A covering you did not earn

 Read: Leviticus 16:1-34 (NLT)

"On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord's presence from all your sins." Leviticus 16:30

One day a year. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest went into the Most Holy Place. He sprinkled blood on the cover of the Ark. That cover is sometimes called the mercy seat.

Two goats. One goat died for the people's sin. The priest laid the people's sins on the other goat. Then it was sent far away into the desert. God wanted them to see it: your sin is paid for, and it is gone.

The people did nothing. They did not work that day. They rested and waited. The priest did it all. The covering was a gift.

What we learn:

• God: He covers what we cannot fix.
• People: We want to clean ourselves. We can't.
• Circumstances: The priest went in. The people waited outside. Jesus is our High Priest who goes in for us.

Heart questions:

1. What do you still try to fix or hide on your own?
2. Why is it hard to rest when someone else does the work for you?
3. Picture your sin carried far away. What do you feel?

Pray: Jesus, you are my High Priest. You carried my sin away. Help me stop trying to clean myself and rest in what you have done. Amen.

Go deeper: God instructs on defilement of food, bodies and annual atonement (Leviticus 11-16)

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Sin costs a life

 Read: Leviticus 1:1-9 (NLT) and Leviticus 17:11 (NLT)

"It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible." Leviticus 17:11

Sin is not small. In Leviticus, a person brought an animal to the altar. They laid a hand on its head. Then the animal died in their place.

The blood told the truth. Sin costs a life. That is hard to hear. But God did not hide it. He wanted his people to see how serious sin is.

The blood also told good news. God took the cost on something else. The person went home forgiven. God's love made a way through the cost, not around it.

What we learn:

• God: He is honest about sin, and he still provides a way.
• People: We cannot pay for our own sin.
• Circumstances: Every sacrifice was a picture of Jesus to come.

Heart questions:

1. Do you think of your sin as small or serious? What makes you think that?
2. How does it feel to picture your hand on the animal's head?
3. Is it hard to let someone else pay for you? Why?

Pray: Father, my sin is real, and it costs a life. Thank you that you paid it. Keep me from making sin small, and keep me from forgetting your mercy. Amen.

Go deeper: Israelites learn God's requirements for atonement and lifelong sanctification (Leviticus 1-10)

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Growing Strong in Christ: Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth (Bob Coughlin, Colossians 2:6-7)

 I'm super encouraged by the https://grace.church/rooted/ this week. A theme in life for me right now is Don't wait

Lesson 6 of Rooted, “Growing Strong in Christ: Five Essentials of Spiritual Growth” (Bob Coughlin, Colossians 2:6-7)

Theme: Developing consistent spiritual habits that strengthen your walk with Christ, and ground you in grace-filled growth

Objective: To build habits that anchor you in steady spiritual growth through the Word, prayer, fellowship, witness, and obedience

Memory Verse: COLOSSIANS 2:6–7

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

The big idea: A man can be settled in who he is and still be weak, running on empty. A gym membership doesn’t make you strong. Going to the gym does. Growth comes from showing up, not from trying harder. And none of this earns God’s love. We already have it.

The memory verse holds the whole lesson. Colossians 2:6-7 has five words: walk, rooted, built up, established, abounding.

1. Walk in Him. Follow Jesus daily. It’s a walk, not a sprint. We grow by abiding deeper, not grinding harder (Gal. 3:3). “Fans cheer Jesus on Sunday. Followers carry the cross Monday through Saturday.”
   • Try it: Each morning, ask, “Jesus, I’m following You today. What do You want me to know and do?”
2. Rooted in Him. God’s Word and prayer are the hidden half of the tree (Psalm 1).
   • Word: “Boring builds roots.” Consistency matters most.
   • Prayer: Don’t pray like you’re at a drive-through. Sit at the table with God. Start with worship, then confession, then requests (Matt. 6, Phil. 4). God wants a real heart, not perfect words.
3. Built up. Nobody gets built up alone. We are “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5, Heb. 10, Prov. 27:17). The lion goes after the gazelle that wanders off. Someone in your group needs you to be that man, so show up even when your lesson isn’t done.
4. Established. Be a doer, not just a hearer. In the story of the two builders (Luke 6), both men heard Jesus, but only one obeyed. “Knowing truth doesn’t make you stronger. Doing it does.” (John 14:15)
   • Ask yourself: What’s one thing God already told you to do that you’re still putting off?
5. Abounding in thanksgiving. Gratitude overflows like a full cup. Real gratitude talks, and that’s being a witness (Psalm 107, Acts 1:8). It’s not a sales pitch.

Bob’s confession: When life is hard, he prays hard. When life is good, prayer is the first thing he skips. What we skip shows what we really believe.

This week’s challenges:

• Keep score. Which of the five is strongest in your life right now? Which is weakest?
• Do one specific thing this week for your weakest area. Examples:
  • On Wednesday, call (don’t text) your battle buddy. Ask how his time with God is going and how you can pray for him.
  • Finish your Rooted lesson before you open email, the news, or your phone.
• Start a list of people to pray for, care for, and share with. Who’s your first one?
• Memorize Colossians 2:6-7, and get a head start on next week’s verse, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Coming next week: God’s Word as your GPS, and who gets the final word in your life.

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God wants to live near you

Read: Exodus 25:1-9 (NLT)

"Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them." Exodus 25:8

God came close first. Israel was in the desert. They had no home and no land. They grumbled often. Soon they would make a golden calf. Still, God said, "I want to live with you."

Love starts with God. Israel did not ask for a tent. God planned it. He gave every detail, down to the poles and the curtains.

Holy and near. God is pure and perfect. That is why the tent had rules. But the point of the rules was not to keep people away. It was to make a way for them to come close.

What we learn:

• God: He is holy, and he wants to be near.
• People: We do not build the way to God. He does.
• Circumstances: God met Israel in a hard, empty place.

Heart questions:

1. Do you picture God as far away or close by? Why?
2. Where is your "desert" right now? What would it mean for God to meet you there?
3. Do you want God near you, or do you only want his help?

Pray: Lord, you came close when I could not come to you. Thank you for wanting to be near me. Help me want you more than what you give. Amen.

Go deeper: God shows Moses His dwelling place and requirements for holy use (Exodus 25-31)

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God declares sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans 4)

 In Romans 4, Paul uses Abraham and David to show that God justifies the ungodly through faith. Abraham believed God, and his faith was credited as righteousness. David celebrated God’s forgiveness, knowing his sin was covered and his guilt removed. Their examples introduce the doctrine of justification, offering believers confidence and hope.

Key points from Romans 4:2–5, 23–25:

- God graciously forgives and declares sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.

- God’s holiness and justice demand sin’s punishment; our good works cannot justify.

- Jesus bore sin’s penalty upon the cross and rose for our justification.

- God credits Christ’s perfect righteousness to believers, removing guilt and granting forgiveness.

- Justified through faith, we gratefully embrace freedom to live for Jesus Christ.

Without faith in Christ, my good works leave me condemned, without righteousness, salvation, or hope.

Through faith in Christ, I am forgiven, clothed in His righteousness, and freed to serve.

How would you describe the relief in realizing justification is a gift to be received rather

than something to be earned?

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