Family Worship Guide

Call to Worship: Psalm 96:1–9

Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! (ESV)

Old Testament Reading: Proverbs 3:1–12

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (ESV)

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

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

Hymn:‍ Speak, O Lord

Reading of the Law: Deuteronomy 5:6–21

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

And you shall not commit adultery.

And you shall not steal.

And you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’ (ESV)

Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin:

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, help us through our temptations lest we fall and grieve your Spirit. In the name of Christ, we pray. AMEN

Assurance of Pardon: Isaiah 43:25

I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. (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 106-110

Let’s continue to study the WLC by looking at the last phrase of the first commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me and the second commandment: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . .

Question #106

Q. What are we especially taught by these words (before me) in the first commandment?

A. These words (before me) or before my face, in the first commandment teach us that God who seeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other god; that so it may be an argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation; as also to persuade us to do as in his sight, whatever we do in his service.

Ezek. 8:5-18; Ps. 44:20-21; 1 Chr. 28:9.

Question #107

Q. Which is the second commandment?

A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Ex. 20:4-6.

Question #108

Q. What are the duties required in the second commandment?

A. The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his Word; particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the Word; the administration and receiving of the sacraments; church government and discipline; the ministry and maintenance thereof; religious fasting; swearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him: as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship; and, according to each one’s place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.

Deut. 32:46-47; Matt. 28:20; Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 6:13-14; Phil. 4:6; Eph. 5:20; Deut. 17:18-19; Acts 15:21; 2 Tim. 4:2; Jas. 1:21-22: Acts 10:33; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-30; Matt. 18:15-17; Matt. 16:19; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 Cor. 9:7-15; Joel 2:12-13; 1 Cor. 7:5; Deut. 6:13; Isa. 19:21; Ps. 76:11; Acts 17:16-17; Ps. 16:4; Deut. 7:5; Isa. 30:22.

Question #109

Q. What are the sins forbidden in the second commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counselling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself; tolerating a false religion; the making any representation of God, of all, or of any of the three Persons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likeness of any creature whatsoever; all worshiping of it, or God in it or by it; the making of any representation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or service belonging to them; all superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever; simony; sacrilege; all neglect, contempt, hindering, and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.

Num. 15:39; Deut. 13:6-8; Hos. 5:11; Mic. 6:16; 1 Kings 11:33; 1 Kings 12: 33; Deut. 12:30-32; Deut. 13:6-12; Zech. 13:2-3; Rev. 2:2, 14-15, 20; Rev. 17:12, 16-17; Deut. 4:15-19; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:21-23, 25; Dan. 3:18; Gal. 4:8; Ex. 32:5; Ex. 32:8; 1 Kings 18:26, 28; Isa. 65:11; Acts 17:22; Col. 2:21-23; Mal. 1:7-8, 14; Deut. 4:2; Ps. 106:39; Matt. 15:9; 1 Pet. 1:18; Jer. 44:17; Isa. 65:3-5; Gal. 1:13-14; 1 Sam. 13:11-12; 1 Sam. 15:21; Acts 8:18; Rom. 2:22; Mal. 3:8; Ex. 4:24-26; Matt. 22:5; Mal. 1:7, 13; Matt. 23:13; Acts 13:44-45; 1 Thess. 2:15-16.

Question #110

Q. What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it?

A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments; are, besides God’s sovereignty over us, and propriety in us, his fervent zeal for his own worship, and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom; accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them into divers generations; and esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.

Ex. 20:5-6; Ps. 45:11; Rev. 15:3-4; Ex. 34:13-14; 1 Cor. 10:20-22; Jer. 7:18-20; Ezek. 16:26-27; Deut. 32:16-20; Hos. 2:2-4; Deut. 5:29.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Our Holy God, we thank you for your Word, your grace, and your mercy. We thank you for sending your only Son to live a perfect life in our place and die a shameful death for our sins. We give you praise O Lord, as the creator of all things, sustainer of those very same things, and as our redeemer. We give thanks for teaching us your law and explaining to us that we are sinners saved by grace alone. We give honor to your name and for all the wonderful works you have done and continue to do. Our triune God, Father< son, and Spirit, one God now and forever more. In Jesus’ name AMEN

Prayer of Supplication:

Gracious, most holy God, we come before you on bended knees knowing there is nothing in us that you should hear our prayers. But since your Son has died for us we can now come to your throne boldly in his name asking our loving Father for what we desire in our hearts. You have taught us that you answer our prayers according to your will and in your time and we are grateful for that because you know what we need most. Father, we pray now for our loved ones who are stationed in foreign lands protecting our country. We ask that you would keep them safe and that you would remind them that your love never fades. We also pray for our expectant mothers, for health and courage. Lord, we have friends and family members who do not know you, so we ask that you change their hearts to see Christ and their need for him. God, we bless your homy name now and forevermore. In Jesus’ anime and for his sake we pray, AMEN.

Bible reading and commentary: Mark 3:1-12

In this section of Mark’s gospel Jesus is tested again on the Sabbath law and he is then followed by a large crowd

Questions to think about for the bible passage:

Why do you think the Pharisees had such a hard time in understanding the Sabbath?

Why do you think the Pharisees wanted to destroy Jesus?

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Why would Jesus tell some people/demons not to make him known?

Commentary

A reminder: The Sabbath is God's gracious gift of rest, worship, and renewal, established at creation (Genesis 2:2–3) and later commanded in the Ten Commandments. It was designed to remind God's people that He is both their Creator and Redeemer, calling them to cease from their ordinary work so they could delight in Him and enjoy His blessings.

As Chapter 3 unfolds we find the Pharisees again trying to accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath. The word for accuse in this verse means to build a legal case against Jesus. They were watching him to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. So Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and heals a man with a withered hand. Jesus asked the man if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do harm, save a life or to kill and the Pharisees remained silent. Jesus was angry with the Pharisees because they have hardened their hearts towards God, so he healed the man and the Pharisees plotted to destroy (kill) him.

There is a lesson here for us in that as Jesus is confronted time and again by the religious zealots he is not intimidated by them. As followers of Jesus we should not be intimidated by those who persecute us. So the question Jesus asks is elementary, ‘Should we do good or bad on the Sabbath?’ The answer is obviously ‘do good.’

After this interaction, Jesus went with his disciples to the sea of Galilee and a great crowd followed him. Jesus was known in Judea, including Jerusalem, and Idumea, to the south, in the area beyond the Jordan, to the east, and in Tyre and Sidon, to the north. All of these regions had belonged to Israel during the time of the judges, and descendants of the 12 tribes have now resettled in these regions following the Babylonian exile.

Now Jesus has a great crowd following him because of his healings and casting our demons. His main goal, though, is to teach about, and to call people to, the kingdom of God. So the disciples get a boat ready so Jesus won’t be crushed by the crowd of people. Now when the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” Jesus strictly told them not to make him know.

The reason Jesus does not permit the unclean spirits to speak about him is because even when they make true statements, as they have done here, their intent is evil, and they would divulge Jesus’ true identity, the Son of God, which would lead to much misunderstanding, before he wants to make himself known.

Discuss questions above

Closing Thought

Mark 3:1–12 presents Jesus as the compassionate and authoritative Son of God whose kingdom brings healing, restoration, and victory over evil. While the Pharisees respond with hardened hearts and growing opposition, the crowds come in faith to receive His mercy. Even the demons recognize His true identity, though Jesus restrains their testimony, revealing that His mission will unfold according to the Father's perfect plan rather than human expectations.

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: Romans 16:20

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (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.