Advent Family Worship Guide, Week 3
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INTRODUCTION Merry Christmas, Rocky Point! This Advent Family Worship Guide is designed to help you and your family worship together through the Advent season. Each week the daily worship guides will be based on the previous Sunday’s sermon, and you will receive guides for fve days of family worship. Each day includes several different elements: • Read: You will be given several passages to read, most of which were referenced in the previous Sunday’s sermon. The passages all revolve around a similar theme, and the discussion questions, prayer prompts, and song selection are all based on these texts. • Discuss: The discussion questions are meant to prompt a conversation between you and your family about the passages you just read, as well as the sermon from Sunday. The goal of this time is not to get the “right” answer, but to be honest and practical, in order to apply the truth of Scripture, that it might impact everyday life. • Pray: Each worship guide includes suggestions for how to pray in response to the passages you have read and the discussion you have had. Each day you will have prompts that follow the A.C.T.S. model of prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. • Sing: At the end of every worship guide is a suggested song to sing. A web address for a recording of the song is included, which you can access for free. The full lyrics of the song are also included in the worship guide, and the key lyric that ties into that day’s theme is marked in bold type. My prayer is that this worship guide would lead you to cherish Christ this Advent season. But I also pray, beyond this season, that the times of family worship you have and the types of worship you all engage in would give you ideas that you can incorporate into your regular family worship beyond Advent and into the new year. Longing for the coming King with you, Jeff Dyke Lead Pastor, Rocky Point Baptist Church DAY 1: FOR HE ALONE IS WORTHY Read: Matthew 2:1–2, 9–11 (ESV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” …After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Philippians 2:8–11 (ESV) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should 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. Revelation 5:9–10 (ESV) And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Discuss: • Why is Jesus worthy of our worship? • Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifce, to forgive those who did not offer Him the worship He deserves. How does this change the way you think about worship? • What can you do practically to remind yourself of Jesus’s worthiness? Pray: Adoration: Praise Jesus, the King who is worthy of all worship. Confession: Confess the ways that you do not treat Jesus as worthy. Thanksgiving: Thank Jesus for dying for those who did not worship Him as He deserves. Supplication: Ask God for strength to comprehend how worthy Jesus is (see Eph. 3:14–19). Sing: “O Holy Night” Access a recording here: https://youtu.be/OBi6x4gRKEU Verse 1 O holy night the stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior's birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn Fall on your knees O hear the angel voices O night divine O night when Christ was born O night O holy night when Christ was born Verse 2 Humbly He lay Creator come as creature Born on the foor of a hay-scattered stall True Son of God yet bearing human feature He entered earth to reverse Adam's fall In towering grace He laid aside His glory And in our place was sacrifced for sin Fall on your knees O hear the gospel story O night divine O night when Christ was born O night O holy night when Christ was born Verse 3 Come then to Him who lies within a manger With joyful shepherds proclaim Him as Lord Let not the Promised Son remain a stranger In reverent worship make Christ your Adored Eternal life is theirs who would receive Him With grace and peace their lives He will adorn Fall on your knees receive the Gift of heaven O night divine O night when Christ was born O night O holy night when Christ was born CCLI Song # 7031877 Adolphe Charles Adam | John Sullivan Dwight | Kevin Hartnett | Placide Cappeau © 2014 Sovereign Grace Praise (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music, David C Cook)) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 1199505 DAY 2: INDIFFERENCE Read: Matthew 2:1–6 (ESV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Matthew 22:35–38 (ESV) And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “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 frst commandment.” Discuss: • What indicates that a person may be indifferent toward Jesus? • How is knowing the Bible or practicing religion different than worshiping Jesus? • Why is it that we can be indifferent toward Jesus? • What moves us from being indifferent towards Jesus to worshiping Jesus? Pray: Adoration: Praise God for His unsearchable greatness (see Psalm 145:3). Confession: Confess to God the ways in which you have been indifferent toward Jesus. Thanksgiving: Thank God for His patience with those who are indifferent toward Him. Supplication: Ask God to help you move from the specifc ways you are indifferent toward Jesus to worshiping Jesus. Sing: “What Child Is This?” Access a recording here: https://youtu.be/wO8qluGa-tM Verse 1 What Child is this Who, laid to rest On Mary’s lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King Whom shepherds guard and angels sing Haste, haste, to bring Him laud The Babe, the Son of Mary Verse 2 Why lies He in such mean estate Where ox and lamb are feeding? Good Christian, fear, for sinners here The silent Word is pleading Nails, spear shall pierce Him through The cross be borne for me, for you Hail, hail the Word made fesh The Babe, the Son of Mary Verse 3 So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh Come peasant, king to own Him The King of kings salvation brings Let loving hearts enthrone Him Raise, raise a song on high The virgin sings her lullaby Joy, joy for Christ is born The Babe, the Son of Mary Words by William C. Dix (1865). Music, Greensleeves, 16th Century English melody. Public Domain. DAY 3: HOSTILITY Read: Matthew 2:3–4, 7, 13 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. …Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and fee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Discuss: • Why is the statement "Jesus is King" threatening to us? • In what ways do you live by your authority instead of Jesus's authority? • Why do we choose to reject Jesus’ authority? • How can you repent of the ways you reject Jesus’ authority? Pray: Adoration: Praise King Jesus for ruling in perfect righteousness.