Wed Apr 8

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the word continue and stable/grounded.

Reading

Colossians 1:15-23—Stable and Steadfast

Optional Reading

Isaiah 30:19-22

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

Christ wants you to persevere in the faith.
You might be tempted to shift and shrink back.
Christ has given you all that you need to persevere.

Questions

(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)

What does it mean to be stable and steadfast?
How might you be tempted to shift from the gospel?
What things has Christ given you to help you persevere?

Notes

(See Saturday for authors.)

The final exhortation in the passage in Colossians is to persevere in the faith. There’s a mystery and a tension here: we are assured that God will continue the good work that He started in us (Phil 1:6), but we are also called to persevere to the end. God gives us grace to persevere, and our perseverance proves our faith.

In verse 23, there are two ways to persevere: be stable and steadfast, and do not shift from the hope of the Gospel. The words “stable” and “steadfast” might be reminiscent of a sturdy building with a firm foundation. How can you have a firm foundation? You can read and study your Bible, commit it to memory, and diligently attend church.

When Paul tells the Colossians not to shift from the Gospel, this seems to be something more subtle. If you were flying a rocket to the moon, your course calculations better be perfect. Even an error as small as 1 degree could have you missing the moon by thousands of miles and getting stranded in space. How much more dangerous it is to shift away from the Gospel! We’re well aware that Christianity has some unpopular teachings in the eyes of the world. It would be so easy to smooth out the rough edges in order to gain approval.

Dangers abound to fall away, but praise God He gives us everything we need in Christ! Every promise of God finds its “yes” in Him, and through Him we have access to all things that pertain to life and godliness!

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday notes for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 16d, 2a

Prayer

Ask God for grace to persevere in the faith.
Pray for change in you from last Lord’s Day’s sermons.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.