TABLE TALK QUESTIONS:

April 2011 Calendar

GOD IS JUST

If you have difficulty talking with your kids about God’s Justice you aren’t alone!
Here are some thoughts that may help set the stage for a great month of
discussions about God’s Justice!

It's easy for our children to have a warped view of God's Justice. They see
judgmental Christians and mistake it for the justice of God. They see "tolerance"
worshipped on every street corner and confuse "loving their neighbor" with
accepting and embracing their neighbor's sin.

God has no tolerance for judgmental Christians. He knows the damage they can
do. God has no tolerance for sin; He knows the damage it’s already done.
Actually, our culture doesn’t have any tolerance for sin either… that is—if it's a
sin we don't like.

Josh McDowell produced a t-shirt that illustrates this well. It says:

Intolerance is a Beautiful Thing...
Mother Theresa was intolerant of Poverty
Bono was intolerant of Aids
Nelson Mandela was intolerant of Apartheid
Martin Luther King was intolerant of Racism
Jesus was intolerant of Bigotry

We’re hypocritical about sin. We judge those that sin in a way we find offensive,
(Cont’d. on following page)

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 but ignore those sins we have a personal affection for. Our Just God, however, is
not hypocritical about sin. He finds it all offensive, from using His name in vain
to murder, from stealing a pack of gum to stealing a child’s innocence. His
justice requires a penalty be paid for each and every sin. Jesus satisfied God’s
justice when He paid the penalty on the cross. It is the humbling reality of Good
Friday and the inexpressible joy, and relief, of Easter Sunday!
Understanding God's Justice will encourage your children to stand up for what is
right, empower them to fight for the weak and abused, and give them a message
of hope for the hopeless.

Teaching your children that God is Just will pave the way for a humble
heart...one that truly loves the sinner but hates the sin.

April 4, 2011
What happened in the last week that you think is unfair? What did you do? What
do you think God thinks about it?
You can probably guess what some of the answers will be! We hear things like: the chores
aren’t divided fairly, the teacher didn’t give me a fair grade, or my friends weren’t fair on the
playground. Ask some follow-up questions that help determine whether it was truly unfair or
simply a matter of not getting what they wanted.

If their example is in regard to chores etc. you may want to explain why you divide them the
way you do. The division may not be what they want, but to be fair you must consider all the
facts (i.e. different ages and abilities, not just their desires).

The interesting twist comes when you ask them what God thinks about it. Does He think it’s
unfair? Why? Why not? We ask this question to help kids begin to think about things from
God’s perspective. If they think something is unfair, they’ll probably think that God agrees with
their assessment! Don’t we all have that tendency?! The goal is not to have a theological
discussion, but simply to give them the experience of bringing God into their daily experiences
and filtering their feelings about it through His grid as well as their own.

April 12, 2011

God can’t ignore our sin and be Just. How did He show love and Justice?
(Cont’d. on following page)

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You may need to prime the pump a bit on this question:

If a man is proven guilty of murder and the Judge decides to let him go free, without any
punishment, is the Judge being a good judge or a bad judge? Why?

Justice requires that the penalty for a crime be paid. God would not be just if He ignored our
sin and the penalty that must be paid.

None of God’s attributes should be viewed in isolation. When we look at God’s Justice apart
from His Love and Mercy, we see Him only as an “enforcer” to be feared.

How does God show us His Love and His Justice? Ask your children why we celebrate Easter
(Jesus’ death and resurrection). How does Easter show His love and Justice?

The fact that Jesus was nailed to the cross wasn’t fair but it was just. He hadn’t done anything
wrong. He was punished for our sin not because He deserved it, but because He loves us and
wants a relationship with us. The only way that could happen was by paying the penalty for our
sin and for God’s Justice to be served. Jesus paid the penalty because of His Love and His
Justice.

April 20, 2011

People can be accidentally unfair, but God NEVER is. How does He do it?
Hint: Refer to His other attributes…all-knowing, present everywhere,
totally truthful, etc.

Begin the discussion by talking about how people can be unfair without realizing it. For
example: a Judge may sentence an innocent person to prison because he doesn’t have all the
facts. Ask them if they can think of any of God’s other attributes that assure us that God is
always Just. Check out Family Adventures devotion for Just, Day 1, for a great story, Evidence
Proves Innocent, to end your discussion! http://dg4kids.com/bible-time/day-one-god-is-just/

April 26, 2011

Because God is Just, how are we to treat others?
What about mean and unfair people?

(Cont’d. on following page)

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The first part of the question is easy to discuss, but the second part can uncover some
challenges.

There’s currently a lot of discussion about bullying and we need to help our kids understand the
difference between “turning the other cheek,” defending the innocent, and standing up for
justice.

“Turning the other cheek” does not necessarily mean that we are to let bullies have their way
or to let mean classmates get away with hurting their peers. It’s important to talk with your
kids about how to handle a bully or mean classmates (whether they’re a “victim” or an
observer).

Jesus was the perfect balance of Mercy and Justice. Who did He pray for when He was on the
cross? “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing,” Luke 23:34 (NLT).

Encourage your kids to follow Jesus’ example and pray for those who are mean or who treat
them unjustly. It doesn’t mean that the offenders get off the hook, but it will keep our kids
hearts free from the poison of bitterness and vengeance.