Wed May 14

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the words him and joy.

Reading

Hebrews 12:1–3—Jesus Endured the Cross for Joy

Optional Reading

Nehemiah 8:10-18

Keys for kids

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

The joy of the Lord is the strength of his people.
The joy of the Lord Jesus is the salvation of his people.
Though the cross was a horrible experience, Jesus endured it with joy.

Questions

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

Why were the people in Nehemiah 8 not to weep?
What joy did Jesus find in the cross?
What does Jesus enduring the cross with joy mean for us?

Notes

In Nehemiah 8 we heard the people being told that they should not weep because the joy of the Lord is their strength. Here in Hebrews we see that the joy of the Lord is our salvation. Jesus, for the joy set before him, endured the cross. Of course, the cross was not all joy. In fact, Jesus in the garden pled with his father if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done (Luke 22:42 CSB). That cup was the cup of God’s just wrath that by eternal covenant the Father and the Son had agreed Jesus would take upon himself. Why? So that all who believe in Jesus are spared that wrath and instead given unending grace. Even so, Jesus found joy in going to the cross.

Brooks suggests joy was far more than just being ‘the other side’ of the Calvary experience, in the sense of getting it all over with … Surely it was, at least, ‘the joy’ of doing the Father’s will (10:7), and of accomplishing all the work that the Father gave him to do (John 17:4); ‘the joy’ of saving his people … (2:13b); ‘the joy’ of ‘going to him who sent me’ (John 16:5), and of being glorified ‘in [the Father’s] own presence with the glory that (he) [Jesus] had with him [the Father] before the world existed’ (John 17:5); ‘the joy’ of his coming exaltation … and, beyond all of this, ‘the joy’ of showing his people his glory (John 17:24) and ‘the marriage of the Lamb’ (Revelation 19:7).

What joy we have because Jesus joyfully endured the cross!

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday reading for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 149a, 84a

Prayer

Rejoice that Jesus joyfully endured the cross for you.
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.