Mon Apr 13

Listen up, little ones

Listen for the word holy.

Reading

Obadiah 1:15-18—The Mount of Escape

Optional Reading

Isaiah 35:1-10

Keys for kids

• Unholiness is the root of all sin.
• Holiness is the only way to escape God's wrath.
• The Holy Spirit burning in us makes us holy.

Questions

1. What is the root of all sin?
2. What do we need to escape God's wrath?
3. How do we receive the holiness of Christ?

Notes

(See Saturday for authors.)

Hebrews 12:16 warns us not to be "unholy" like Esau. What does that mean? Simply, unholiness is to be apart from God, having nothing to do with God. Esau was unholy. In pride, he wanted nothing to do with God, and pride gave birth to brotherly violence. Unholiness, being apart from God, is the root of sin.

Holiness is the only escape from God's wrath. For, "In Mount Zion there shall be those who escape, and it shall be holy" (v. 17). Without holiness, we cannot please God (Hb. 12:14) but fearfully await the "day of the LORD ... upon all nations."

What will this Day be like? God's holiness will destroy the old creation together with all sin done in it (cf. 2 Pt. 3:10-12). God's holiness is like fire, the unholy like stubble, forever consumed (cf. Is. 34:8-10). But instead of gold, those who escape are so closely identified with God's holiness as to be "a flame, and ... a fire" (Ob. 1:18; cf. 2 Th.1:10). Only Christ is holy among men; we need his Spirit to burn the stubble in us, to make us holy as he is holy (cf.1 Pt. 1:15-16).

Swedish Method questions

Praise

Psalm 60b, 2a

Prayer

1. Pray God the Father to give you his Holy Spirit so that you may die to sin and burn for Christ.
2. Pray for a specific application from yesterday's sermons.
3. Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.