Dear Parents,

Picture the reality of your salvation: Imagine standing as a defendant in a courtroom. You’ve been justly found guilty of a crime and the penalty is death. But rather than ordering law enforcement to lead you away to be executed, the judge gets up and takes your place. He takes your punishment upon himself, declaring your innocence and allowing you to walk free. How would you respond? 

This is essentially what Jesus does for sinners who trust in Him. God is the Judge, and rather than sentencing us to death like we deserve, the Father sent His Son to take our place. That is mercy and grace. So how should we respond?

Look at how Moses and the Israelites responded when God rescued them from Egypt and led them across the Red Sea. Exodus 15 describes their song. They praised the Lord and told what He had done for them. This same attitude of thankfulness—the proper response to the good news of the gospel—is described in the Old Testament by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah had a vision of God’s grace toward sinners, and he describes in Isaiah 12 the song we will sing to the Lord. We will praise God for His mercy and compassion (Isa. 12:1-2), thank Him for keeping His promise to save us (vv. 3-4), and tell of His glory and greatness among the nations (vv. 5-6).

Isaiah looked forward to the day when God’s words would come true—God would bless His people, and they would be thankful and tell everyone about Him. By sending His Son, God kept His promise to save people from sin. Jesus died on the cross and rose again. Those who trust in Him rejoice and are saved.

Once we experience salvation, we don’t sit back and cruise through the Christian life. Salvation is a call to action. Out of thankfulness for the Lord, we can love others like Jesus (1 John 4:10-12) and share with the world the good news of the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20; John 14:15). Guide your kids to recognize that every good gift comes from God (Jas. 1:17), and God’s greatest gift to us is His own Son, Jesus. With hearts of gratitude, praise and worship the Lord together.

God Bless,

David Feiser
Family Ministry Director

Family Starting Points

Scripture Memory:
Psalm 148:1-5 (Look up Seeds of Praise “Praise the Lord” on Spotify or Apple Music to play in your car during the week)

Big Picture Question:
What is our mission? Our mission is to tell others about Jesus.

Bible Story: A Song of Thanksgiving (Isaiah 12)

• God gave His people a message through the prophet Isaiah.
• Isaiah told the people about the day of the Lord.
• God kept his promise to save His people when He sent Jesus.
• We thank God because Jesus is alive.

Family Discussion Starters:

• How have the words God gave Isaiah already come true?
• How have the words God gave Isaiah not yet come true?
• Who makes these words Isaiah wrote come true?

Family Activity:

• Invite friends over for dinner and tell them about the bible story you learned this week.
• Do a service project as a family together.

Next Week:

The Holy Spirit Came: Acts 2:1-4, 22-42