Key Verse:
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5)
Key Themes:
- Because of the work of Jesus on the cross for us, Christians are able to approach God in prayer.
- God is a Father who welcomes, loves, and responds to His children; He is not a far away, impersonal disinterested Being.
- God’s children have a close, personal relationship with Him.
- Christians are all part of the family of God and should pray for one another.
Lesson Summary:
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, those who believe in Him become the sons of God. The sons of God have the right to enter into the presence of God (i.e., pray) at any time. God is always available to His children.
God always acts with love toward His children. Because God is perfect in all He is and does, He is perfectly loving. Therefore, God’s children should approach Him with confidence because God will always answer the prayers of His children. And all God’s answers to His children will be good answers.
Family Devotional:
Read: Hosea 11:1-9
Questions:
- How does God describe the relationship between Himself and Israel in verse 1?
- Why does God use the image of father-son in describing the relationship between Himself and His people? (How is He like a father and how are His children like sons?)
- What does “out of Egypt” refer to? What kind of people did God choose to be His own?
- Who is Ephraim? (Ephraim was the largest tribe of Israel; sometimes the whole nation was referred to as Ephraim)
- What kind of son was Israel?
- What kind of Father is God?
- What do these verses show you about the kind of relationship God desires with His children?
Pray:
Pray as a family to use the next 49 days to draw you all closer to God our Father and to deepen your dependency on God through prayer.