselves and never really at themselves. But you know that says the scripture will simply not do. We need to take ownership of our sins. We need to say with King David, I will confess my transgression to the Lord, the guilt of my sins. Honestly, we need to look at ourselves and own up to our sins, to that spiteful word, to that crooked deed, to that shameful thought, all of it. We need to see the real problem of life and it starts with us. But we also need to see the solution. And the solution is in Christ. It's in His bloodshed on the cross. It's in His full payment. Our Savior is not some slick salesman dispatching costly advice. He's not a guru commonly giving vague answers and neither is He an armchair theologian. No, he's completely dedicated and totally involved, utterly committed to dealing with the life and the well-being of his people. He gives himself to the task at hand. And he holds nothing back. Not even himself, not his name, not his freedom, not even his life. Peter tries to put all of this into words by writing, For you know it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers. But it was with the precious blood of Christ a lamb without blemish or defect. Blood, the blood of Christ, is the only medicine that can cleanse our sin-polluted lives. And it does. But look at the result. The result says the catechism is that I am set free. He has set me free from all the power of the devil. I think when we hear those words, then in a sense it is as if we hear David speaking after he confessed to his sins of adultery and murder. Or you can hear King Manasseh speaking. he who at one time served the idols and burned some of his own children as sacrifices. Or we can hear Zacchaeus speaking, that man who at one time defrauded and embezzled the savings of many. Or we can hear Peter speaking, that apostle who should no longer have been considered an apostle after his triple denial. Beloved, so many voices come together here and they merge with our voices. Christ has set us free. Free from a guilty past. Free from the devil. Free at last. Free to live anew. Free to rejoice. What a joy it is to know that Christ has bought me. and set me free. And you know, that alone, that alone is worth singing about. But of course, you can see that's only the first stanza. There's another one, a second one, which is just as comforting, and that one is about Christ preserving me, Christ caring for me. He also preserves me in such a way, it says, that how easily we forget that. We even assume that this is a specific Israelite type of disease. And what do I mean by that? Well, I'm thinking of the children of Israel after they leave Egypt. Here God has done great and mighty things for them. Wonder after wonder, plague after plague has laid Egypt to waste. Majestically and triumphantly he brings Israel out of the house of bondage, out of the land of slavery. And in the process, Pharaoh and all his hosts flounder and drown in the Red Sea. In short, God works a great deliverance. Now you would think that that is something that would keep them going. This is something that should encourage them for weeks and months and years, perhaps even for decades. But does it? Not at all. When the going gets really tough on the other side of the Red Sea, then the tough do not get going. No, then they all begin to murmur. and they're filled with worry, and they're flushed with anxiety. Oh, how soon they forget. Yes, and then later on, we see the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that they are not much better. Why those words in the Sermon on the Mounds about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and about not adding a cubit to your span of life? One moment they are eyewitnesses to his miracles and the next moment they are riddled with worry. So it is with them. And let us not fool ourselves, so it is with us too. How soon we forget. How easily we overlook the care and the safekeeping of our Lord and Savior. And now it's because of this tendency that we need to sing this second stanza as well. We need to sing it constantly. We need to sing it boisterously. The Christ who has bought me preserves me. This Christ, in the words of Romans 8, is for me. He predestines me. He calls me. He justifies me. He glorifies me. He intercedes for me. He loves me. And the result, I am more than a conqueror. I'm a victor over all things. Death, life, angels, demons, present, future, height, depth. Everything. Being in Christ means that nothing can hurt me or touch me outside of His will. And if anything or anyone does, then the purpose is good for me. Somehow, in some ways, He makes sure that it will work to advance the cause of my salvation. well thus far the song has two stanzas one about being bought the other about being cared for one about that deals with sin the other that deals with uncertainties and enemies or you can say one that deals with the past the other that deals with the present but of course that still leaves the future what shall we do about the unknown uncertain days of tomorrow but again we shall sing we shall sing a third stanza a stanza about Christ again assuring once more notice the main agent is Christ the means or the instrument or intermediary that he uses is the Holy Spirit and what does he do in the lives of believers well the catechism summing up the scriptures says he also assures me of eternal life he assures me of eternal life how does that work do you know I don't over the years and decades that I've been in the ministry of the gospel I've been at the bedside of countless believers who were dying. Why, just the other week I saw it again. I saw the Savior so very clearly giving grace for living and grace for dying. Somehow He fills His followers with glorious hope and certainty. That indescribable peace and rest. Of course, it has to be said, it's not always there right away. On occasion, we do wonder why some of God's children take so long to die. I'm not always sure as to the reason for that. Sometimes it may be for the sake of the living who need more time to say farewell. At other times it may be for the sake of the dying who need more time to put their house in order and to commit themselves even more fully to the Lord. But through it all it's obvious the Lord works in different ways in different lives. But you know one thing is always the same and it's this. I have never, ever, ever met a child of God who gives his, her, her life over to the Lord and who did not find it filled with hope. The hope of eternal life. I've never seen that. And over the years I've done hundreds of funerals. Been at countless bedsides. I've never seen the faithful disappointed. So think about that. Think about all that is encompassed in this song. You have nothing that will haunt you from the past. You have nothing to fear when it comes to today. And you have absolutely no reason to be fearful about tomorrow. Christ your Christ and my Christ He takes care of it all everything every day every moment and that beloved you know that's not just something to think about that's not even just something to talk about but I say to you that is something to sing about it should put a new song on our lips it should fill our lives and hearts with great gladness oh to belong to Jesus Christ what a reason for rejoicing and at the same time what an incentive for obedient and thankful living question and answer one ends with the words and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him. What a fitting conclusion. Having seen all that Christ has done, all that Christ does daily, and all that Christ will do tomorrow, the cry of Isaiah still goes up. Here I am, Lord. Send me. Use me. Shape me. Direct me. Equip me. For I am yours. And I belong to you. In life. In death. Body. And soul. Forever. Let's pray. Father in heaven we rejoice in the fact that you are the God who fills our lives with indescribable comfort. A comfort that is in a way beyond all understanding but a comfort that sustains us every day of our lives. Father, we thank you that you have not left us to ourselves and to our own devices. But we thank you that we may belong to you, body and soul, both in life and death. That we're not our own, but that we're the property and the possession of Jesus Christ. Father, what a gift, what a miracle, what a work you have accomplished and continue to accomplish in the lives of many. And we pray, would you receive our thanks. And Lord, as we go through this life, as we go up the hills and down into the valleys, we pray that there may always be this song in our lips, this music in our hearts. I'm not my own. I belong to Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord. I belong to him now and forevermore. Hallelujah. Amen.