August 7-13th Family Worship Guide 2022

Bible Passage for the Week
Deuteronomy 18:1-8
Matthew 22:1-14
Ephesians 6
Psalm 34

Verse to Memorize
Romans 3:23

Catechism Questions
Q. 28. What is Sin?
A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the law of God.

Q. 29. What is meant by want of conformity?
A. Not being or doing what God requires.

Q. 30. What is meant by transgression?
A. Doing what God forbids.

People to Pray for: 
Church: First Presbyterian Church Jasper
                   Pastor Joe Helt
             
Ministry: Elder Mark Cox
                                           
Civil Magistrate: Indiana State Rep Rita Flemming

Song Suggestion:

Bible Passage for the Week
When you first read of the Levitical priests you may be tempted to think, it is not fair that they did not get an inheritance in all the land.  They were unlike the other tribes of the Hebrews.  The Levites were set aside and holy.  They had work to do that would keep them from some of the more worldly cares the other tribes would have.  But notice that the passage says that the Lord is their inheritance.  They got something far better than what the world had to offer. God himself was their protector and provider.  As a result, the people of God were to give to make sure the priests were fed, clothed, and cared for.

There are a couple of applications that come to mind.  The most obvious is that while we do not have priests today, we do have pastors.  Pastors should be taken care of by those they minister to.  It is good that a church pays its ministers and makes sure that they can do their work without much worldly care.  This also means that churches must be careful who they make as pastors.  They want shepherds who lead the flock not wolves who feed on the flock.
The second point of application is that in the New Testament, we are all described as a nation of priests.  God’s people all have access to the throne room of God because of Jesus.  We are all ministers and therefore we all should be on guard of getting too involved in wordly affairs.  Not all of us are pastors but we all have the work of offering up our lives as living sacrifices to God.  We all have the duty to make Jesus known to the world.  And that means we all share in that great inheritance.  God is our portion.  

In Matthew 22, we see a great wedding feast that sadly many missed out on.  Those who were first invited refused to come.  The second group were too busy and even went as far as to attack those with the wedding invitation.  Finally, the king invited in all kinds of people.  There were slaves and bums from all over.   But one man was found who didn’t dress the part.  He came to the wedding but wasn’t dressed in the right clothing.  He was then kicked out.
And of course, this story is about the Kingdom of God.  The Jews who were the initial guests refused to come.  They killed the prophets and even the Son of God.  Therefore God sent the invitation out far and wide.  Bums like us have found ourselves with an invitation to the King’s feast.   But let us not be so proud to think that we may come to the feast in our own filthy rags.  We need the righteousness of Christ.  

There will be many who think they are good but they aren’t clothed in the righteousness of Christ.  They joined the church. They got baptized.  They went through the motions.  But they had no faith in Christ and no union with Him.  Therefore, they will find themselves on the day of judgement not being able to stand.  Teach your children that nothing matters more in this world than to know Christ.  Even they want the inheritance of the Levite they need the faith of a priest in the Great High Priest Jesus.

Ephesians 6-where to begin?  There is a lot of application in this chapter for you and your family.  Camp out on verse 1-3 for a long time.  Teach them to honor authority and then you honor authority by being mindful of verse 4.   Then spend some time this week talking about the armor of God.  We have battles to fight.

Psalm 34 teaches us that God is a mighty fortress for those who trust in Him

Catechism/ Memory Verse
Sin!  We must hate it.  And we must hate it in ourselves.  The questions this week teach us what sin is but don’t just dwell on the technicalities of it.  Teach your children that sin is evil because it besmirches the glory of God.  It is an assault upon God’s good name and character.  We therefore should hate and despise sin.  We should be sorry for our sin and forsake it.   And lest we say, who me?  Romans 3:16 says yes you are a sinner too.  All have sinned.   Its not the get out of jail free card that God haters use when they say all have sinned.  Instead when we read All have sinned, our hearts ought to break for God’s glory.  

People to Pray for:
Pastor Joe Helt is doing the hard work of church revitalization.  That means he has become the pastor of an older congregation that was dying and is working on bringing it back to health through the preaching of the word and evangelism.  Pastor Helt has been faithful to proclaim the gospel in his community and has received some hate for it from those who love sexual immorality.  Please pray for him in this work.  Pray God will keep him from discouragement but give him fruit from his labor.

Please pray for one of your elders, Mark Cox.  Pray that God would bless him in his vocational work as a mechanic.  Pray for God’s protection over his family as they transition from through the teenage years to adulthood.  Pray that God would give him wisdom and faith for the work of an elder.

Rep Rita Flemming is the state legislature representing the area where our church building is located.  She is a democrat but also a former OB-GYN.  Please pray that God would give her a heart of repentance and that she would seek to serve Christ in her home.  

Church History Spotlight
St. Dominic 1170- August 8 1221
Church history has had its ebbs and flows.  The success of the gospel in converting nations came with access to wealth and the temptations that come with wealth.  Preaching sometimes fell into ill repute.  But God does not let his people languish forever. God has always had his ministers who reclaimed the importance of preaching both in and outside the walls of the church building.  St. Dominic was one such man.

Dominic was born in Castile, in Spain, in 1170. The turning point of his life came in 1206, when he was chosen to accompany the bishop on a visit to southern France, to an area held by the Albigenses. These were dualists, holding that there are two gods, one the god of goodness, light, truth, and spirit, and the other the god of evil, darkness, error, and matter.  On their first night in Albigensian country, they stayed at an inn where the innkeeper was an Albigensian. Dominic engaged him in conversation, they sat up all night talking, and by dawn the man was ready to become an orthodox Christian. From then on, Dominic knew what his calling in life was.

Dominic continued to preach and to debate where he could, and in 1215 he founded an order of preachers, who were to live in poverty, and devote themselves to studying philosophy and theology and to combatting false doctrine. He was convinced that a major obstacle to the conversion of heretics was the material wealth of some of the clergy. When he was in Rome, seeking authorization for his order from the Pope, the Pope gave him a tour of the treasures of the Vatican, and remarked complacently (referring to Acts 3:6), "Peter can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'" Dominic turned and looked straight at the Pope, and said, "No, and neither can he say, 'Rise and walk.'
 
Highlight from the Westminster Shorter Catechism
What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

2 Timothy 3:14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

If we are going to fulfill our purpose of glorifying and enjoying God, we need to know how to do it.  If God is to be glorifed, it is He who must tell us how we may do that.  And if we are going to find true joy, then we need to know what it is, where we may attain it, and how we may attain it.  Since God glorifying God and knowing true joy are interrelated, we must go to God, the source of joy, to attain it.

God has revealed himself in nature.  The Stars proclaim his handiwork.  But we are sinners who have rejected God and so while nature reveals to us that there is a God and that we are obligated to obey him, it doesn’t reveal to us all we need to know to find joy.  We can’t have true joy while being at odds with God.  It is only in the Bible, the word of God, where we can know for sure how we may have peace with God and thus be able to truly glorify God with joy.   The Bible is what will give us the wisdom which leads to salvation.  It is where we may be equipped for every good work.   It is where we learn to glorify and enjoy God.

IF the bible is that source for our happiness, then why do we spend so much time searching everywhere else but there?  If it is the very words of our God meant to bring us to true joy, then why do we look to the worldly sources to cure us of anxiety, depression, and heartache? If you find yourself struggling with a lot of cares, fears, and despair, maybe its time to crack open your Bible and read it with faith.