Part 1: Sacrifice Series | The Sacrifice of the Father | FREE Kids Holy Week Activities
The Sacrifice of the Father
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:16-18
As parents there are things we do that may lead us to say, I so love this child of mine. Things that were inconceivable you now do without thinking twice. Okay maybe you do think twice but you still do it right? There is a sacrifice of self that takes place because your discomfort or exposure to hardship is of less importance in comparison to protecting or caring for your child.
Let’s take a closer look at the above verse. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word “so” in this context is a degree adverb, which modifies an adjective or adverb. In other words it could mean “to such a great extent” “So” could also be used to intensify a word.
In John 3:16, “so” modifies or intensifies the word love. It could be read, to such a great extent God loved the word or the love of God was with such great intensity for the world. That great love, that intense love led Him to make the ultimate sacrifice, the giving of His son. God the Father gave, he did not loan, he did not show off or parade around, He forever gave His son to this world. In John 20:27, after Jesus resurrects from the grave, He tells Thomas to touch the scars/holes in his hands and side. He arose victorious and the scares are the mark of that victory. It was to be a reminder of not only His love but the Father’s love. The Father had accepted the work of the Son because it was done in His name. Jesus said He came to do his Father’s will. (John 6:38, John 5:19 could do nothing except what the Father does or tells him to do, John 14:9, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father).
The giving then was for what purpose? That we would have evidence to believe that He, the Father, desired to save the world. And in saving the world we would not die an eternal death but instead have eternal life. The evidence of the Father’s love, embodied in His Son would show that He did not want to condemn the world and in fact those who took hold of Jesus, who trusted that plan of Salvation God the Father had sent for them, were not condemned.
Thus the sacrifice of the Father was not that He sent His Son and then closed His eyes on the whole event until it was over. His sacrifice was to risk everything, His Son, creation, the heavenly kingdom, and the redemption of humankind. The Father was intimately involved, ever connected to, always instructing, always guiding His Son because Jesus was about his Father’s business. (Luke 2:49) And yet Jesus’ Father is our Father too. 1 John 3:1 says “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are.”
When we teach our children about the love of God the Father they will begin to understand that idea of unity in a relationship. That having order does not mean that one dominates the other, but rather because of true love as the child I do as my parent asks. The parent does not abandon the child or leave him to his own devices but instead is with him/her every step of the way. That child is doing as you ask but knows that you are right there to correct, instruct and ensure that they succeed.
This is the sacrifice of God, given everything, again I say everything, so that you and I will know He has done and will do everything that guarantees our salvation if we would simply trust in Him and Him alone. After all before we were born, while we were still sinners, He sent His Son so that the world could be saved.
This sacrifice was the only way to reconcile the relationship with us. His love and His desire to have a relationship with us was worth such a sacrifice. We were the value of that sacrifice.
How then do we teach our children this great truth? Here are a few suggestions that can get you started:
TIP 1: There are so many stories of the sacrifices earthly parents have made. Read some of those stories and compare them to the sacrifice of God the Father.
TIP 2: Have parent and child dates. Use that time to show the child they are important to you and talk about how special they are. Treating your children to a date night together, just you and them, demonstrates how the Father wants to spend time with us.
TIP 3: Do kids Bible activities that teach God’s loving sacrifice for us. Check out our FREE kid’s Holy Week Bible activities.
How do you teach Gods loving sacrifice to your children? Please share in the comments below!
Check out the other posts and FREE resources in the Sacrifice of God Bible Series:
Part 1: The Sacrifice of the Father
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