Gospel Project Parent's Help: Week of December 15-21, 2013

Volume 6 Adult/Kids Connections
Unit 16, Session 3: Jesus Was Dedicated
Luke 2:21-40

Christ Connection: Throughout the Old Testament, God promised the arrival of  a king who would redeem God's people. When Jesus arrived, Simeon and  Anna knew He was the promised Messiah. Today, we have faith that Jesus is  Godʼs Son. We can trust Jesus for our salvation.

Adult Connection Point: How do we know so much about the birth of Jesus? 

God not only revealed Himself in creation, He chose to reveal Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ and in the written Word that testifies to Christ. How did  He give us His Word? God inspired the authors of Scripture so that the very words they wrote down were the Word of God. Inspiration means that the words themselves are the words God spoke, and the human authors wrote down what  God spoke. The Apostle Peter wrote that the authors were “moved by” or  “carried along by” the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:19-21).

When we hold our English Bibles in our hands, we should recognize that we are the beneficiaries of selfless men and women who committed to preserve  Godʼs Word by copying manuscripts, translating it into the common language, and ensuring that Godʼs people would benefit from hearing His voice. At every point in history, Godʼs Word has been protected for and provided to Godʼs people. The message of Godʼs grand plan of salvation—the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—is the same message we have today. 

Family Devotion: 
Materials: paper, pencils

Pretend to be scribes and print in your best handwriting Luke 2:28-32. (Give fewer words for younger members of your family.) When you are finished, exchange papers and invite others to look for mistakes. 

Think about all the writers and how painstakingly they wrote down Godʼs words.

Tell your family that they can trust Godʼs Word to be true. Godʼs Word has been  protected and preserved over thousands of years so what we read today is exactly as God told Moses, Luke, John, and others to write it. Even though the writers were human, they wrote exactly what God told them through His Spirit.