Preparing for Sunday | August 28
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
Be Lifted High | [listen]
Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Jess Cates, Wade Joye, Jane Williams
John 3:30
I Thank God | [listen]
Aaron Moses, Chuck Butler, Dante Bowe, Jesse Cline, Maryanne J. George
Psalm 40:2-3
Battle Belongs | [listen]
Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham
Romans 8:31-32
What A Beautiful Name | [listen]
Ben Fielding, Brooke Ligertwood
Hebrews 1:3
Agnus Dei | [listen + lyrics]
Michael W. Smith
Revelation 5:12
Christ Is Enough | [listen + lyrics]
Reuben Morgan, Jonas Myrin
2 Corinthians 12:9
SERMON TEXT
Philippians 1
MEMORIZE SCRIPTURE
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)
Doxologies: I Thank God
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12
When is the last time you fully embraced the joy of salvation? Being honest, it’s something I speak of more often than I truly experience. I equate the joy of my salvation to the peace of knowing that my salvation is secure (John 10:28) and the promise of eternity in Heaven where we’ll be in the full light of God’s glory and splendor (John 3:16, Romans 5:21). WOW. It sounds amazing… but far away. And sometimes the true joy of my salvation, in the waiting, seems far away too.
While we cannot lose our salvation, we can certainly lose the joy of it in the day to day battles against sin and worldly distraction. While sin cannot separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39), it can certainly put a damper on the closeness and intimacy we experience with our Lord apart from confession and repentance.
This is nothing new as even King David, a man after God’s own heart, begged Him, “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12, NIV). David sinned (a lot), but eventually saw his iniquity with a contrite spirit and moved toward penitence and obedience, asking for God’s help in guiding him along the path of righteousness. With this step, he clearly saw the character of God to include His steadfast justice, mercy and grace (Psalm 51:1-9). This understanding brought immeasurable joy from which praise and worship overflowed.
Praise and worship.
Often these words are used interchangeably, but there is a distinction to be made. Webster’s Dictionary describes praise as an expression of favorable judgement, or the act of glorifying (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections. Subsequently, Webster defines worship as the act of showing honor, reverence, respect and devotion to an object of esteem.
Praise can apply to any number of relationships and is centered on outward thanksgiving and recognition of great accomplishment. As followers of the one true God, we know that He has done great and mighty things; He is worthy of our praise… and if we are silent, even the stones will cry out (Luke 19:40)! All creation glorifies the Maker of the heavens and the earth (Psalm 19:1, Psalm 66:4).
Worship goes deeper. It is an ongoing heart attitude that involves adoration and surrender to something or someone. While our fleshly desires can tempt us to worship worldly things (idols), the Bible is very clear that we serve a jealous God who seeks those who will worship Him alone in spirit and in truth (Luke 4:8, John 4:23). Worship is centered on knowing our posture in relation to God Most High and understanding our purpose in relation to God’s creation and plan. We were made to worship Him; we were made to commune with Him; we were made to bring glory and honor and praise to Him above all others (Col. 1:16, 1 Cor. 8:6).
“I Thank God” is a song of praise purposed to move our hearts toward worship in both spirit and truth. The lyrics and melody praise God’s mighty works on our behalf with joyful gladness while invoking a heart of worship in surrendering our own strivings, self-worship, and schemes in favor of humility, contrition and repentance. It is a celebration of what God has done in our lives and a bold declaration that our worship is reserved for the Master, the Savior: the one true God who is to be feared above all gods (Psalm 96:4).
The most amazing joy is realized when our praise and worship join forces as they did with David in Psalm 51. Can’t wait to sing this song with you all again soon!
I THANK GOD
Wandering into the night
Wanting a place to hide
This weary soul, this bag of bones
And I tried with all my mind
And I just can’t win the fight
I’m slowly drifting, a vagabond
And just when I ran out of road
I met a Man I didn’t know
And he told me that
I was not alone
He picked me up, turned me around
Placed my feet on solid fround
I thank the Master, I thank the Savior,
Because He healed my geart, changed my name
Forever free, I’m not the same
I thank the Master, I thank the Savior,
I thank God
I cannot deny what I see
Got no choice but to believe
My doubts are burning
Like ashes in the wind
So, so long to my old friends
Burden and bitterness
You can just keep on moving
No you ain’t welcome here
From now till I walk
The streets of gold
I’ll sing of how You saved my soul
Hell lost another one
I am free, I am free, I am free
Family Quest: Kaboom! Lesson 9
LESSON 9: THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
What does Scripture mean that God is “immutable” or unchangeable? Simply put it means that God cannot change in regard to His person, His purposes, His promises, or His perfections. God does act in time and space of course. He created both and is Lord of both time and space. It is also clear that God feels emotions differently in different situations. Neither of these however constitute a “change.”
As clear as these facts are in Scripture you may wonder, why spend time on it at all? What possible impact does this truth have on me and my faith? A big one. Let me explain and then leave you to meditate on His Word instead of mine.
Download Lesson 9– – –
ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
QUEST: Preschool Lesson for August 21
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
“Running Away,” p. 272
This week’s Big Idea:
Because of Jesus, God forgives us and brings us home!
This week’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 2:8-9
Preparing for Sunday | August 21
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
God So Loved | [listen]
Ed Cash, Scott Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash, Andrew Bergthold
John 3:16
I Thank God | [listen]
Aaron Moses, Chuck Butler, Dante Bowe, Jesse Cline, Maryanne J. George
Psalm 40:2-3
This Is Amazing Grace | [listen + lyrics]
Josh Farro, Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle
Revelation 5:12
Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) | [listen + lyrics]
Katharina von Schlegel, Jason Ingram, Kari Jobe
Psalm 46:10
Who You Say I Am [listen]
Ben Fielding, Reuben Morgan
John 8:36
Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery | [listen + lyrics]
Matt Boswell, Matt Papa, Michael Bleecker
Colossians 1:26-27
SERMON TEXT
Colossians 3
Family Quest: Kaboom! Lesson 8
LESSON 8: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY”
Holy. A biblical term generally meaning “to be set apart.” The term is used widely in Scripture to refer to a variety of people and objects alike but ultimately points to God as the one who is qualitatively different or set apart from creation. Holy may also be used to describe someone or something that God has “set apart” for special purposes. In the NT holiness takes on the sense of ethical purity or freedom from sin. The fullness of the biblical witness, then, testifies to God’s holiness, understood as God’s “otherness” and “purity,” as well as to God’s prerogative to set people and things apart for God’s own purposes, together with the resulting godliness in the lives of those whom God declares to be holy.
Download Lesson 8– – –
ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
QUEST: Preschool Lesson for August 14
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
“The Man Who Didn’t Have Any Friends (None)”, p. 264
This week’s Big Idea:
The Love of Jesus Changes Us!
This week’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 2:8-9
Preparing for Sunday | August 14
SONGS WE’LL BE SINGING TOGETHER
I Thank God | [listen]
Aaron Moses, Chuck Butler, Dante Bowe, Jesse Cline, Maryanne J. George
Psalm 40:2-3
King of Glory | [listen + lyrics]
Brett Younker, Hank Bentley, Jason Ingram, Kristian Stanfill, and Matt Maher
Psalm 24:7
The Lion and the Lamb | [listen + lyrics]
Leeland Mooring, Benton Brown, Brian Johnson
Deuteronomy 33:26
Praise the Name of Jesus | [listen]
Roy Hicks, Roy Hicks Jr.
Psalm 18:2
Jesus Over Everything | [listen]
Andrew Holt, Ben Cantelon, Charles Starling
Philippians 2:9-10
Your Great Name | [listen + lyrics]
Michael Neale, Krissy Nordhoff
Philippians 2:10-11
SERMON TEXT
Genesis 12
Galatians 3
Family Quest: Kaboom! Lesson 7
LESSON 7: GOD IS MERCIFUL, BUT THE DEBT OF SIN CANNOT GO UNPAID
According to God’s justice, we are each given exactly what is due to us. That, in fact, is the bad news that makes the “good news” so good. God is righteous, perfectly so, and as such cannot violate his own character. Justice is simply God carrying out His righteousness. God does not do what is righteous but rather, what God does is righteous because God did it. This is an important distinction if we are to avoid confusing the issue with our human ideas of “fairness.”
Download Lesson 7– – –
ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.
QUEST: Preschool Lesson for August 7
This week’s reading from the Jesus Storybook Bible:
“The Friend of Little Children,” p. 256
This week’s Big Idea:
God’s love is a free gift!
This week’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 2:8-9