Sunday Rewind | 11.1.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we adjust to three Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Closer (Psalm 89:14-15) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong Worship
Your Promises (2 Peter 1:3-4a) – Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Glorious by Paul Baloche
Great Things (Worth It All) (Galatians 6:14) –Wake Up the Wonder by Elevation Worship
Christ is Enough (2 Cor. 12:9) – Glorious Ruins by Hillsong Live
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 6
No sin so blinds the human soul as favoritism. We are often not so much partial against others as we are for ourselves.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- What is one way in which you tend to struggle with partiality, favoritism or bias toward others? From others?
- Read and discuss James 2:1-4. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What context does James 1 give to these statements? What warnings or commands are there for us to heed?
- “No sin so blinds the human soul as favoritism.”Have you observed this statement to be true? How?
- Why is it “second nature” for us to be partial in ways that strain, inhibit or damage relationships?
- How does the gospel help us see others as “imago Dei” – in the image of God? Why is this important?
- Spend some time confessing areas where you show partiality and ask God to reveal any hidden areas of favoritism in your life. Give Him thanks for His impartial mercy in the gospel of Jesus.
Family Quest: The Hope – Babel
“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:20-21
PRELUDE TO THE PROMISE, PART 2 – BABEL “And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name; lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” – Genesis 11:4
“Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.” – Genesis 11:9
“The number of Noah’s descendants increased greatly, but they remained as one people. They did not fill the earth as God commanded. Instead they built a city. Then they built a tower reaching to the heavens. God was not pleased. So God confused their language. Immediately there were at least 70 groups of people who could not speak with each other. Then God scattered these groups around the earth. And this was the beginning of the languages and nations of our world.” – The HOPE, Chapter 4
Recall from the previous lesson that when Noah and his family left the ark, God blessed them and told them to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1,7). However, instead of filling the earth, Noah’s family gathered in one place and built a city. And then they proceeded to build a tower that would reach into heaven (Genesis 11:4). Their motive was to make a name for themselves and to keep from being scattered over the face of the earth.
In Genesis 11:5-9 we see God’s response to their disobedience. As a result of disobeying God, the very thing they were trying to avoid in Genesis 11:4 (being scattered) is the very thing that happened in Genesis 11:9 (they were scattered). God’s plan that they “fill” the earth would stand.
BIG IDEA: God’s plan will stand.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Genesis 10-11
Isaiah 14:27
Romans 8:28
SECTION VERSES:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31
LESSON VERSE:
“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” – Proverbs 19:20-21
PRAYER:
Pray that God would help you show your trust by obeying His word more every day.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- Why was God not pleased with the Tower of Babel? (disobeyed command to “fill” the earth)
- Were God’s plans for filling the earth stopped? Explain.
- What are some hard commands to obey?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Go to Google Translate and translate John 3:16 into 1 or 2 languages. Try to learn the pronunciation of one of them.
– – –
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.
Memorial Service for Ellie Jenkins
Dear friends of the Jenkins family,
Here is information on the Viewing and Memorial Service honoring the life of Ellie Jenkins next week.
The viewing will be held on Sunday evening (Nov. 1) from 6:30 – 8:30pm at Blue Ridge Bible Church (770 S 20th Street, Purcellville, VA).
The Memorial Service will be on Monday (Nov. 2) at 10:00 am, also at Blue Ridge Bible Church. It will be immediately followed by a graveside service at Ebenezer Cemetery in Bluemont (20421 Airmont Road, Bluemont, VA). After the graveside service, attendees are invited to return to Blue Ridge Bible Church for a luncheon reception.
In lieu of flowers, condolences to the family may be made in the form of donations to the Warren P. Jenkins Foundation supporting global missionaries and mission projects. Donations and letters of sympathy & encouragement to the family may be brought to the service or sent to:
The Jenkins Family
c/o Reston Bible Church
45650 Oakbrook Court
Dulles, VA 20166
Sunday Rewind | 10.25.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we adjust to three Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Exalted One (Psalm 121:1-2) – For The Honor by Elevation Worship
I Will Look Up (Deuteronomy 7:9) –Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
Touch the Sky (1 Corinthians 2:9) – Empires by Hillsong United
Great Are You Lord (Ezekiel 37:5) –Live by All Sons and Daughters
Beautiful Lord (Ephesians 2:4-5) – Sound of Melodies by Leeland
TEACHING: Finding Hope in Depression
The gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ assures hope in any situation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- “Because of the fall, everyone experiences depression to some degree.” Do you have any personal experience with depression? Share with your group.
- Read and discuss Psalm 43 and 73. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God?
- Have you ever been discouraged by the “the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:3)? What insight does Scripture give regarding this?
- What is the distinction between the mind and the brain? Why does Scripture tell us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23)?
- Do you ever feel like you are a burden to others, or do you know someone who feels this way? How should the body of Christ respond to this?
- Why is any given situation never a hopeless situation? What does the gospel of Jesus show us about this?
- Do you have a burden that your Shepherd Group can help you bear? Do you know of someone who is burdened that you can reach out to? Spend some time in prayer for these things.
Family Quest: The Hope – Noah
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” – Hebrews 11:7
PRELUDE TO THE PROMISE, PART 1 – NOAH As we studied in the previous lesson, the sin that entered the world through Adam spread to every person that has ever lived. That includes Noah. So, if the people of Noah’s day were judged because of their sin, how is it that Noah (who had also been infected with sin) was spared?
In the last lesson we learned of God’s promise to send a Deliverer who would one day free man from Satan, sin, and death. Whether or not Noah understood the meaning of this promise, one thing appears to be true of Noah: he honored God as God. From his actions, we know that Noah trusted God as his Deliverer. His trust was manifested in his obedience. It was Noah’s faith in God that set him apart (Hebrews 11:7) from others of his day.
Some interesting parallels to consider:
- God’s judgement passed over Noah because he was “in” the ark.
- God’s judgement passes over us when we are found “in” Christ.
- Noah built the ark because of his faith in God, but it was God who shut the door (Genesis 7:16)
So how do faith and works come together? We are to obey and “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling, but it is God’s power that works in us both to desire to obey and to work (Phil. 2:12-13).
Consider this statement as you prepare this week: True faith will be shown by actions, but actions don’t always point to true faith.
BIG IDEA: Noah was saved because he believed and trusted God.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Genesis 6
1 Peter 3:20
SECTION VERSES:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31
LESSON VERSE:
“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” – Hebrews 11:7
PRAYER:
Pray that God would help you show your trust by obeying His word more every day.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- What does it mean to trust?
Why is it important to trust and obey?
Why did Noah obey God?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Go rock climbing and talk about how you show trust in your ropes. Try a trust fall with Dad or Mom.
– – –
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.
Sunday Rewind | 10.18.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we adjust to three Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Only King Forever (1 Timothy 1:17) – Only King Forever by Elevation Worship
With Us (Psalm 46:10-11a) – God Is Able by Hillsong Worship
Hosanna (Mark 11:9-10) – Savior King by Hillsong Worship
In Your Presence (Deuteronomy 31:6) –Nothing is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Your Great Name (Philippians 2:10-11) – Love Revolution by Natalie Grant
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 5
Every time we believe a lie, it becomes easier to believe the next one. Lies pave the way to more lies.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- Last week’s “homework” was to read one chapter of Proverbs each day until your group meets again. What did you learn? What insights did you gain?
- Read and discuss James 1:19-27 and John 8:42-44. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What warnings or commands are here?
- What is the “world” in the context of these verses? How do we experience the world? How can we be tainted by the world?
- Pastor Mike shared 3 areas where lies from the world invade: Intellectually, morally & materialistically. What examples of each can you think of?
- In Pastor Mike’s example, what is the difference between “science” and “scientist”? What happens if you fail to make the distinction? What other examples like this can you think of?
- “Intellectual lies lead to moral lies lead to material lies” Have you found this sequence to be true? How to lies pave the way for more lies? Give examples.
- How does the gospel of Jesus deal with the stain of the world? How does the gospel keep us from being permanently stained?
- Are there particular areas of your life that have been stained or polluted by the world? Spend some time in prayer surrendering these to the Lord, and thanking Him for the cleansing power of the gospel.
Family Quest: The Hope – Deadly Disease, 2
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” – Genesis 3:15
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” – Romans 16:20
As you prepare this week, consider how you can help the children to see that God began foreshadowing the coming Deliverer from the very start and that He is the main character throughout the Bible.
“And the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; on your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” – Genesis 3:14–15
“And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” – Genesis 3:21
“Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:23–24
“So God made for them garments of animal skin. This was an acceptable covering. But it was only a partial remedy, for it did not take away the sin…and though they could not understand it at the time, it was a picture of the price God would ultimately pay to free humankind from sin. God sent Adam and Eve out from the garden, lest they eat from the tree of life and walk the earth forever, never knowing life as it was meant to be. As for Satan, God pronounced a judgment on him. And in that judgment we find God’s first promise, that one day, through a descendant of Eve, God would send a deliverer to defeat Satan forever.”
– The HOPE, Chapter 3
BIG IDEA: Only God can conquer sin and death
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Hebrews 10:1-10
Romans 8:3
2 Corinthians 5:21
Romans 6:23
SECTION VERSES:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31
LESSON VERSE:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” – Genesis 3:15
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” – Romans 16:20
PRAYER:
Pray a prayer of thanksgiving that God had a plan from the beginning to bring us back to Him.
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- What happened as a result of their sin?
- Is there anyone without sin?
- If sin is a disease, did God promise a cure? When? (Genesis 3:15)
- Can you fix your own sin?
LIVE IT OUT!
- Ask God to search your heart for any sin you haven’t asked forgiveness for and take advantage of His grace to forgive.
– – –
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.
Sunday Rewind | 10.11.2015
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENTS
As we adjust to three Sunday worship services, we want to spend less time making announcements and more time worshiping. To help facilitate that, we’ll show a brief video announcement segment 4-5 minutes before each service begins. Grab an early seat just before your service begins so you can take advantage of these pre-service announcements. We’ll also post them here on the Sunday Rewind each week.
MUSIC & SCRIPTURE
Our God Is Love (1 John 4:9-10) – A Beautiful Exchange by Hillsong Worship
The Wonderful Cross (Romans 8:38-39) – The Worship Initiative, Vol. 5 by Shane and Shane
Give Me Faith (Psalm 73:25-26) – Nothing Is Wasted by Elevation Worship
Keeper of My Heart (Psalm 121:1-2) – Majestic by Kari Jobe
Glorious (Psalm 111:2-3) – Everything Glorious by Chris Tomlin (Passion
TEACHING: James – Living Out Our Faith, Part 4
The desire to obey instruction is prompted by the anticipated outcome. To be humble is to be teachable, to be teachable is to be reachable. To look intently into the Word of God is to have the Word of God look intently into you.
CLICK HERE FOR THE SERMON AUDIO & VIDEO
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHEPHERD GROUPS
- What was one thing you found particularly interesting, insightful, helpful or difficult to understand from this sermon?
- Read and discuss James 1:21-25. What do these verses tell us about us? What do they tell us about God? What do you note about the Word of God in these verses? What warnings or commands are here?
- What does it mean to “humbly accept the word” (v. 21)? Why is humility important in the context of the Word of God?
- In what ways is our desire to obey prompted by what we think the outcome will be?
- How do you respond to this statement? “To look intently into the Word of God is to have the Word of God look intently into you.”
- How is it liberating to obey the word of God? How does the gospel of Jesus show us that the Word of God is liberating, not oppressive? How does the gospel show us the wisdom of the Scriptures.
- How can you cultivate the grace of obedience to the Word? Is there a specific area where you struggle with disobedience? Spend some time in prayer about this.
- Read one chapter of Proverbs each day until your group meets again. Keep a journal of insights as you read and meditate on these scriptures. Share what you learned with your group the next time you meet.
Family Quest: The Hope – Deadly Disease, 1
“Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” – Romans 5:12
Question: “What is spiritual death?”
Answer: Death is separation. A physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death, which is of greater significance, is the separation of the soul from God. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that in the day he eats of the forbidden fruit he will “surely die.” Adam does fall, but his physical death does not occur immediately; God must have had another type of death in mind—spiritual death. This separation from God is exactly what we see in Genesis 3:8. When Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord, they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God.” The fellowship had been broken. They were spiritually dead.
A man without Christ is spiritually dead. Paul describes it as “being alienated from the life of God” in Ephesians 4:18. (To be separated from life is the same as being dead.) The natural man, like Adam hiding in the garden, is isolated from God. When we are born again, the spiritual death is reversed. Before salvation, we are dead (spiritually), but Jesus gives us life. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” (Ephesians 2:1 NKJV). “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins” (Colossians 2:13).
(via “What Is Spiritual Death?” GotQuestions.org)
BIG IDEA: Sin causes death, both spiritual and physical
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
MEDITATING ON THE WORD:
Genesis 3
Romans 5
Romans 6:23
SECTION VERSES:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” -Genesis 1:31
LESSON VERSE:
“Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” – Romans 5:12
PRAYER:
Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s promise of His presence in your life always!
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- What is sin?
- How do we sin?
- What happens because of sin?
- What does our sin deserve?
- Is sin attractive? (Heb. 1:24-26, Gen. 3:6)
LIVE IT OUT!
- Take a walk and find a place to enjoy God’s presence together in prayer and the Word. Thank God for making you spiritually alive in Jesus!
– – –
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.
Jr. High Update: The Amazing Race
Pastor Aaron sharing the gospel with a room full of Jr. High students for our first FNL of the school year.
Our Jr High’s first Friday Night Live of the new school year was a huge success!
The event was set to the theme of the Amazing Race in which the youth were placed into teams and given clues to find different stations around the church to complete challenges before advancing to the next station. As a team, they had to put together a giant puzzle, knock down boxes with tennis balls launched from a water balloon launcher, copy a small painting, learn a portion of a TobyMac dance routine, shoot baskets from either different locations in the basketball court, find and memorize a Bible verse, and several other challenges.
That night, we had over 20 youth indicate on their info cards that they had accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior after hearing Pastor Aaron preach the gospel! Praise God for the great turnout, great weather, no major issues, and for the students that indicated their new faith in Christ.