In today's story, we see that God fights for His people and gives them peace and rest. We live in a world filled with conflict and pain. We desperately want peace. The reality is that true peace doesn’t come from any amount of solitude or self-confidence; we need true peace that comes from being forgiven. Peace comes as we trust in the finished work of Jesus. His forgiveness, not our own effort, brings us lasting peace.
Read the words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:12-14. In a world of conflict, Christ is our hope. In a world filled with division, He is our peace. This peace and hope Paul speaks of are available to us when we place our trust in Christ alone for our salvation. This is a continual, daily dying to self so that we may live in Christ. What is so interesting about the section of Scripture your kids will be learning about today is that it shows us that we humans have not changed and God has not changed. Israel obeyed God at Jericho, and God fought for His people. They enjoyed good success. Next, they went up against a smaller city and relied on their own strength rather than seeking God's strength. They disobeyed and took things devoted to God and fought a battle at Ai without consulting God and His plan. Their lives were filled with disunity. Sin is the reason our world is in disunity. The lie we believe is that sin is personal and doesn't affect anyone else. Sin is the rejection of God Himself and the placing of our trust in things He has made. The sin of one Israelite—Achan—affected him, his family, and the whole nation. Joshua's response was right. He humbled himself, appealed to God's covenant-keeping power, and responded with obedience when God spoke to him. When we sin, we must recognize the damage that it creates in our lives and in the world. Our response must not be to cover it up but to run to Christ because He is our hope, our life, and our peace. Dwell on these words from theologian Charles Spurgeon: “My faith rests not upon what I am or shall be or feel or know, but in what Christ is, in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me. Hallelujah!” Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
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In our Bible story today, we see not just mercy, but courageous mercy.
Rahab by faith, courageously trusted God and hid the Hebrew spies. Mercy is not courageous until being merciful costs us something. Rahab's mercy was pushed to the testing point. She had compassion and, in doing so, risked her life. She showed mercy; as a result, she received mercy. Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Mercy was one of the marks of Jesus’ ministry. He modeled it for us on earth. There are countless examples of Jesus’ showing compassion and forgiveness to those who didn't deserve it. Mercy always involves courage because you have the power—and often the right—to punish rather than forgive. In our world today, the act of forgiveness is often seen as a weakness. It's risky. Mercy that lacks courage will be sporadic in its application. We, like Pilate, will forgive until it costs us something. We will have compassion, but only from a distance. This is the beauty of Christ that we see in stories like Rahab. The God we serve is lavish in His mercy and rich in His kindness. What Rahab experienced is a glimpse of God’s mercy we see in Christ. Jesus is the full expression of the mercy and kindness of God. Jesus isn't concerned from a distance; He took on human flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus didn't just act mercifully when it was convenient. He laid down his life so that we could be forgiven. Rahab modeled for us what Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Let us today be extenders of mercy to others because of the tender mercy of God in Christ we have received because of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus. ● Babies & Toddlers: Everyone who trusts in Jesus becomes part of God’s family forever. ● Younger Preschool: The Israelites kept Rahab and her family safe, and she joined God’s people. Everyone who trusts in Jesus is safe and becomes part of God’s family forever. BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. ● Younger Preschool: What is a miracle? A miracle is something that shows God’s power. KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. ● Babies & Toddlers: God shows His strength to people. Psalm 77:14 ● Younger Preschool: God shows His strength to people. Psalm 77:14 ** Next week: God Gave the People the Land (Joshua 7–11)Dear families, Unit 7, Session 3
The Bible Helps Us Live for God (2 Timothy 3) Dear families, In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul points out that Scripture is enough for us. It is our source for godliness and our final authority in matters pertaining to doctrine. The confessions of every Protestant denomination affirm the sufficiency of Scripture. Why does this matter for kids? We need to teach our kids that even though the Bible may not mention everything in life, it mentions everything we need to know about God, His plan to save us, and how we can live a holy life to please Him. It is important in a world that has become increasingly hostile to the Bible that we teach our kids the value of reading it and applying it to our lives daily. What is important for us to remember and for kids to know about the Bible?
FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
Unit 7 | Session 2
GOD STOPPED THE JORDAN RIVER Joshua 3–4 Dear families, The children of Israel often gave in to worry and bitterness. Their attitude revealed deeper heart issues: their belief that God had failed to take care of them and would fail in the future. It was in the 40 years of wandering in the desert that God showed them over and over that He was worthy of their trust. Yet they still did not trust Him. When God provided supernatural food for them to eat, they craved the food of Egypt. (Num. 11:4-6) When they first encountered the inhabitants of Canaan, they were filled with fear because they didn't trust that God would be with them. (Num. 13:33) God went out of His way to deliver His people, protect them, and provide for them. He showed He is all-powerful and trustworthy. Read Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 6:20-24. Moses implored the Israelites to remember what God had done and testify to their children of His faithfulness. God had brought them out of Egypt to keep His covenant with Abraham. He gave them instructions for their good. Meditate on Moses’ proclamation: “We were slaves in Egypt, but God, by his grace, set us free.” This truth is particularly helpful for us when we face difficulties and periods of anxiety. We can have peace in the present by looking backward in gratitude and forward with hope. When we look back at our lives and the millions of ways God has provided and protected us, our hearts should be filled with gratitude. Based on God's character as revealed in Scripture and in our lives, we can look forward with hope, knowing that God, who has preserved us, will continue to do so until He comes to bring us home. As you get ready to teach, prepare your heart by reminding yourself of God’s faithfulness. Tell the kids in your group how God has shown Himself worthy of your trust. They too can put their hope in a God who never fails. Check out The Gospel Project At Home for resources designed to help you lead a family worship experience as well as suggestions for morning and evening prayer times and family activities. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
** Next week: The Bible Helps Us Live for God (2 Timothy 3) Unit 7, Session 1
God Encouraged Joshua (Joshua 1) Dear families, We often think that fear is the absence of courage, and to some degree, it is. However, true courage is not someone who is free of fear. Courage comes to us most often, and especially when we are young, from the presence of another. In C. S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy, the young heroine of Lewis' stories, was on a boat that went into the dark night of a cave where their worst fears were realized. Going into the cave, they all were afraid. Inside the cave, their fears were realized. They were in the middle of the night and without hope, and Lucy (whose name means “light”) asked Aslan to send help. Aslan (the Christ figure in Lewis' work) answered by sending his light into their darkness and his word to her heart. He said, "Courage, dear heart." The gospel tells us that our greatest enemy, sin, and our greatest fear, death, has no hold on us—not because of courage that rises up from within us, but from courage that came from outside of us. Jesus came from outside of us and said to us through his life, death, and resurrection, "Courage, dear heart." The promise of peace, true rest that Moses and now Joshua sought, was not conditional on what they saw in front of them. It was based on the character of God. The promise God gave to Joshua was the promise of His presence in the middle of the dark night. This promise is true for us and is experienced in the person and work of Christ. As you prepare to teach, take a moment to allow the Person of God's Spirit to whisper to your heart what God's Word proclaims to be true, no matter how difficult your week or dark your night. You are loved, you are cared for, you are not alone. Christ is with you. Christ has gone before you; Christ is interceding for you. Remember the words God gave Joshua: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9). What a promise. What a Savior. FAMILY TALKING POINTS CHRIST CONNECTION This is the big idea of how this week’s Bible story points to Jesus.
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit.
KEY PASSAGE This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit.
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August 2023
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