Family Worship Guide

Scripture Reading:
#1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God (Psalm 90:1-2).
#2 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:5-6)

Prayer of Praise: Refer to the verses above and hymn below.

Hymn:‍ Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah

Reading of the Law: Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. (Ephesians 4:25-28).

Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin: Father, forgive our sins. Forgive the sins that we remember, and the sins we have forgotten. Forgive our many failures in the face of temptation, and those times when we have been stubborn in the face of correction. Forgive the times we have been proud of our own achievements and those when we have failed to boast in your works. Forgive the harsh judgments we have made of others, and the leniency we have shown ourselves. Forgive the lies we have told to others and the truths we have avoided. Forgive us the pain we have caused others and the indulgence we have shown ourselves. Jesus, have mercy on us and make us whole. Amen.

Reading of the Gospel: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (1 Peter 3:18).

Confession of Faith: Westminster Larger Catechism - Questions 46-50

Question #46

Q. What was the estate of Christ’s humiliation?

A. The estate of Christ’s humiliation was that low condition, wherein he, for our sakes, emptying himself of his glory, took upon him the form of a servant, in his conception and birth, life, death, and after his death, until his resurrection.

Phil. 2:6-8; Luke 1:31; 2 Cor. 8:9; Acts 2:24.

Question #47

Q. How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth?

A. Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in the bosom of the Father, he was pleased in the fullness of time to become the son of man, made of a woman of low estate, and to be born of her; with divers circumstances of more than ordinary abasement.

John 1:14, 18; Gal. 4:4; Luke 2:7.

Question #48

Q. How did Christ humble himself in his life?

A. Christ humbled himself in his life, by subjecting himself to the law, which he perfectly fulfilled; and by conflicting with the indignities of the world, temptations of Satan, and infirmities in his flesh, whether common to the nature of man, or particularly accompanying that his low condition.

Gal. 4:4; Matt. 5:17; Rom. 5:19; Ps. 22:6; Heb. 12:2-3; Matt. 4:1-12; Luke 4:13; Heb. 2:17-18; Heb. 4:15; Isa. 52:13-14.

Question #49

Q. How did Christ humble himself in his death?

A. Christ humbled himself in his death, in that having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his disciples, scorned and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, and tormented by his persecutors; having also conflicted with the terrors of death, and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God’s wrath, he laid down his life an offering for sin, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross.

Matt. 27:4; Matt. 26:56; Isa. 53:2-3; Matt. 27:26-50; John 19:34; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46; Isa. 53:10; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 12:2; Gal. 3:13.

Question #50

Q. Wherein consisted Christ’s humiliation after his death?

A. Christ’s humiliation after his death consisted in his being buried; and continuing in the state of the dead and under the power of death till the third day, which hath been otherwise expressed in these words, He descended into hell.

1 Cor. 15:3-4; Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:24-27, 31; Rom. 6:9; Matt. 12:40.

Prayer of Thanksgiving: Thank God that he rules over all his creation and his steadfast love that lasts forever.

Prayer of Supplication Supplication: Ask God to cause you to walk in his ways and for comfort for those who are afflicted.

Bible reading and commentary: Habakkuk 2:5-20

od reminds Habakkuk that evil will never ultimately prosper, because God is providentially orchestrating history for his own righteous purposes. Though the timing of God’s just purposes might seem slow, “it will surely come; it will not delay (2 Peter 3:8-9). The five woes pronounced on Babylon (Habakkuk 2:6-20) reveal God’s judgment upon any human power that sets itself against his reign and rule. From the tower builders of Babel to the empire builders of Rome, every generation will see kingdoms that achieve a measure of temporal earthly success. God’s righteousness, however will triumph in the end, and his glory will cover the earth (2:14) – a promise ultimately fulfilled in Christ, before whom “every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). It is in Christ’s sinless life, sacrificial death, victorious resurrection, and vindicating reign that God’s righteousness is finally revealed to all humanity over all the earth.

That’s why we are called to live by faith. God unfolds all things---even the difficult and inexplicable---according to his wise and compassionate purposes. Like the psalmist who struggled to reconcile the wicked’s unhindered prosperity and God’s apparent inactivity, we are assured of God’s providential rule over all things when we encounter God’s presence in his temple (Psalm 73:17), especially as we look to the One it prefigured: Jesus, God’s ultimate temple. When Jesus stated, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), he was foreshadowing God’s provision through the cross and empty tomb. Faith in the God who provided these is the foundation for living with confidence and hope in a fallen world filled with many trials and tears. To God be the glory.

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: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Galatians 4:4-7).

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.