SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

Parents, what a joy it is to serve your precious arrows on Sunday mornings! The Little Reformers team wants you to always have full visibility to what we are teaching your kids. It is important to us that we be effective partners to you, reinforcing what you work hard to teach your children at home. Each week, we update this section of the website to reflect the lesson, the big truth, gospel point, verse, and catechism your child(ren) will learn while in our care. We hope this resource is a help to you and gives you confidence as you train up your children in the way they should go.

Bible Story: Chapter 26. The Rise and Fall of King Saul (1 Samuel 8-15)

The Big Truth: Our good God is the only king we need.

The Gospel Point: Israel rejected God as their King and wanted a human king for the wrong reasons, which led to all sorts of trouble. Their bad choice would be bad for them, but their bad choice would not stop God’s perfect plan. He would still establish his forever kingdom through his Son, Jesus—the perfect King! This is how God works throughout history. His purpose is such that rebellious acts bring about his good. This is the story of the cross, isn’t it? Jesus is born as the King of the Jews, but his own people, the Jews, reject him. They mock him and crucify him. But that rejection brings about God’s good plan. Jesus dies and the Snake Crusher is crushed. Jesus dies and rebellious sinners are forgiven. Jesus dies and new life comes to spiritually dead people. Jesus dies and he is crowned King: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:9–11). Only God could plan something as good as Jesus’s reign through something as bad as Jesus’s death.

Memory Verse: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him  should not perish but have eternal life.

Catechism: Q: Why ought you to glorify God? A: Because He made me and takes care of me. (Romans 11:36, Revelation 4:11, Daniel 5:23)

Sources: Bible stories from The Biggest Story Bible Story Book by Kevin DeYoung. Catechisms from Truth and Grace Book 1 by Tom Ascol . The Big Truth and the Gospel Point taken from The Biggest Story Bible by Kevin DeYoung, published by Crossway.