This is the second Essential Jesus Family Sunday Guide! The primary purpose of theses guides is to encourage and assist you in conducting Family Worship during the weeks between our EJ Family Sunday School classes. At a minimum, we hope you will do Family Worship on those Sunday mornings when we don t have an EJ Family Sunday School class. However, you will benefit the most if you also schedule Family Worship times during the week. For each week you will find suggestions for five Family Worship times (Day 1, Day 2, etc.). If you cannot do all five, please try to do the asterisked ones. They are the passages from The Essential Jesus: 100 Readings Through the Bible s Greatest Story, written by Whitney Kuniholm. (Copies of the book are available in the church foyer if you did not yet get one.) As an encouragement to Family Worship, here is a short but helpful post: Five Benefits of Regular Family Worship 1 by Tom Ascol Over the years I have asked groups of Christian adults how many of them grew up in homes where there was regular family worship. Early on it was rare to find people (typically of my generation or older) who answered affirmatively. In recent years the number of positive responses has increased dramatically almost exclusively with younger generations of believers. This is a hopeful and encouraging indication of biblical reformation taking place. Regular family worship is valuable and brings many blessings to parents and children alike. Here are five benefits that I have observed. 1. Regularly having planned times of reading the Bible, singing and praying together as a family helps establish a healthy spirituality in the home. When Scripture is regularly being read and discussed, when psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are regularly sung and when prayer is regularly offered to the Lord, it is not weird or even unusual to have spiritual conversations at any time. Often events, conversations and activities that inevitably occur in the course of family life naturally relate to a portion of Scripture recently read or discussed. Application of biblical teaching is more readily made when the Bible itself is frequently read together. Questions about spiritual matters don t seem out of place when spiritual truth is regularly discussed in a family. 2. Family worship is a great way for parents to evangelize and disciple their children. God places this responsibility squarely on the shoulders of parents when Scripture instructs us to bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Yes, this means that parents should see to it that their children are consistently integrated into the life of a biblically healthy church and regularly under the preaching and teaching of God s Word 1 http://theblog.founders.org/five-benefits-ofregular-family-worship/ Page 1
in that church. But it also means that parents are to be directly engaged in teaching their children the truth about God from Scripture. As Moses instructed the Israelites, And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Parents are responsible for spiritually training their children and regular family worship tremendously aids in that effort. 3. Children can learn to worship corporately with other believers by consistently worshiping the Lord in their homes. This does not mean that family worship will have the same formality of church worship but it does mean parents can show children the importance of being attentive and reverent when God s Word is being read, when praise is being offered to Him in song and when He is being addressed in prayer. Reverence and attentiveness are learned traits and wise parents know that their children will not naturally acquire them. It is much easier to teach children how and why to be reverent in the Lord s Day gatherings of the church if those same lessons are being reinforced in the familiar surroundings of the home throughout the week. As a pastor I am always encouraged when I see parents taking this responsibility seriously because I know that their children are being taught to worship the living God. 4. Regular family worship provides parents natural opportunities to encourage their children to talk about their inner spiritual lives. What does this Scripture mean for us today? How should we respond to what God says? Do you really believe this? Such questions can be thoughtfully and disarmingly asked at such times. Parents can model how to respond to God s Word by offering their own honest answers. As children see their parents depending on God s grace, humbly confessing sin and hopefully trusting in Christ, they will be encouraged to express their own inner thoughts, fears, hopes and desires. They will also learn how to ask for prayer and to pray for others. 5. Regular family worship provides an opportunity to testify to the truth and power of the gospel to guests in your home. When showing hospitality neighbors, friends or family, the regular rhythms of family worship should not be abandoned. If it is an established pattern in your home, then it will be natural to engage in it even with guests present. This should be handled wisely and humbly so as not to come across in a self-righteous or condemning way. A simple question can often suffice to avoid this. We normally take a few minutes at this time to read the Bible, sing and pray as a family. Would you mind if we do that together? When families regularly worship God in the home and regularly practice hospitality, this opportunity will regularly present itself. These are five benefits of family worship that I have seen and experienced over the years. What others would you add to the list? Now, with those encouraging words, let s get going! Page 2
Weekday Family Worship Week of October 3-8, 2016 Remember to begin and end each Family Worship time with prayer. This week begins our second topic: The Need for a Savior. Read the introduction The Need for a Savior, in The Essential Jesus, pages 27-28. The memory verse for this topic is: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 st John 1:8 *Day 1 Read: Genesis 3:1-24: This is EJ reading # 6, It s Sin. Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 28-29 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: We did this in Family Sunday School (Oct 2), but it s helpful to review. Crumple up some sheets of paper into small balls and take turns throwing them into a trash can or throwing them at a target. Keep score. One definition of sin is missing the mark. God s Law (his goodness and righteousness) is our target, and when we fail to hit it, that is sin. Romans 3:23 calls it falling short of the glory of God. This is every human being s problem. It is why we need a Savior. (It is helpful to recall the Westminster Short Catechism on this: Sin is any lack of conformity to, or transgression of, God s holy law. Read: Genesis 4:1-26 Day 2 Reflect: How quickly our first parents rebellion against God leads to a rupture in human relationships! Why does alienation from God lead to alienation among men and women? How are God s judgment and mercy both shown in this story? Apply: What instruction for yourself do you find in God s warning to Cain in verses 6-7? For children: Talk about your children s relationship with a sibling or close friend. Have there been times when one of you has been angry with the other? Why? How has sin been involved, and how can you resist it? Read: Genesis 11:1-9 Day 3 Reflect: Between Cain s murder and this story, a lot has happened. Humanity descended into greater and greater sin such that The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen 6:5). Therefore, God sent a great flood, and started over with Noah and his family. But his descendants multiplied and made the bold claim of verse 11:4. What does this show about the power of punishment and judgment to cure human evil? Why do you think pride is often considered the root of all other sin? Apply: If the threat of judgment won t cure your sin, what will? Do you understand why God s Word says that you need a new heart? Page 3
For children: Find something heavy that you and your children can t lift alone but can lift when you work together. God designed us to work together for good in his world, but with the Tower of Babel people were working together for evil. The fact that people are divided today and find it hard to communicate with each other is not God s original plan. Jesus Christ has come to unite his people to build God s kingdom. *Day 4 Read: Exodus 32:1-33:6: This is EJ reading # 7, Stupid Sin. Reflect and apply: Then turn to pages 29-30 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: Find an animal figurine or picture of an animal. Then say, OK. Let this be our god, and then bow down to it. After some fun and laughs, talk about why this is foolish. (E.g., this is just a piece of paper or wood or stone.) When we worship what is not God, that is called idolatry, and it is a serious sin. But idols are not just figurines or pictures. They are anything that captures our heart s desire more than God. Think of some things that can be idols. (E.g., money, sports, toys, etc.) What are the things in your children s lives that they are tempted to love more than God? Read: Judges 2:6-15. Day 5 Reflect: Moses led Israel out of Egypt with many signs and wonders, and Joshua, his successor, led Israel into the land God had promised them. Two generations of Israelites had seen God miraculously lead and provide for them. What happened to the generation that followed? Why might this have happened? Apply: You cannot remember what God has done if you don t first learn it. What are you doing to learn and understand and remember all that God has done for you in Jesus Christ? For children: Think about some valuable items in your house, perhaps something handed down from a grandparent or great-grandparent. Where do you keep those items? Normally we keep those items someplace special so that we don t lose them. The stories of what God has done should be that. We should keep them in special places in our memories so that we don t forget them like Israel did. God commands us to remember his goodness. That means forgetting what he has done is actually a sin. Sunday Morning Family Worship October 9, 2016 Use the normal Sunday School hour from 9:00 to 10:00 am for Family Worship. (You may not need or use all that time, but it s available to you.) You can do this Family Worship on your own with your own family, or you may want to join together with another family. Follow the same format as your Weekday Family Worship. That is: Pray > Read > Reflect > Apply > Pray. (See last week s EJ Family Sunday School Guide downloadable from the church website for more information on this method.) So, what should you read? If you missed any of the weekly family worship times, you could use that day as your guide for today. If you missed more than one, you probably have enough time to do two of them. Page 4
If you did all five of the weekly family worship readings, then use this time to reread the Ten Commandments, either in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5. Since our topic this week has been The Need for a Savior, the Ten Commandments help us see that need more clearly. The commandments are reviewed for Israel twice: once immediately after God brought them out of Egypt to be his people (Ex 20), and again forty years later when they were about to enter the Promised Land (Deut 5). This shows their importance as bookends to Israel s Exodus and being set apart as God s holy people. The commandments are not just arbitrary do s and don ts. They are summary expressions of God s character. In other words, they reflect who he is, and therefore who he wants us to be as those made in his image. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) helps us to see their depth. Jesus comments specifically on three of them: the commands against murder (5:21-26), adultery (5:27-32), and false testimony (5:33-38). The way he handles these shows us the care with which we should handle the others. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40). In other words, this is a summary of the Ten Commandments. The first four deal with how we are to love God, and the last six deal with how we are to love one another. Discuss the commandments and the ways in which you have broken them. Ask God for forgiveness, thank him for Jesus who has taken the punishment for our sins, and seek God s help in keeping his laws. Weekday Family Worship Week of October 10-15, 2016 Remember to begin and end each Family Worship time with prayer. This week our readings continue on the topic, The Need for a Savior. The memory verse for this topic is: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1 st John 1:8 *Day 1 Read: Psalm 14:1-7: This is EJ reading # 8, Not Just the Bad Guys. Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 30-31 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: We ve been talking and thinking a lot about sin. We ve also been helping our children to see that they are sinners. Ask your children: God hates sin, and you and I are sinners. Does that mean he hates us? Let them think about this. But make sure your time together ends with this clear answer: God loves us very much in spite of our sins. That s why he sent Jesus, so that we can be forgiven and be more like Jesus. This is a good time to remember John 3:16. Page 5
Read: 2 nd Samuel 11:1-27. Day 2 Reflect: In 1 st Samuel 13:14, David is described as a man after God s heart, one who loves the Lord and his word. Yet in 2 nd Samuel 11, David sins grievously. What does this show about the power of sin, even in the believer? Which of the Ten Commandments does David break in this story? Why was David particularly vulnerable to temptation? (Hint: Look at verses 1-2. Where should David have been?) Apply: When are you most vulnerable to temptation? Ask God to help you avoid those situations. For children: Set up some dominoes, or a few books on end like dominoes. What will happen when the first domino falls? Sin is like that. It often leads to other sins. David is an example of this. Can you think of other examples? The best thing is to not sin at all. But if you do sin, don t try to cover it up with other sins. Confess it so you can be forgiven. Read: 1 st Kings 11:1-8. Day 3 Reflect: God had given Solomon great wisdom. Even the Queen of Sheba heard of it and came to test him. Yet just as David s heart for God did not keep him from sinning, neither did Solomon s wisdom keep him from sin. What very unwise and sinful things did Solomon do? Apply: What strengths and advantages has God given you? Are they enough to keep you from sinning? What more do you need? For children: It s never too early to talk with your children about marriage. Most people eventually marry, and so your children will likely do so. Talk about the importance of sharing the same values. The most important thing of all is to share faith in Jesus Christ. *Day 4 Read: Isaiah 59:1-21. This is EJ Reading #9, He s Against It. Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 31-32 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: Isaiah 59 is filled with vivid imagery of the consequences of sin. Act some of these out. For example, act out what separation from God looks like in verse 2 with someone playing the part of God and another not being able to approach him. Or act out verse 7, marking a spot as evil and running to it. Or verse 10, pretending to be blind and stumbling while trying to walk. Or verse 11, looking everywhere for justice and not being able to find it. These are pictures of how sin has corrupted our world. But the good news is that Isaiah 59 also promises a Redeemer for us, and we know that Redeemer is Jesus. *Day 5 Read: Amos 5:1-27. This is EJ Reading #10, Ho, Ho, Ho? Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 33-34 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: In Amos 5, God commands us three times to seek: verse 4, See me and live ; verse 6, Seek the Lord and life ; and verse 14, Seek good and not evil. The whole chapter is a call to repentance. Repentance means to turn. Illustrate this by walking with your children in one direction and then turning to go in another. This is what God wants us to do when he shows us our sin. Talk about Page 6
how Christians do this all their lives. Share with your children some ways in which God has shown you your need to repent. Sunday Morning Family Worship October 16, 2016 Use the normal Sunday School hour from 9:00 to 10:00 am for Family Worship. (You may not need or use all that time, but it s available to you.) You can do this Family Worship on your own with your own family, or you may want to join together with another family. Follow the same format as your Weekday Family Worship. That is: Pray > Read > Reflect > Apply > Pray. (See last week s EJ Family Sunday School Guide downloadable from the church website for more information on this method.) So, what should you read? If you missed any of the weekly family worship times, you could use that day as your guide for today. If you missed more than one, you probably have enough time to do two of them. If you did all five of the weekly family worship readings, then use this time to reread Psalm 14. Then spend some time going through the Discussion Questions for The Need for a Savior on page 34 of The Essential Jesus. Weekday Family Worship Week of October 17-22, 2016 Remember to begin and end each Family Worship time with prayer. This week begins our third topic: Previews of a Savior. Read the introduction Previews of a Savior, in The Essential Jesus, pages 35-36. The memory verse for this topic is: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27 Read: Genesis 50:15-21. Day 1 Reflect: Many years before this passage, Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers who hated him. Joseph ended up in Egypt where he ended up in prison. However, because God was with him, he was freed and ended up serving Pharaoh during a time of great famine. Because of the famine, Joseph s bothers came to Egypt for food, and they were all reunited. This passage is the last chapter of the story. Joseph s reply to his brothers plea for mercy is a remarkable passage which shows how God uses evil for good. Just like Joseph, Jesus was ill treated by his brother Israelites. But also, just as with Joseph, God meant it for good, for the salvation of many people. Joseph is one of the many pictures of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Apply: What bad things have happened in your life that God has used for good? Give thanks to God that he is able to bring good out of evil. For children: Ask for some bad things that have happened to your children recently. Try to find some good things that have come out of them. This is a good habit for all of us to learn. God does use hard things in our lives to accomplish good things. The greatest evil in all of human history was the crucifixion of Jesus, the innocent Son of God. Yet God used that for our salvation. Page 7
*Day 2 Read: Exodus 12:1-30: This is EJ reading # 11, Significant Symbols. Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 36-37 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: Find a small space in your house, perhaps a closet, and have everyone cram in together. Talk about how uncomfortable it is and what it would be like to have to stay there. That s what it was like for Israel in Egypt they were crowded and cramped and, above all, not free. Now let someone play the part of Moses leading everyone out into freedom. Just as God led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, so Jesus has led us out of slavery to sin! *Day 3 Read: Exodus 16:1-35: This is EJ reading # 12, The True Bread. Reflect and apply: Turn to pages 37-38 in The Essential Jesus for guidance in reflecting on and applying this passage. For children: Have a grumbling contest. These are the rules: identify something good that has happened and turn it into something to complain about. The person who turns the best event into the greatest complaint wins! Israel s behavior in Exodus 16 would have won a grumbling contest. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and they complain about how bad God has been to them! Everyone knows that murder and stealing and lying are wrong. But not everyone recognizes that grumbling (complaining) is also wrong. Take a look at some of these verses: John 6:43; 1 st Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 2:14; and Jude 16. Read: Joshua 1:1-9. Day 4 Reflect: Joshua is the Old Testament Hebrew version of the New Testament name Jesus. Both mean Yahweh (or Jehovah) Saves. Joshua is another Old Testament picture of Jesus. He is the one who led Israel into the land God had promised them. In the same way, Jesus leads his people into the kingdom of heaven which God has promised us. Why did Joshua and Israel need strength and courage? What were they to do daily that would keep them properly focused? Apply: What challenges to your faith today require strength and courage? How has God s Word strengthened and encouraged you recently? Thank him for his Word! For children: This is a good time to stress the importance of memorizing Scripture. Read Psalm 56:3-4. Talk about a time when you were afraid and God s word gave you courage. Read: Ruth 4:1-17. Day 5 Reflect: The story of Ruth takes place during a very troubled time in Israel, when there was no king and everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:5). Yet during that depressing time, Boaz shows himself to be a man of great integrity who redeems Ruth and marries her. In this way he foreshadows Jesus, who redeems his church and takes her has his bride. It is significant that Boaz and Ruth are in the lineage that will lead to David and eventually Jesus. Apply: God is at work to accomplish his will, even during the worst of times. Take time to think about this and thank him. Page 8
For children: Ruth was a poor widow. The Bible says a lot about caring for the poor, for orphans, for widows, and others who have little. Think about someone who your family knows who is needy. Talk about what you could do to help him or her, and make a plan to do it. Essential Jesus Family Sunday School Class October 23, 2016 Our topic is: Previews of a Savior. Your assignment: just show up! That s easy! Page 9