Home Worship Guide (March 22, 2020)
Overview: This is a guide. It has been designed to help you and can be modified by you however you see fit. Especially for those with younger kids, it might be best to read through this in advance and use elements that will fit the attention span of your kids.
Main Point: Because God is faithful, powerful and for us, we can endure difficulty without giving in to fear.
Read: Jude 24-25
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.
25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. (NLT)
Encouragement: Our God has saved us from our rebellion against Him and He has promised to keep us from stumbling through the work done on the cross, covering us for all eternity in the righteousness of Jesus. We know this to be true... and if He is able to accomplish that feat, we have no reason to stray now in the midst of uncertainty and chaos... He is trustworthy... He is and will continue to hold His children fast...
Prayer:
Spend some time praying for the following
Pray that God would bless your time with him
Pray that God would open your heart and enlarge your love for him
Pray that God would show you how he is calling you to respond
Devotion: Mark 4:35-41 (NOTE FOR PARENTS: Read the text and then watch the video with your kids located below)
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed).
37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.
40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” (NLT)
Discussion Questions:
Psalm 148:7-8 tells us that God controls the weather. What does this say about who Jesus is? Is God in control of more than the weather? How does that impact how we respond to difficulties in life?
In Mark 4:40 Jesus says the disciples were afraid and had little faith. What is the relationship between faith and fear? How can we grow in our faith? (Additional texts for reference: Matt 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6-7)
How do situations of uncertainty and calamity help us move beyond affirming the texts above and into trusting what they say? How has your faith been challenged in the last few days/weeks?
Romans 8:28 says that God works all things together for good for his people. How was that text true of the situation in the story we just read in Mark 4? What good came out of that situation?
Jesus being God means that he possesses all of the attributes of God. 1 Cor 1:9 says God who called us into fellowship with Christ is faithful. How does God’s faithfulness bring peace and rest? How have you experienced God’s faithfulness in the past? How does that experience enable you to trust him more now?
How does trusting God in the midst of difficulty change how you endure difficulty? How can God use that to advance the Kingdom and point others to his worth and value?
Application:
God is not indifferent to the difficulties that his people face but is faithful to them in the midst of those difficulties. Therefore, trust God. First trust Jesus. Trust that in his death and resurrection alone to forgive your sin and reconcile you to God. Trust Jesus for salvation. Second, trust God’s faithfulness to his people and his providence in difficulty. (Additional texts for reference: Psalm 28:7; Psalm 62:8; Prov 3:5-6).
The antidote to fear is greater trust in God. We have situations that can cause fear but the question is do we turn to God in faith or do we give into fear? (Additional texts for reference: Psalm 56:3; 2 Tim 1:7)
God is with us in difficulties and uncertainty therefore go to him and trust his promises. Our hope is not in this world. We will suffer in this life but we never suffer alone. (Additional texts for reference: John 16:33; John 14:27; John 14:1-3; Matt 28:20).
Make it your ambition that Christ will be honored by both your life and death. No one dies prematurely. Death has been overcome by Christ. We can suffer differently as a witness to the worth of Christ because we know who hold us, cares for us, keeps us and has saved us. (Additional texts for reference: Phil 1:20-26; Psalm 90:10-12; Psalm 139:16; Matt 6:27).
Respond in Song: He Will Hold Me Fast (Consider discussing how the words of this song connect with the truths you saw in the text after singing).
Respond in Prayer