Author Archive

Household Worship Guide – 03/22/15

Prayer

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: Jehovah Tsidkenu
  • Meaning: The Lord Our Righteousness
  • Jeremiah 23:5, 6; 33:16; Ezekiel 36:26, 27

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

  • The Promise, Hemet CA  – Website

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: India
  • Population: 1.2 billion
  • Unreached People Groups: 2,365
  • Religion: Hindu 75{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Muslim 14{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Evangelical 2{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Click here for information about India on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto City Mayor Pro Tem – Bonnie Wright, Scott Miller
  • State: Assembly & Sentate – Melissa Melandez, Mike Morrell
  • Nation: Representatives – Raul Ruiz

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

  • Will Update

_________________________________________

Preparing for the Lord’s Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: John 

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Catechism – Instruction of God’s Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #67

  • Q. What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?
  • A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, His challenging a special propriety in the seventh, His own example and His blessing the Sabbath day.

Memory Verse(s)

  • “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Exodus 20:8-11
  • Support Passages: Deuteronomy -15, Genesis 2:2-3; John 20-21; Hebrews 4
  • Bible Story: John 20:11-18

Thoughts

  • Prior to the giving of the Law, we find the first Sabbath established by God. In six days God created and on the seventh day he rested. God had provided an example and established a pattern of life that mankind should follow.
  • Not only did God model the Sabbath principal for mankind to live out each week, he also uses the Sabbath as tactile lesson that teaches us about Christ, eternity, and the great love he has for us. For six days we are to toil, sweat, and battle with the temporal, mundane, sinful thing of this world. God has given us one day to free and release us of these obligations. In other words, the Sabbath is to give us a “taste” of eternity in paradise. It’s that sense of joy and freedom at the end of the work week that Sabbath serves as a reminder of what eternity awaits but much more magnificent. If we are not intentional we can easily miss this great blessing and miss the opportunity to teach our children through the very day that the Lord provided.
  • Another unique aspect about the Sabbath is that the Lord has only partially fulfilled this feast of the Lord. The atonement of Jesus Christ fulfilled the Sabbath in that we have rest from our work to gain righteousness before God but we have not fully entered into his eternal rest. While we are righteous and forgiven of our sins we still have a sin nature. We are still called to put away the sin in our lives. We still have work to be done in our sanctification. Therefore, we have not fully entered into the Sabbath rest which Jesus has paid in full. Once the new kingdom of our Lord is consummated, we will then enter into the full Sabbath rest that Jesus has provided.
  • Hebrews chapter 4 is a good chapter on this topic.

Discussion Questions

  • How many days did God give us to do work? How many days to rest and worship?
  • When was the first Sabbath practiced?
  • What does the Sabbath give us a glimpse of?
  • How has Jesus fulfilled the Sabbath?
  • How has the Sabbath not been fulfilled? When will it all be fulfilled?
  • Read Hebrews 4 and discuss what you observe.

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Household Worship Guide – 03/15/15

Prayer

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: Jehovah Shammah
  • Meaning: The Lord is There, The Lord My Companion
  • Ezekiel 48:35; Psalm 46

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

  • Christ Reformed Baptist Church, Vista CA  – Website

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: China
  • Population: 1.36 billion
  • Unreached People Groups: 456
  • Religion: Non-Religious 45{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Ethnic Religions 32{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Evangelical 6{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Click here for information about China on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto City Mayor – Linda Krupa, Crystal Ruiz
  • State: Lieutenant Governor & Attorney General – Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris
  • Nation: Speaker of the House & Majority Leader – John Boehner, Kevin McCarthy

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

_________________________________________

Preparing for the Lord’s Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: John 6:49-59

_____________________________________

Catechism – Instruction of God’s Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #65 & 66

  • Q. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
  • A. The Sabbath is to sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreation as are lawful on other days, and spending the time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy..
  • Q. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
  • A. The fourth commandment forbids the omission or careless performance of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about worldly employments or recreations.

Memory Verse(s)

  • “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night” (Psalm 92:1–2, ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Acts 20:6-12
  • Support Passages: Exodus 16:22-30; Psalm 92; Isaiah 66:23; Luke 4:16; Leviticus 23:3; Ezekiel 23:36-39; Colossians 3:16-17
  • Bible Story: Nehemiah 13:15-22

Thoughts

  • “8. The Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord by those who, after the necessary preparation of their hearts and prior arranging of their common [ordinary or domestic] affairs, observe all day a holy rest from their own works, words and thoughts about their worldly employment and ­recreations,30 and give themselves over to the public and private acts of worship for the whole time, and to carrying out duties of necessity and mercy.”[1]  Isa 58.13; Neh 13.15-22. Matt 12.1-13.
  • “When the catechism speaks of ‘worldly employments and recreations,’ it simply means those things that God calls us to do on the six days of the week appointed for this purpose. These things are the things that we do to fulfil our task in the world – the task that we will one day lay down never to resume, because it is appointed to us to die and then be judged.” [2]

Discussion Questions

  • What type of things should we avoid on the Sabbath?
  • What things should we do on the Sabbath?
  • Why do you think God gave mankind a Sabbath?
  • Do you think the Sabbath is a curse or a gift for man? Explain
  • God tells us in six days we shall do our work. What does this teach us about procrastination?

[1] Masters, Peter (1982). The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 – Notes by Peter Masters. Ashland, Ohio, USA; BookMasters, Inc.

[2] Williamson, C.I. (2003). The Westminster Shorter Catechism – 2nd Edition. Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA; P&R Publishing Company.

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Hope For the Broken by Burk Parsons

Hope For the Broken by Burk Parsons

Every home is dysfunctional because everyone is sinful. There is no perfect family this side of heaven, and if we were perfect parents, neither we nor our children would need a Savior. When we consider the state of the family at the beginning of the twenty-first century, our tendency is to reflect nostalgically on imagined idyllic days of generations past when families weren’t perfect but pretty close to it, or so we like to think.

As fallen people, born into fallen families, and living in a fallen world, the simple truth is that there has never been a time when families were not dysfunctional. To see this, we don’t need to look at the world around us or even at world history, all we need to do is look at the church and at every family in all of Scripture — from the murderous family of God’s son Adam, to God’s son Israel, to the overwhelming dysfunction of the families recorded in the genealogy of Jesus. We cannot, therefore, idolize families of the past or present, all of which are sinful, and we cannot make our own families or the families of others into earthly gods that can fulfill our every need and be the ultimate source of our joy, peace, and comfort.

This is not to say, however, that there are no examples of God-honoring families in Scripture and in our own day, for indeed there are, but it is to say there are no perfect families that don’t desperately need to know, believe, and apply the gospel of Christ. Although perfect healing will only exist in our eternal home, our present hope for our broken homes is the redeeming, forgiving, reconciling, and transforming gospel of God for God’s people.

We know the content of the gospel, but we fail to trust God’s promises in the gospel, and we fail to apply God’s gospel promises in our lives individually, affecting, in turn, our families. For example, as men, we sometimes think that all we need to do to raise good kids is simply be good dads, when, in fact, what every kid needs to see first and foremost is how his dad loves his mother with a repentant, patient, and sacrificial love that not only swears to die for her (which we’ll likely never have the opportunity to do) but that strives to live for her each and every day, which is precisely what Jesus did for us. Our Lord didn’t merely come and die, He lived for us as well. When we believe and apply the gospel, we will not need to pretend we are sinless but will instead be free to repent of our sins and ask forgiveness as we look to God’s true and faithful Son, Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

God showed His love for us by sending His Son to live and die for us, and as men we are to show our love for our families by pointing them to Jesus Christ whose love for us never changes. And though I hear it all the time, there’s no such thing as “falling out of love.” Christian couples don’t ever fall out of love, they fall out of being repentant. The gospel hope for our broken homes is our broken and contrite hearts that turn daily to Jesus Christ and His brokenness for us on the cross as our Savior and Lord.

Household Worship Guide – 03/08/15

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: Jehovah-Rohi
  • Meaning: The Lord is My Shepherd
  • Psalm 23:1-3; Isaiah 53:6

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: Cambodia
  • Population: 15,206,000
  • Unreached People Groups: 31
  • Religion: Buddhist 96.4{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Evangelical less than 2{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Click here for information about Cambodia on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

Give us this day our daily bread

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto City Manager – Wally Hill, Tim Hults
  • State: Governor – Jerry Brown
  • Nation: Vice President & Secretary of State – Joe Biden, John Kerry

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

_________________________________________

Preparing for the Lords Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: John 6:41-59

_____________________________________

Catechism  Instruction of Gods Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #63 & 64

  • What is required in the fourth commandment?
    A. The fourth commandment requires the keeping holy to God such set times as He has appointed in His Word, expressly one whole day in seven to be a holy Sabbath to Himself..
  • Which day of the seven has God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath?
    A. From the creation of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.

Memory Verse(s)

  • “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7–8,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Romans 14:1-12
  • Support Passages: Deuteronomy 5:12-14; Genesis 2:2-3; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10
  • Bible Story: Numbers 15:32-36

Thoughts

  • The London Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 provides some insight to this command to keep the Sabbath. The excerpt below is from chapter 20 section 7 and 8 of the LBC with brief comments from Peter Masters.
  • “7. As it is the law of nature that in general a proportion of time, by God’s appointment, should be set apart for the worship of God, so He has given in His Word a positive, moral and perpetual commandment, binding upon all men, in all ages to this effect. He has particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy for Him.28 From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ this was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ it was changed to the first day of the week and called the Lord’s Day.29 This is to be continued until the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week having been abolished.28 Exod 20.8. 29 1 Cor 16.1-2; Acts 20.7; Rev 1.10.
  • “8. The Sabbath is kept holy to the Lord by those who, after the necessary preparation of their hearts and prior arranging of their common [ordinary or domestic] affairs, observe all day a holy rest from their own works, words and thoughts about their worldly employment and ­recreations, 30 and give themselves over to the public and private acts of worship for the whole time, and to carrying out duties of necessity and mercy.” 30 Isa 58.13; Neh 13.15-22. 31 Matt 12.1-13. [1]

Discussion Questions

  • What does the 4th commandment require?
  • What should our Sabbath day consist of?
  • What day does the catechism say the Sabbath should be observed?
  • What was significant about the first day of the week that would make the day change?
  • How is this command related to the first three commands of the Ten Commandments?

[1] Masters, Peter (1982). The Baptist Confession of Faith 1689 – Notes by Peter Masters. Ashland, Ohio, USA; BookMasters, Inc.

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Household Worship Guide – 03/01/15

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: El Olam
  • Meaning: The Eternal God, The Everlasting God
  • Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:1, 2 Isaiah 40:28

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

  • Olive Branch Ministries Church,  San Jacinto

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: Bhutan
  • Population: 725,000
  • Unreached People Groups: 29
  • Religion: Buddhist 75{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Hindu 22{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Evangelical less than 2{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Click here for information about Bhutan on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

Give us this day our daily bread

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto Council Member – Paul Raver, Alonso Ledezma
  • State: Assembly & Senate – Melissa A. Melandez, Mike Morrell
  • Nation: President – Barack Obama

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

  • Will update.

_________________________________________

Preparing for the Lords Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: John 6:22-59

_____________________________________

Catechism  Instruction of Gods Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #62

  • Which is the fourth commandment?
    A. The fourth commandment is, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”.

Memory Verse(s)

  • “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Exodus 31:12-18
  • Support Passages: Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Hebrews 4:1-10; Ezekiel 20:10-13; Genesis 2:1-3; Isaiah 58:13-14; Jeremiah 17:19-27; Matthew 12:1-14
  • Bible Story: Matthew 12:1-14

Thoughts

  • There is some debate and confusion over the Sabbath and its place in the Christian’s life. Lord willing, within the next couple months, there will be a couple sermons dedicated to studying and presenting the biblical view of the Sabbath and how it applies to Christians.
  • The catechism insists and the scriptures support that the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath is a moral law. There are a couple reasons for this conclusion. “(1) The first reason is that the Sabbath is a creation ordinance. This means that this commandment did not come in at some later time in history, after many people had already lived and died. (We note that this was the case with the civil and ceremonial laws of Israel.) We know this because Genesis 2:2-3 clearly states the fact that God created the world in the space of six days, and then rested. Since man was made in God’s image, it was for man’s benefit that God ‘blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it’ (Gen. 2:3). It is sometimes said that the Sabbath commandment does not go back to the time of creation. Yet the commandment itself (Ex. 20:11) says that we are to remember the Sabbath because ‘in six days the Lord made heaven and earth… and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.’ The commandment itself claims a creation origin. Therefore, we hold that it is binding for all men in all ages. (2) The second reason for saying that this commandment is moral is the fact that God wrote all Ten Commandments on two tables of stone (Ex. 31:18). God gave all the other laws and commandments to Israel through the hand of Moses. But these ten were given by His own hand. So God himself made a distinction between these Ten Commandments and all other laws. He showed us that these ten belong in a class by themselves. Since few will deny that most of these laws are moral (Binding everyone everywhere), it would require very strong evidence to prove that this commandment is not moral. This we do not have. (3) The third reason for saying that this commandment is moral is the fact that the New Testament nowhere teaches us that this commandment is abrogated. Or, in other words, the New Testament does not say that we have no Sabbath today. Jesus, speaking of the Ten Commandments, said, ‘Think not that I am come to destroy [or abrogate] the law… I am not’ (Matt. 5:17). Paul says, ‘Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law’ (Rom. 3:31). This is the constant teaching of the New Testament: the Ten Commandments of God do remain in effect. No doubt this is the reason why the early Christians Church kept a day holy to the Lord. It was the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2) which was observed as the Sabbath.” [1]

Discussion Questions

  • Read the 4th commandment from both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. What two things does the Sabbath require?
  • Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Jesus seems to suggest that the Sabbath is a gift to mankind. Discuss your thoughts.
  • What are three biblical reasons why the Sabbath still applies to Christians? (Refer to thoughts section).

[1] Williamson, C.I. (2003). The Westminster Shorter Catechism – 2nd Edition. Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA; P&R Publishing Company.

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The Ordinary Christian Family by Tedd Tripp

Tedd Tripps wonderfully explains that when the family dynamic is in proper biblical order it acts as a school of theology, school of social relationship, and school of the gospel.  I appreciated the article and thought you might as well.

The Ordinary Christian Family by Tedd Tripp

One of my adult sons recently commented to me that the traditional family is toast. I understand what he meant. The ordinary Christian family is nearly extinct. Contemporary culture is redefining family—gay marriage, a range of creative living arrangements, and the pressure to accept polygamy are all assaults on the Christian family. The notion that parents, whose love produced children, should live together in marriage, working together to provide a godly home and stability for their children, has all but vanished as a cultural ideal.

The ordinary Christian family is simply ordinary Christian people, living in the ordinary circumstances of life, out of the extraordinary grace of the gospel. And this is not just two-parent families. There are scores of single parents who are honoring God in their homes and many grandparents who are valiantly raising their grandchildren. I have a daughter-in-law who was blessed with a mom who, as a single mother, raised three children who are now Christian adults raising their own children. She continually reminded her children of the biblical norms for family: “If you had a dad, he would be doing this, but since you don’t, I am.” In the absence of a husband, she taught her children to understand the role of a husband and father in the family.

FAMILY DYNAMICS

Ephesians 5 describes the ordinary Christian family. Husbands are called to exercise loving leadership. In 1 Thessalonians 2, Paul uses fatherhood as a metaphor for pastoral ministry. He reminds them of his toil and hardship, how he preached by day and worked by night so he would not be a burden to them. This is a wonderful window into godly leadership. Paul laid down his life as a living sacrifice. Godly authority is not seen in making servants of others. Godly authority is seen in serving, in laying down one’s life as a living sacrifice.

Ephesians 5 has an equally compelling picture of the wife. Just as the church submits to Christ, the wife lives under the leadership of her husband. She helps him to be a successful leader of the family. It is no easy thing to subordinate one’s life to the headship of another, but Ephesians 5 represents it as an ordinary calling for a wife. Ultimately, a wife entrusts herself to God, looking to God to bring blessing to her as she lives under her husband’s authority.

Similarly, God promises in Ephesians 6 that it will go well with the child who honors and obeys his parents. Wise parents present the necessity of obedience in winsome ways. They encourage their children by saying that the reason for obeying is because God has given authority to parents. Obedience is not because of parental demands, but the will of God for children. In the context of obedience, things go well with children. God blesses their obedience.

It is beautiful when children and young people embrace the truth that God’s ways are good. It has been my joy to see grandsons and granddaughters, ordinary children and teens, who enjoy their parents and who embrace having authorities who love them enough to wisely provide boundaries.

I smiled recently while watching an interaction at our table.

Teenage boy: “Dad, may I have some coffee?”

Dad: “Sure.”

Preteen boy: “Can I have some?”

Dad: “No, son, I don’t think so.”

Preteen boy: “That’s not fair; he gets to have coffee.”

Dad: “Son, I don’t have to be fair; I have to be wise.”

It was a pleasant interchange that passed quickly. I smiled because the younger boy accepted his dad’s judgment without complaint. He has learned to joyfully accept his father’s authority. Someday he, too, will be a kind and wise authority.

Once the relationship dynamics are in proper biblical order, there are three callings for the family: The family is a school of theology, a school of social relationship, and a school for understanding the gospel.

SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

God’s call for ordinary living is summed up in the two tables of the law: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Mark 12:30-31). Loving God and loving others is a good description of the ordinary Christian family.

The family as a school of theology is the first table of the law. The family is the place for being mesmerized by the wonder of who God is and for instilling in children a profound sense of the glory of God. The psalmist puts it like this: “One generation shall commend your works to another” (Ps. 145:4). What does this look like? What do you talk about as one generation commending God to the next? Psalm 145 tells us. It means meditating on the glorious splendor of God’s majesty; speaking of God’s majestic deeds; declaring His greatness; pouring out the fame of His abundant goodness; singing of His righteousness; speaking of the glory of His kingdom; talking of His kindness; speaking His praise (145:4-20). Love for God is instilled as we meditate on His glory and goodness. Children cannot be brought to delight in God in a conceptual vacuum. And if parents are to show their children God’s glory, they, too, must be dazzled by God. The family is a school of theology.

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIP

Loving others is the second table of the law. This also is family business. Family life affords marvelous opportunities to show the love of Christ to others. Why? Because family living provides the greatest occasions for relational conflict. James 4 addresses social conflict with the perceptive questions: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not your passions that are at war within you?” (4:1). We typically look outside of ourselves for the reason for conflicts—“he makes me so mad”; “she laughed at my mistakes.” James turns the tables on us. He says that relational conflicts come from desires that battle in our hearts.

Our passions and desire produce conflicts. The family is the place to gain insight into the desires that wage war within and bring us into conflict with others. It is the place to identify the ugliness of self-love. Family living provides the opportunity to learn the excellence of sacrificial love for others. It is an excellent place to learn to truly seek the interests of others.

Family conflicts are not unwanted interruptions to the business of life. They are a vital part of learning to live in love. Family is a place for loving others.

SCHOOL OF THE GOSPEL

Finally, ordinary Christian family life is a school for the gospel, a place for living out the grace of the gospel. Conflicts that arise as we strive to live together in love show our profound need for the grace of the gospel. We cannot love God and others without grace. Christ lived in human flesh without sin to provide us with righteousness that we can have no other way. He died to pay the guilt of our sin, fully satisfying the demands of God’s law. Even now, He intercedes for us so that we might experience His grace and live as people who have known forgiveness and can extend forgiveness to each other.

The ordinary Christian family is not a place of perfection. We sin and are sinned against. Our children sin and are sinned against. We are tempted to resolve conflicts through human wisdom, but we lose the benefit of our conflicts if we try to resolve them without reference to the gospel. The inevitable conflicts of family living afford excellent opportunities to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

Parents who understand that they, too, are sinners who get carried off by passions and desires can empathize with their children who sin. The parent who both understands the problem of sin and the grace and power of the gospel is able both to understand and to truly help children who sin. The experience of being a sinner who has found grace enables parents to bring the power and grace of the gospel to their children.

Christians love the idea of families where people love and honor God and live together growing in grace, but Christian families—who love God and others—do not exist as an abstraction. They are not an ideal in the world of ideas. Ordinary Christian families exist only as real flesh-and- blood people lay down their lives as living sacrifices. Such families are powerful arguments for the truth and beauty of Christian faith.

Household Worship Guide – 02/22/15

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: El Shaddai
  • Meaning: The All Sufficient One, The God of the Mountains, God Almighty
  • Genesis 17:1-3; 48:3; 49:25; Genesis 35:11; Psalm 90:2

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

  • Cornerstone, Hemet CA  – Website

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: Zambia
  • Population: 14,222,000
  • Religion: Catholic 29{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Evangelical 26{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • AIDS Among Adults: 17{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Click here for information about Zambia on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

Give us this day our daily bread

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto Council Member – Shellie Milne, Andrew Kotyuk
  • State: Lieutenant Governor & Attorney General – Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris
  • Nation: Senator – Dianne Feinstein, Barbra Boxer

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

_________________________________________

 

Preparing for the Lords Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: John 6:1-21

_____________________________________

Catechism  Instruction of Gods Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #60 & 61

  • Q. What is forbidden in the third commandment?
    A. The third commandment forbids all profaning and abusing of anything whereby God makes Himself known.
  • Q. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
    A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that howsoever the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape His righteous judgment.

Memory Verse(s)

  • “And if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory” (Jeremiah 4:2,ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: James 3:1-12
  • Support Passages: Isaiah 26:8,29:13; Matthew 5:33-37,23:16-23,26:63-64; James 5:12, Malachi 1:6-14,2:2,3:13-15; Jeremiah 7:4-11,30-34; Proverbs 30:9; Deuteronomy 18:10-14; 2 Timothy 4:3-4
  • Bible Story: Leviticus 24:10-16

Thoughts

  • “We saw in the last question and answer that, when God commands us not to misuse His name, He is concerned with our attitude toward Him. The third commandment covers more than just our attitude toward God’s name. It also requires a reverent attitude toward everything God uses to make Himself known. We saw in the last question and answer that God makes Himself known to us through all things: His names, titles, and attributes, His regulations for coming to Him and for growing in godliness, His Word, and His works.
  • This third commandment requires us to use all these things to grow in our knowledge of God and in our obedience to Him. It requires us not only to use these things, but to use them with reverence. At the same time, of course, there are things this commandment forbids. We are forbidden to show irreverence, or disrespect, to any of the things God has given to make Himself known to us. God forbids us to treat these things as though they were ordinary things. We must treat them as holy. We may not abuse these things or fail to use them as God intended them to be used. God insists that we honor Him as He ought to be honored.
  • We are to use God’s Word and use it reverently. Sometimes, children who have grown up in Christian families, attending Christian churches, behave as though they are tired of God’s Word. Instead of bringing their Bibles with them to use them in a Sunday school class, they do not even want to use one the teacher lends them. They excuse themselves by saying things like, ‘I already know this.’ Such children show disrespect for God’s Word.
  • People also misuse God’s Word by using verses from it to teach things it really does not teach. These people use one or two verses instead of using all of God’s Word. They make those verses say things God never intended His Word to say. The apostle Peter wrote about Paul’s epistles, which are a part of the Word of God. He spoke about people who were making Paul’s letters say things they did not really say. Read what he said about such people in 2 Peter 3:16.
  • People also misuse God’s Word when they call their own opinions ‘the word of the Lord.’ People will say things like, ‘The Lord told me to do that,’ or ‘God spoke to me.’ They are really talking about a feeling or an opinion that they have had. God has told us everything He has to say to us in the Bible. He does not speak in any other way.” [1]

Discussion Questions

  • What does the third commandment forbid?
  • What are the different ways God makes himself known?
  • How could people abuse or treat these things as unholy?
  • Have you every abused or treated these things as unholy?
  • What does this reveal about your heart?
  • If we find ourselves sinning in this area what should we do to correct this?

[1] Meade, Starr (200). Training Heart, Teaching Minds. Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA; P&R Publishing Company.

Household Worship Guide – 02/16/15

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Address God and Praise Him for Who He Is (Matthew 6:11)

  • The Names of God: Adonai
  • Meaning: The Lord, My Great Lord
  • Psalm 8; Isaiah 40:3-5; Ezekiel 16:8; Habakkuk 3:19

Thank God for All That He Has Provided (Ephesians 5:20)

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray For the Ministry of Other Churches (Matt. 28:18-20)

  • The Promise, Hemet CA   – Website

Pray For the Gospel to Spread Among All Peoples (Matt. 9:37-38)

  • Country: Uganda
  • Population: 36,600,000
  • Religion: Catholic 42{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}, Muslim 12{e0b72a53c242df1424785628340537005f8b2ebeecfbb0205a95286f7b4c8fc9}
  • Local Languages 41
  • Click here for information about Uganda on how to pray for this country.
  • Heart Cry Missionary Society 

Give us this day our daily bread

Pray For Yours and Your Family’s Needs (Matthew 6:11)

Pray For One Another (James 5:16)

  • Log into the CITY for a list of families to pray for.

Pray For Those Who Feed, Lead, And Care For The Flock (Col. 4:3; 2 Thess. 3:1)

  • Elders: Joe Anady, Steve Bovee, Kris Vanderschuit
  • Deacons: Dave Anady, Mike Thezier

Pray For Kings And Those In Authority (1 Timothy 2:2)

  • Local: Hemet & San Jacinto Council Member – Robert Youssef, Mark Bartel
  • State: Govenor – Jerry Brown
  • Nation: Representative – Raul Ruiz, Ken Calvert

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Ask Forgiveness From God And Others. Forgive Those Who Sinned Against You. (1 John 1:9)

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray That God Would Strengthen Us From Giving Into Temptation (James 1:12-17).

_______________________________________________

Worship through Song

Sunday Worship Set 

All the songs are linked to iTunes or you can listen to them for free on other sites.

_________________________________________

Preparing for the Lords Day

Our Sermon Text for This Sunday: Matthew 8:1-17

_____________________________________

Catechism  Instruction of Gods Word

Doctrinal Standard BC #59 & 60

  • Q. Which is the third commandment?
  • A. The third commandment is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
  • Q. What is required in the third commandment?
  • A. The third commandment requires the holy and reverent use of God’s names, titles, attributes, ordinances, words, and works.

Memory Verse(s)

  • Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4, ESV).

Scripture

  • Study Passage: Jeremiah 23:5-6
  • Support Passages: Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Genesis 22:14; Judges 6:24; Psalm 68:4; Philippians 2:9-11
  • Bible Story: Exodus 17

Thoughts

  • “’O Lord, our Lord,’ says the Psalmist, ‘how excellent is thy name in all the earth’ (Ps. 8:1). What the Psalmist means is that God’s name is not a mere word – not an empty title. No, God’s name means something. And it means something because God has revealed his name in all the earth. The whole world is a revelation of the meaning of God’s name. Just as the name Rembrandt has meaning because of His works of creation and providence. We do not really know God’s name, in other word, until we learn His fame! This is what Jesus meant when he said, ‘I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world’ (John 17:6). Jesus revealed God the father to the disciples. This He did by doing the great works of God before them. From this we see that God’s name really includes everything that reveals God as He records for us, without error, the revelation that God has made of himself. Names such as Lord, Father, Creator, etc., are a part of that revelation. So are titles, such as omnipotent, Counselor, Comforter, etc. We learn that God is holy, merciful, just, etc. And we hear His word, and (through the record of Scripture) learn of His works. All of these help us to understand what it means to say God, or Lord. It is when we learn to know God as He really is, and then speak His name, that we begin to understand what this commandment is concerned to teach us.
  • The popular view is that a man takes God’s name in vain only when he uses that name in a profane manner. We say that God’s name is taken in vain when men swear or curse. And, of course, this is an example of taking God’s name in vain. People will sometimes excuse themselves on the grounds that they do not really mean it when they use God’s name this way. They will say they do not even realize that they are using God’s name – they do it without even thinking. But this is the very thing that the third commandment condemns. The word ‘vain’ means exactly this: carelessly or without thought. It means to use a very important word as if it had no high and holy meaning.
  • But let us imagine that this is all that the third commandment teaches us! No, in order to understand the meaning of this commandment more clearly we need to ask a question. What does it mean to take God’s name? Literally it means to ‘lift up’ that name. It means that we lift up the name of God and identify ourselves with Him. We can illustrate this by thinking of what a woman does when she marries. She takes her husband’s name. If she really means it when she takes her marriage vows, she takes her husband’s name permanently (‘till death do us part,’ she will say). She does not take his name in vain! In a similar way, a Christian will confess his faith before men. He will vow – or swear – before men that he takes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And it is this, above all, that the third commandment is concerned with. We must be certain  – when we confess our faith – that we really mean it. We must be certain that we do not take His name in vain! ‘Be not rash with thy mouth,’ says the Bible, ‘and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few… When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou has vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay’ (Eccl. 5:2, 4-5). It is so easy to go through the motions, and say the words, without deep sincerity of heart! It is easy to have the form of godliness, while denying power thereof!” [1]

Discussion Questions

  • What is the third commandment? Read it from either Deuteronomy 5 or Exodus 20.
  • What does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain?
  • What does God’s name represent?
  • How is saying that you are a Christian but living like the world taking the Lord’s name in vain?
  • How is just going through the motions while singing, praying, reading, or listening to God’s word also taking the Lord’s name in vain? Explain.
  • What does this reveal about our heart?
  • What do we do to help overcome this sin problem?

[1] Williamson, C.I. (2003). The Westminster Shorter Catechism – 2nd Edition. Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA; P&R Publishing Company.

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"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)

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