Our King is Victorious Now and Forever – Family Devotion – November 27, 2020

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:20-28

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:21-22

Our King is Victorious Now and Forever

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Do people ever tell you that you look like your parents? Parents pass down their traits, or the way they look, to their children. You can probably recognize such things as the color of your hair, the shape of your nose, the color of your eyes, or your height as being passed on to you from your mom, your dad, or a combination of the two. Other things get passed down from parents to children as well. Children often have similar personalities to their parents, similar interests, or hobbies that they enjoy.

Today’s Bible verses remind us of something else that was passed on to us from our parents. But this time, it’s not good. From the moment we begin to exist, the Bible tells us we have inside us a sinful desire that naturally wants to do whatever we want, not what God wants.

Where did this sinful nature first come from? Today’s Bible reading tells us. These passages remind us about the how Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden shortly after creation. They disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Ever since, every parent has passed the same sinful nature to their children. Sin separates us from God and leads to eternal death in hell. That is why 1 Corinthians says that “death came through one man” and “in Adam all die.” How sad!

God loved us too much to let us die like that. If our inner sinful condition can be traced back to one man, Adam, so our rescue from it can be traced back to one man as well—Jesus! Jesus was born a human being from a mother just like us! Unlike us, Jesus was born the Son of God! He lived a perfect life—inside and out. Jesus kept God’s commandments perfectly. He died in place of every parent and person born with a sinful nature. Why? So that Christ’s pure nature would replace our human nature. His coming alive at Easter means we can look forward to an eternity with God in heaven. Death has no power over us anymore! In Jesus, the day we die will be the day we open our eyes to our heavenly home! “In Christ, all will be made alive!” Jesus has won the victory over sin and death!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for loving us despite our sinfulness! Thank you for taking upon yourself the punishment of hell that we deserved and dying to forgive our sins! Give us the confidence that heaven is our home and that we have the victory over sin and death through you! Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• How do you look like your parents?
• What did Jesus “pass on” to you so that you can look like him?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• How did death come from one man? How did life come from one man?
• Why does our sinful nature make baptism so important—even for newborn babies?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Why was it important for Jesus to be both true God and true man?
• A common belief in our world is that someone gets to heaven by being a good person. Use our Bible passages for today to explain why that isn’t true.

Hymn: CW 378:1,5,6 – All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall

All mankind fell in Adam’s fall;
One common sin infects us all.
From one to all the curse descends,
And over all God’s wrath impends.

As by one man all mankind fell
And, born in sin, was doomed to hell,
So by one Man, who took our place,
We all were justified by grace.

We thank you, Christ; new life is ours,
New light, new hope, new strength, new pow’rs;
This grace our ev’ry way attend
Until we reach our journey’s end.