11am On-line Service 24 January 2021
Dear GCBC Parents:
Our sermon this Sunday will be from Romans 5:1-11. Paul spent a couple of chapters reiterating the fact that we are made right with God by our faith alone. Now he begins to speak to the results and benefits of our faith, the first being peace with God. Paul states in verse 10-11 that we were God’s enemies turned friends by the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we think of enemies, we think of a lack of peace or maybe even two countries at war with each other. When verse 1 tells us we have peace with God, we can think of this picture of cessation of war. And not only that, our peace makes us friends with God. This would be a great time to chat with your children about how Jesus makes us friends with God. Ask them if they are friends with God, and if they aren’t, ask them if they would like to be.
Romans 5:2-5 are also a sweet encouragement to our faith. Paul says we rejoice in our hope of sharing God’s glory, and we also rejoice in our trials and struggles. Then Paul proceeds to tell why we should rejoice when we suffer because it develops endurance which leads to strength of character, which strengthens our confident hope of salvation. (“Confident hope of salvation” means we have a secure and real expectation that our salvation will bring us into eternity with God.) Can you think of a time in your life when you have experienced this development? Are you in the middle of a trial right now where you can see these things developing in your life? Share this with your children. They need to know how real your faith is to you.
I pray you have fruitful conversations with your children as you talk with them about God’s Word and what it means to have faith alone in Jesus.
God Bless,
Mandy