Family Worship Guide

Call to Worship: Psalm 89:5–7

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? (ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Proverbs 6:1-19

My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer

and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,

points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing. There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. (ESV)

Prayer of Praise: Refer to the Call to Worship and the OT Reading above and the hymn below.

Hymn:‍ God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory

Reading of the Law: Romans 12:9–12

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (ESV)

Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin:

We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people. (Isaiah 64:6-9 (ESV))

Assurance of Pardon: Romans 8:1–4

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (ESV)

Response: The Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, amen.

Confession of Faith: Westminster Larger Catechism - Questions 131-133

Let’s continue to study the WLC by concluding our study of the fifth commandment which is: Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Question #131

Q. What are the duties of equals?

A. The duties of equals are, to regard the dignity and worth of each other, in giving honor to go one before another; and to rejoice in each other’s gifts and advancement, as their own.

1 Pet. 2:17; Rom. 12:10; Rom. 12:15-16; Phil. 2:3-4.

Question #132

Q. What are the sins of equals?

A. The sins of equals are, besides the neglect of the duties required, the undervaluing of the worth, envying the gifts, grieving at the advancement or prosperity one of another; and usurping pre-eminence one over another.

Rom. 13:8; 2 Tim. 3:3; Acts 7:9; Gal. 5:26; Num. 12:2; Esther 6:12-13; 3 John 1:9; Luke 22:24.

Question #133

Q. What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment, the more to enforce it?

A. The reason annexed to the fifth commandment in these words, “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee,” is an express promise of long life and prosperity, as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good, to all such as keep this commandment.

Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16; 1 Kings 8:25; Eph. 6:2-3.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

O Lord our God, we give you thanks for all your mercies toward us. You have preserved us, provided for us, and daily continued your goodness toward us. Above all, we thank you for your great mercy shown to us in Jesus Christ, by whom you have forgiven our sins and given us the hope of everlasting life. Make us truly thankful, and teach us to use your gifts for your glory and the good of others. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer of John Knox)

Prayer of Supplication:

Almighty God, we acknowledge that without your Holy Spirit we cannot rightly desire or ask for the things that please you. Give us your Spirit to enlighten our minds, purify our desires, and teach us to pray according to your will. Help us in our weakness, and make us bold to come before you through Jesus Christ our Mediator. Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer of John Knox)

Bible reading and commentary: Mark 5:1-20

In this passage of Mark’s gospel Jesus heals a demon-possessed man

Questions to think about as you read the passage:

What does this story show us about Jesus’ power over evil?

How does the man’s transformation help us understand what Jesus does in people’s lives?

Why do you think Jesus told the healed man to go home and share what God had done for him?

Commentary

When Jesus and his disciples arrive on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, they step into one of the most dramatic encounters in the Gospels. A man possessed by an unclean spirit meets Jesus immediately. His condition is heartbreaking: he lives among the tombs, isolated from community, unable to be restrained, crying out night and day, and harming himself. Mark wants us to feel the depth of his bondage. This is what the kingdom of darkness does — it destroys, isolates, and dehumanizes.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, demon possession was especially visible because the arrival of the kingdom of God brought direct confrontation with the powers of darkness. Demons recognized Jesus’ authority and reacted violently to his presence. Their activity was not random; it was a desperate attempt to resist the One who had come to overthrow their rule. In this passage, the demons know exactly who Jesus is and fear his power. Their plea — “Do not torment me” — shows that Jesus’ authority is absolute. Evil is not equal to Christ; it is subject to him.

Jesus asks the man his name, and the reply “Legion” indicates overwhelming spiritual oppression. Yet even a legion of demons cannot resist Jesus’ command. He sends them into a herd of pigs, which rush into the sea and drown. The destruction of the pigs is unsettling, but it reveals something important: the demons’ true intent was always death. Jesus’ authority exposes their nature and ends their influence.

The transformation of the man is stunning. Moments earlier he was uncontrollable, tormented, and alone. Now he sits clothed, calm, and in his right mind. This is the power of Jesus’ mercy — he restores what evil has shattered. The townspeople, however, respond with fear. They cannot explain what has happened, and they ask Jesus to leave. Sometimes people fear the very power that brings healing.

The man who was delivered begs to go with Jesus, but Jesus gives him a different calling: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” His mission begins not in distant places but among those who knew his former life. His testimony becomes a living witness to the mercy and authority of Christ.

Discuss these questions from above

What does this story show us about Jesus’ power over evil?

How does the man’s transformation help us understand what Jesus does in people’s lives?

Why do you think Jesus told the healed man to go home and share what God had done for him?

Closing Thought

This passage shows that no one is beyond the reach of Jesus’ restoring power. The man in the tombs had lost everything — his community, his peace, even his sense of self — yet Jesus met him with authority and compassion. The story reminds us that Christ still brings freedom where there is fear, healing where there is brokenness, and hope where things seem impossible. And like the healed man, we are invited to share what the Lord has done for us.

Closing Hymn: The Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

Closing Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (ESV)

The Lord’s Prayer (together):

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.