Week 4 of "The Cross..."
Seeing the cross as forgiveness.
Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting last week, my days ran away from me. I’ll try to be more diligent about getting these out sooner to y’all so as not to miss a week.
Announcements/Important Dates:
Summer Camp: July 21-25. This will be at Heart of Texas Baptist Camp (the same place we went to last summer). Here is the registration link: SIGN UP FOR CAMP HERE (Please do not let money be a reason your child does not attend. We can help you in whatever way that looks like!)
We are also doing “VIP” spots for camp. This means if your student is one of the first 15 to sign up for camp and place a deposit, then they are called VIPs. VIPs get to pick their seat on the bus first, they get to pick their bunk before any other student’s (after the leaders), and they will receive a VIP sticker to place on a water bottle, etc. (These are different each year)
Abide Weekend: This is a youth conference-style event we will be putting on at our church. The dates are April 25-26 & the cost is $25. Do not let money be a reason for your child to not attend; we can help you in whatever way that looks like! PLEASE SIGN UP ASAP so I know how many to expect. This can also be a come-and-go event, so if your child has something in the morning, they are more than welcome to come in the afternoon/evening and vice versa. Here is the sign up link: https://form.jotform.com/250846900950156
Senior Sunday: This is a Sunday where we honor our seniors. This will be on May 4th. Have your Poster Boards to me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so I can get those on display.
Senior BSM Road Trip: On April 19, we will take the seniors to visit the BSM’s at SPC, TTU, and ACU to help them get plugged in during this next stage of life.
Enjoy this week’s substack over Week 4 of “The Cross”
Summary for April 16th—— The cross as forgiveness (1 John 4:7-21)
This week, we are walking through how the cross shows us forgiveness. These past several weeks, we have been diving into the effects of sin in our lives and taking a bird's eye view of how God sees sin in our lives. We have built the basis of telling them that we have wronged God with our sins, BUT God did not leave us apart from Him forever. He has offered us redemption! He’s provided us a way to mend our relationship with Him. It’s through the cross! Since Jesus died for us, we’re offered the chance to restore our relationship. In the Old Testament, they had to bring perfect sacrifices to the temple to atone for (pay for) their sin. Jesus is that perfect lamb for us.
We know this information. Most of us have heard this our whole lives, but how does this really show forgiveness? I’m glad you asked! When we sin, we create this divide between us and God. The penalty (or the payment for sin is death). When we sin, we have become indebted to God. Our sin requires death to be paid, and Jesus is the only one worthy of being this sacrifice, this death for all mankind. God has forgiven us of the ways we’ve wronged Him because of the perfection of Jesus. So now, when He looks upon us, He does not see sinful, broken people, but rather, He sees the perfection of His son, Jesus. God has forgiven us. This passage in 1 John shows us that God did all of this out of His LOVE for us! God loves us so much He was willing to give His son up, Jesus loves us so much that HE willingly gave Himself up for us. To free us! Now, since we’ve received this great love given freely to us, we, in turn, should offer this same love to others. A love that is sacrificial, not self-seeking, a love that is kind, etc. (Go read 1 Corinthians 13 for more examples). Can we love God, and hate other people? Can we love God and not forgive other people? Those are some questions we’ll be answering tonight.
Phrases that could cause some confusion:
Propitiation: This means to appease God or meet the demands of God. Jesus was the propitiation on our behalf. Jesus met the demands of God in that sin requires death (Rom. 3:23 & 6:23) He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins because He is perfect.
Discussion Questions for parents and students:
This section gives you some ideas to talk with your students about this week's passage! Use one question, use them all, use none of them, and chat with them differently. However, don’t miss this chance to connect with your students this week about how God is moving in their lives!
Question 1: Read 1 John 4:10-12. What do you think this means that if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us?
Answer 1: When we accept Jesus, we’re saved, but since we’ve been forgiven for so much, we should also show forgiveness to others. His love being made complete means that when we accept Him as our savior, that is the start of our love for Him or our relationship. The more we love others and show others this love of God, the more we grow closer to Him.
Question 2: Read 1 John 4:19-21. Who are some people you’ve had a hard time showing love to, and who are some people you’ve done a good job showing love to? (PARENTS, feel free to answer honestly with them, too. One way to receive honesty is by giving it)
share with one another. It’s important for your children to see that you’re not always perfect.
Pray with one another for the people you mentioned.
Happy parenting!