Recently I was preaching in our county jail and trying to explain the gospel and its various implications. I told them what Jesus did on the cross was “Substitutionary Atonement.” Of course, they were not familiar with this theological truth, nor did I expect them to understand it. That is why I was there explaining the gospel right?
You might be thinking, “I thought this post was about teaching his kids mercy.” Well, the following is how I taught my daughter mercy and the previous is the context to which I used the teaching of my daughter to explain the gospel. So, I have two agendas here. One, to help you teach your sons and daughters mercy (showing them the gospel) and proclaiming the gospel to others; whether that be through experiences at home or however.
Now, the teaching of mercy. The other day one of my daughters broke one of the rules in our home. The one who received the breaking of the rule came to me in order to inform me of this violation. So, I called the one who broke the rule to come and speak to me about it. She was quick to admit her wrong and I was thankful for that. Nevertheless, she was less reluctant to admit her need for punishment. I began to explain how God cannot look over sin. He is holy and just, therefore he must punish sin. So, I asked her, “If your brother hits you, do you think it is necessary that I punish him for hitting you?” And she replied, “Yes!” Again, I asked, “If your sister takes your toys away from you, should I punish her?” Again she emphatically replied, “Yes!!!” Now I turned the question to her, “Is it fair that I let you get away with no punishment for breaking the rule you have admitted to?” She then (with understanding) replied, “No, I do need to be punished.”
With that having been established, I then proceeded to teach her mercy. I explained to her that mercy is NOT getting what you DESERVE. But, in order to remain just (like God) someone must take the punishment for the crime. So I began drawing conclusions about this foundation. I indicated that she had admitted the breaking of our rules. She agreed that God is holy and just and cannot NOT punish sin. (I know I used a double negative but it was needed.) And she understood her need for punishment.
In light of this, I then moved to the substitute. I told her that I was going to take the punishment for her and that she would be the one who was to deliver the punishment. It broke her heart that I was to receive the punishment for her sin and that she had to do it. Human pride rose to the surface as she discovered my innocence and her guilt. She did not want to do it. She wept with tears as she lightly tapped me with our paddle. I then began to tell how Jesus Christ had done this for her sin and if she placed her trust in him, for her punishment, she would be saved.
As I shared this with the guys at the jail, they sat there with amazement and hopefully a clearer understanding that God had to punish sin and he did on his Son. But, it is not yours unless you repent and believe in Christ. We will see as I twice a month preach to these guys.
So, have you ever shown your children mercy (the gospel)? Do you now understand the gospel better…substitutionary atonement, propitiation? Maybe you yourself need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In him you will find mercy. In him you will have your sins forgiven and receive his righteousness. Praise be to God for reconciling himself to us!
Author Archives: Jason Snider
About Jason Snider
Teaching My Children Mercy!
Fighting the Fight of Faith Together
It is Valentine’s Day. I have to be honest. I don’t know what it means–past or present. How one participates in such things may or may not reveal knowledge of the event. Nevertheless, we do use it in our family to think of others in a special way. In particular, my wife and I take time to focus on each other with a gift and letter to each other.
It is particularly important that you think and plan what you will do on Valentine’s Day. The gift is important but the thoughtfulness of the gift and the planning of the gift are more important. It says something when you go pick out flowers (or whatever) days in advance rather than stopping by after work to get them. You might ask, “How will they know?” They know. Okay. They know.
I recently watched a promotional video for a book by the Ken and Joni Tada. I have not read the book but I imagine it is great. In the video, Ken mentions that he has realized more clearly that they are in a spiritual battle. Then he says something like this, “I cannot imagine fighting this battle with anyone else in the world except my wife Joni.” She is a gift to Ken to fight the fight of faith together.
I applaud this. That night, after watching the video, we are on our way to church and I reach for my wife’s hand then tell her about the statements made by Ken Tada. I then tell her the same. Marriage is an army that fights the battle of sin together. She is my eyes at the mall to protect me from seeing things I don’t need to see for example. I was glad to read last years journal entry. It revealed my joy in walking WITH my wife in the journey. Here is entry:
Valentine’s Day is not very significant in our home. It is a day to help us think of others. And that is simply what we do. A break for my wife–out for dinner. A small gift of flowers to show that I thought of her yesterday (everyday). They should be delivered today to “my earthly dearest.” May she know how special and loved she is to me. Thank you Father for the gift my wife is to me. She is a means of growth and perseverance. She has (and for more that I could imagine) kept me from a multitude of sin. Grace. More grace. Father please strengthen and grow our marriage.
Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor among all.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Weekend Opportunities
I must say, discipline during the week is easier for me. I have a set schedule. I get up and go to bed pretty much the same each day. I know what I can do with each minute. However, the weekends often fall apart for me. The schedule changes. There are different things that need to be done. You cannot plan when things around the house will break. Therefore, I usually fit time in with the Lord when I can. Now, you know what that means. Sometimes I miss it altogether.
Those weekends that are void of time with the Lord are not fruitful. I need a daily diet of truth from God–especially on the weekends. It seems I was struggling with this a year ago. I wrote:
Lord help me with weekends. I desire more discipline in the word and prayer. Forgive me Father. I need you.
I can say there has been some progress since asking for help. One of the things that I miss is the praying for members of our church. I have specific people divided over each day of the week to pray for. I noticed those who I pray for on the weekend were being missed. My relationship with them was off. I had not been setting my mind to think about them and their needs. Therefore, this has been a motivation to be more diligent on the weekend.
There are multiple opportunities to have a deeper and unhurried time with the Lord. As good as the weekdays are I still have to stop and go to work. But, on the weekend I could spend much more time and see many more wonderful things in God’s word. So, let me encourage you with this if you struggle like I do. One of the elders of our church suggested that I keep the same schedule of going to bed and getting up as the weekdays. This is the key for quality time everyday. I could say much more but this is by far the main reason I miss it. He is worth sitting down with on the weekends–and everyday of your life!
Psalm 143:8 “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
A Prayer of the Needy
From my journal Feb. 1 2013
LORD,
Please use me, your adopted child, today for your glory. May I live as a child of the King and proclaim your rule. All that is allotted to your children is not yet but let us live in anticipation of it. Come Lord Jesus. Come.
2 Peter 3:3-9 “…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Strangers In The Workplace
The title could be taken a number of ways. By it I mean to communicate that we are strangers, aliens if you will, at work. It is not always the case that the Christian’s workplace is pleasant. It can be rather difficult. There are places Christians cannot work (e.g. abortion clinic). However, most jobs we can work but there will be many difficulties along the way.
At my job, there are particular difficulties that I encounter that others would not. And they encounter difficulties that I do not. That said, I think it’s apparent that the gospel collides with various things in our jobs. I’m not sure specific examples would be helpful in this public post but we need not assume our employer will do the will of God in all matters.
I am not saying we are responsible for the decisions of our employer. However, there are things we could be asked to do that we would be responsible for. There are also places we could make a real difference by talking with our employer. And there are times when you will make no difference at all and at the same time risk losing your job. I have encountered all of these. I still have a job and I have spoken against things–some changes were made for the better and some remain unchanged.
My journal entry from last year documented one of those situations where I spoke up about an issue and it has not changed. I am not responsible for this problem but I was burdened beyond what I could bear over the situation. I gave a gentle warning with all that was at stake in speaking out. I trusted that the Lord would take care of me and my family by providing other means if something did happen. In this case, I still have my job. I am sill very concerned. I am still praying for the situation. Yet I mourn the possible outcome of these actions.
Fellow followers of Christ, there are people who are struggling at their jobs with things they feel are wrong and they are afraid. They need to have conversations about the particulars of their dilemma. Be an encouragement to them. Talk through the issues. Pray for them. Consider whose responsibility it is and consider the outcome of your response. And always trust the Lord to care for you and be with you through it all. For He sees and knows what you are going through and He cares for you.
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
The Powerless Pilate
I would like to begin this post with an encouragement to read the Bible daily. The amount can vary but the intake of truth cannot. There are seasons of life where more or less fits. I have been reading through God’s word with a daily reading plan for several years. I can say there have been times (more than I care to know) when I simply checked the box. There will be mornings like that. However, the faithful reader keeps reading. Life is a series of starts and stops. If you have stopped reading the Word pick it up and start again. If you are doing a plan and find yourself behind just start on the reading for today and move on.
God has worked wonders in me to say that last sentence. I have also been the one who would read sixteen (or more) chapters to get caught up. Now some might think that is commendable. However, I doubt I gleaned anything by reading that many chapters. So, I suggest that you read to see something in the text. You are not looking for some undiscovered truth. You are looking to see the same truth you probably already know.
The following is an entry from my journal after reading Matthew 27
Judas finds no forgiveness in the chief priests and elders. Not finding forgiveness will destroy a man. He was looking for it in the wrong places. Yet it fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah.
Pilate has far less power than he thinks. With multiple warnings, Pilate cannot release Jesus. In most typical situations, you’d think the governor could have done what “reason” was telling him–this man is innocent and I should let him go. Even in his attempt to wash his hands of this murder, Pilate’s soldiers carried out this gross act.
Having said all of this, the Ultimate Determiner was plucking the cords of this guitar. Yet they are responsible. And this act saves sinners. Wow. Who could have planned this but God!
Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”
Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Intentional, Persistent Christ Conversations
Keeping a journal has been something I have started several times. However, last year I started and have been consistent all year. Somewhere along the way, I decided to read last year’s entry as part of my quiet time. It would be a time to remember what God had been doing in my life. In addition, I also wanted to begin blogging again. I have to admit, this is mainly for my benefit. Writing helps me. So, I decided to combine these two ideas and put some of my journal entries with some commentary into a blog post. I hope these will also be an encouragement to others.
In this post, I want to encourage intentional, persistent Christ conversations with this testimony to God’s faithfulness and power. The following is the result of God’s work through the means of conversations about Christ. These varied depending on what I had been reading in the word. These went on for about a year before any visible evidence. Here is my journal entry after hearing the news from a delivery driver that I encountered each week:
Friday, January 25, 2013:
“[The driver] had a major break through this past weekend concerning the gospel. I’ve been talking to him every week about something (gospel, life, work). He claimed to be a believer. He had not attended church in years. I tried to find him a place to visit (he lives 120 miles away) but no success. However, God nudged this man in a way that only He could do. Last week we had an ice storm in the area. He had an experience that scared him very much. So, he decided to go to church . He also took his eleven year old son. While there his son made a profession of faith. [The driver] was shocked but over-joyed. We will be praying for this ongoing situation. [The driver] said it was his turn this Sunday. May the Lord cause the gospel to do amazing things in their lives.”
This was a real encouragement to me. I was struggling with usefulness. I had begun to think I was wasting my life in my current life situation. I believe God has called me to pastoral ministry. As I write this post, that has not become a reality. However, the Lord revealed to me the ministries already going on. In the space of a week, I realized this ministry with my friend, my daughter and another customer who had asked for prayer concerning work. As of right now, the delivery driver and his family have come or returned to the Lord and are actively seeking His Kingdom. My daughter made a profession of faith and was baptized. The customer found work. Praise God for His amazing grace.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
The Cautious Road of Parenting
A year ago this day, my daughter began asking about baptism. This was an exciting time and a cautious time. I did not want to affirm or deny God’s work in her life. I could see it. So, I played the role I was given, namely, answering her questions and praying for her. Here is a quote from my journal a year ago:
She asked me about baptism last night. It was a great conversation. She plans to read about Jesus’s baptism this morning in her quiet time. May it bear fruit in her life. O Holy Spirit teach her. Help her make sense of it. Give her understanding as she thinks about it this morning (and any other time she thinks about it).
I must say, the Holy Spirit did give her understanding over the next several months. Yes, months. Patience is needed in this matter. I had witnessed God at work in her for a while. Yet I waited for her to ask the questions. So, parents, be ready to answer the questions and diligently pray for them. God is the One who saves. Your role is to tell them the gospel and ask Him to open their eyes. Praise God He is still saving sinners!
The Display of Grace
On this day, the 41st year of Roe v. Wade, a blog post like this should be read. It is a moving story of life in all its forms. If anything, hear how you should respond to such horrific sin with unusual compassion. And for the one who finds herself about to make a decision, I pray this will persuade you to say no. For the one who has already had the abortion, I pray you will be forgiven by the One who came to save sinner like you and me. Agree with God that it is heinous and throw yourself on Christ Jesus.
Always Follow Christ
Journal Entry on this day January 22, 2013:
How shall I respond? There seems to be various options before a man when he is pressed. These are not completely clear. One seems easy. Another seems hard. Others are less obvious to which of the two previous levels they might lead. Then you realize, “Why is this the first question to be answered?” It’s not. The first question to be asked is “How does God’s word lead me to respond?” I know that answer. Then whether hard or easy makes no difference. I’m following Christ.
Related–Read Acts 22:
One can be zealously wrong. Zeal is not a definite indicator of truth. This is one thing you don’t want to be wrong about: “Who am I following?” Jesus of Nazareth.
