We Should Be Sorry for Sin (Romans 8)

Dear families,

Coming face-to-face with sin in our lives often leads to one of two responses: It may lead to feelings of guilt and shame that cause us to either run and hide or to simply stop trying and give ourselves over to a particular pattern of sin, or it may lead to a place of genuine confession and repentance followed by a deep trust in the power of God to help us walk in freedom. 

Romans 8 provides for us a warning against living according to the flesh, but it also declares a promise that we can cling to in our battle against sin. 

Romans 8:8-9 says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.” 

These verses give surprising hope to the believer battling sin in his or her own life. The hope comes in the form of the Spirit of God, alive and present in the follower of Christ. 

What help is this in our battle against sin? It is everything! The promise of the Spirit of God living in a believer offers hope by way of the power of God—powerful enough to defeat the devil and raise Jesus from the dead—is alive and working to fight sin in our lives. 

Paul goes a step further, too. Not only is the Spirit of God at work in the heart of the believer allowing, us to battle against sin, but the Spirit works in such a way that we can actually please God. 

We can have hope in our battle against sin because the Lord has given us Himself in such a way that by His power at work in us, we can battle against sin and live a life pleasing to Him. “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).

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: Because Jesus died and rose again, we have forgiveness of sins and life with God forever when we trust in Him.

  • Younger Preschool: Because Jesus died and rose again, we have forgiveness of sins and life with God forever when we trust in Him.

  • Older Preschool: Because Jesus died and came back to life, we have forgiveness of sins and life with God forever when we trust in Him. God gives us His Spirit so we can become more like Jesus.

  • Kids: God sent Jesus to take the punishment our sin deserves. Because of Jesus, we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Through God’s Spirit, we have the power to turn away from sin and live to bring glory to God.


BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 


  • Younger Preschool: How should we feel when we make wrong choices? When we make wrong choices, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to obey Him.

  • Older Preschool: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and choose to obey Him.

  • Kids: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to turn from our sin because we love Him. 


KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 


  • Babies & Toddlers: We should feel sorry when we disobey God. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Younger Preschool: We should feel sorry when we disobey God and want to obey Him. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Older Preschool: Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Kids: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10


** Next week: Jesus Was Born (Matthew 1; Luke 2; John 1)


The People Promised to Be Faithful (Nehemiah 9–10)

Dear families,

What comes to mind when you think about confession? Do you think of sadness? Weeping and guilt? Shame and failure? What about worship? 

When was the last time you came before God in true confession? What led to your admission of failure before a holy God? 

The Bible is clear that “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Rom. 2:4). But what does the Bible say about what confession should look like? What does the Bible say should lead us to confession? 

Nehemiah 9 gives insight in how to answer that question. The Israelites had gathered and were fasting and beginning to confess their sin when the priests chimed in with an appropriate pattern for how that confession ought to progress. 

In this text, we discover that true confession of sin will never come before genuine recognition of the holiness of God. God’s people had promised to be faithful, but following their return from exile, the men of Israel intermarried with foreign women. Their were unfaithful to God, disobeying His commands. Yet God remained faithful. 

The pattern of the priests is to first recognize, exclaim, and celebrate God’s goodness, faithfulness, holiness, and righteousness. Only out of those comes the reason for confession. For it is only when we see the majesty of the holy God that we see the weight of our sin and the punishment due to us as a result. Then, and only then, will we be drawn to the altar of honest confession before God. Yes, conviction must come, but it will only come when there is first an awareness of the greatness of God. 

Set aside time to intentionally approach God to confess the sin in your life. Remember this pattern. That God wants your eyes fixed firmly on Him, even in moments of reflection and confession. For the moment we lose sight of Him is the moment we lose sight of the sinfulness of our sin, which is the moment before we lose sight of the necessity of confession.

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: God does what is right even when His people do what is wrong. We have God’s kindness and love through Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins.

  • Younger Preschool: God has always done what is right even when His people have done what is wrong. We have God’s kindness and love through Jesus, who died on the cross so we can have life with God forever.

  • Older Preschool: God’s people remembered all He had done and promised to be faithful. God is kind and loving. God has always done what is right even when His people have done what is wrong. We have God’s kindness and love through Jesus, who died on the cross so we can have life with God forever.

  • Kids: God’s people remembered all He had done and promised to be faithful. God is gracious and compassionate. All along, God has been faithful to people who are unfaithful. We experience God’s grace and compassion in Jesus, who gave His life so we can receive mercy and life forever.


BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Younger Preschool: How should we feel when we make wrong choices? When we make wrong choices, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to obey Him.

  • Older Preschool: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and choose to obey Him.

  • Kids: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to turn from our sin because we love Him. 


KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Babies & Toddlers: We should feel sorry when we disobey God. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Younger Preschool: We should feel sorry when we disobey God and want to obey Him. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Older Preschool: Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Kids: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10


** Next week: We Should Be Sorry for Sin (Romans 8)


Ezra Read the Law (Ezra 7–10; Nehemiah 8)

Dear families,

Find 1 John 1:9 in your Bible and read it slowly two or three times. Many Christians are familiar with these words; perhaps you have them memorized. We agree that God wants us to confess our sins to Him. We believe that God is faithful to forgive His children by the blood of Jesus. But do you find it easy to confess your sin to God? If not, why? Do you believe the lie that keeping quiet about our sin will prevent God from knowing about it? 

In Ezra 9, leaders approached Ezra and declared to him the grim reality of the people of Israel who were caught up in devious behavior and lifestyles. Following the second return of exiles to Jerusalem, the men of Israel began to intermarry with foreign women again. It was as if they had completely forgotten God. Ezra’s response of honest confession before a holy God ought to teach us something about his character and about our need to do likewise. 

First, Ezra stood before God and the faithful of Israel, and he cried out before the Lord. Ezra didn’t point fingers as he went before God. He didn’t shift the blame or use the chance to gossip about others in his community. Ezra did precisely what we see later recorded in 1 John 1:9: he confessed his sin to God. 

Ezra truly believed that it was right to bring his sin and the sin of his community before God, to lay it all out before the Lord and to seek God’s forgiveness by faith and repentance. And not only did Ezra see the good of confession, he found reason to celebrate as he did.  

Read Ezra 9:13. Ezra recognized the necessity of confession and then celebrated that God’s grace was still enough, still active, and still effective toward His people. 

Ezra took his sin seriously and confessed it before a holy God. And Ezra confessed with hope that the God he had sinned against, had been gracious and would continue to be so.  

When we bring our sin before God, let us do so with humility rooted in our deep need for God and confidence grounded in our understanding of His amazing grace.

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: The Bible helps us know the right things to do. We do wrong things, but God can help us want to obey Him. Jesus died to rescue us from sin.

  • Younger Preschool: The Bible teaches us about God and Jesus. It helps us know the right things to do. We do wrong things, but God can help us want to obey Him. Jesus died to rescue us from sin.

  • Older Preschool: The Bible teaches us about God and Jesus. It helps us know the right things to do. We do wrong things a lot, but God can change our hearts and help us say no to sin. Jesus died to rescue us from sin.

  • Kids: God's Word is powerful. When Ezra read God's Word, the people loved God more and changed their ways. The Bible says that Jesus is "the Word." Jesus is God who came to live with people on earth. Jesus has the power to change our hearts.


BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER

This is an important biblical truth that your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Younger Preschool: How should we feel when we make wrong choices? When we make wrong choices, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to obey Him.

  • Older Preschool: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and choose to obey Him.

  • Kids: How should we feel when we sin? When we sin, we should feel sorry that we have disobeyed God and want to turn from our sin because we love Him. 


KEY PASSAGE

This is a Bible verse that relates to what your child will encounter each week of this unit. 

  • Babies & Toddlers: We should feel sorry when we disobey God. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Younger Preschool: We should feel sorry when we disobey God and want to obey Him. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Older Preschool: Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10

  • Kids: For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10


** Next week: The People Promised to Be Faithful (Nehemiah 9–10)