JANUARY 21, 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 57. The Sermon that Was (Matthew 5-7)

The Big Truth: Jesus proclaimed that he had come to crush the snake’s rule and bring in his own kingdom.

The Gospel Point: A lot of people think that religion is all about keeping rules. Be good. Avoid these sins. Do these good deeds. Sometimes even Christians can think this way. If we just go to church, don’t swear, and pray before bed, then we’re good. But Jesus’ sermon shows how silly that kind of thinking is. Jesus says that in his kingdom, righteousness has to flow from our hearts. It has to flow out of who we are. But there’s a problem with that. It’s one thing to expect us to do good things. We can try to do that. But how can I change my heart? How can I change who I am? Only God can do that! And that’s exactly why Jesus came. To die for our sins and allow us to receive new hearts—to be “born again” (John 3:3). When we trust Jesus, he changes our hearts. People who trust King Jesus are changed from within. Now that’s the kind of people God wants in his kingdom. Not self-righteous people who think they’ve done enough good works, but meek people who mourn over their sin and love Jesus with all their hearts.

Memory Verse: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Catechism: Q: Who made you? A: God made me. (Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Acts 17:24-29)

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.