Old Made New
This Week We’re Reading:
Throughout this series, we will be reading through the messages to the seven churches in Revelation. We are going to continue by reading the message to the Church in Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22.
Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more.
“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young!
In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.
Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards.
For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.
They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.
For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed.
I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Isaiah 65:17–25
This Week We’re Asking:
I don’t know about you, but once something I own starts to break down, I just toss it out and get something newer. God isn’t like this. He loves making old things new again! He even does it in our own lives. If our relationship with God has begun to wear down, He doesn’t want it to end there! He wants to make that relationship new again! Here are some questions to help with a family discussion this week.
Why do you beleive that God created the whole world?
What do you think the word “redeem” means?
How do you think it changes the way you live your life when you know the promises that God has given us?
This Week We’re Watching:
1 Corinthians 15:58 shows us how we can live when we know that Jesus has already won the battle for us! Pastor Caleb shares the importance of leaning in and following these wise instructions.
This Week We’re Doing:
“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Revelation 4:11
We know that God is worthy of our praise because He created all things and we exist because he created us. In the passage that we have been focusing on throughout this series (1 Corinthians 15:58), Paul says to work enthusiastically for the Lord. When we truly begin to understand the promise that God has made to us about eternal life, it encourages us to live enthusiastically for Him! Paul also goes on to say that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. Sometimes the small things in life can seem like they are useless. You know, obeying our parents and teachers, making sure we do our best in school, showing kindness to those around us. One thing that I think we forget a lot is to make sure we are spending time with God in prayer. This week, make a challenge to spend 5 minutes a day in prayer as a whole family. Take time to pray for our nation, community, family, friends, and most of all for opportunity to share the Gospel with those around us. Even if it is only for a few minutes, I know this time will be a blessing to each person!
1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
BONUS!
LifeWay put together a few tips for talking with your kids about Revelation that might be useful to you. You can check those tips out here.
And this short video from Phil Visher covers one key aspect of Revelation you might be able to use for conversation with your kids. Enjoy!