The Wrath to Come

Posted on Jul 16, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Matthew 3:1–12

On Sunday, we learned from the Parable of the Net that Jesus was not silent about the destiny of the unrighteous. At the end of time, all those who don’t know God will be cast into the “fiery furnace,” into hell—the place of eternal punishment. This is a teaching that should give us deep sorrow over those who refuse to turn to Jesus. It should also cause us to examine ourselves and repent of our own sin.

The message of Jesus from the start was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” (Matt 4:17). This was also the message of John the Baptist as we see in Matthew 3:1–12. According to both, the coming of God’s kingdom means both judgment and salvation—salvation for those who repent and trust in Jesus and judgment for those who continue in their sin.

John the Baptist talks to the Jewish religious leaders about the “wrath to come” and tells them that trees (i.e., people) who don’t bear good fruit will be burned. Jesus himself, John says, will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is clear from the context that “fire” refers to judgment. Jesus will gather the wheat but burn the chaff with a fire that will never go out. The coming of Jesus is not just a signal of coming salvation, but judgment as well.

If there is no eternal judgment, Jesus’s coming and his death on the cross are meaningless. But there is a wrath that is coming. There will be an unquenchable flame. And Jesus is our only hope. Our response should be to repent and turn to him because he bore the judgment we deserve. And then we too must take up the message of Jesus and call out to others: “Repent and trust in Jesus!”

Discussion Questions

  1. What was the message of John the Baptist? What does it mean for us today?
  2. What does John the Baptist say about Jesus?
  3. Why does Jesus’s coming bring both salvation and judgment?

Ideas for Younger Kids

·      Read all or portions of Matthew 3:1–12 with your children. Talk about how God is the judge, and we all deserve to be judged. We must turn to Jesus by repenting and trusting in him to avoid God’s judgment. Consider reading or memorizing verses like John 3:36 or Romans 6:23 to talk about these concepts.

·      Talk about what it means to “repent” and consider using the following catechism question with your children. (This is Question 50 from A Catechism for Boys and Girls. This question also appeared in a previous faith talk guide—so it may be review!).

o   Q. What is it to repent?

o   A. To be sorry for sin and to hate and forsake it, because it is displeasing to God.

Memorization: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

Song: Listen to “Thy Mercy, My God” (Sandra McCracken). As we reflect on future judgment, we praise God that his mercy is “more than a match” for our sinful hearts! (This song is a modern version of an old hymn by John Stocker. All of the original lyrics can be read here.)

Pray Together

Go Together

  • Spend some more time this week discussing why we might have a hard time with the biblical teaching about hell. Work your way through the four reasons Pastor Jerry talked about on Sunday, and ask yourselves: Have we modified our view of God? Is our view of justice flawed? Do we tend to blame our sin on other factors? Does our view of salvation line up with what the Bible says?
 
If you have any questions, comments, or ideas related to this Family Faith Talk guide or future guides, please let us know by leaving a comment!
 
Please note that we will be taking a two-week break from our regular faith talk guides. We encourage you to continue spending time in the Word with your family and as individuals! 

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Behold Your God

Posted on Jul 10, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Isaiah 40:9–31

This Sunday, Pastor Jerry invited us to grow in cultivating a heart of joy with the fear of the Lord. One way we do that is by admiring God’s unfathomable greatness. Isaiah 40, as Pastor Jerry mentioned in his sermon, calls us to marvel at God’s greatness and power. In this chapter, Isaiah summons us to behold our God, to gaze at his power and glory.

Isaiah presents the greatness of God using grand imagery of God’s power and control over the world, making the point that nothing and no one can compare to God. All the water on the earth, the sky, the sand, and the mountains and hills are small things to God. The nations, likewise, can threaten God no more than a drop in a bucket can hurt you.

No one can add to his wisdom. No Google search could process all of his understanding. No animal sacrifice is worthy of God. No idol can even compare to him. Princes and rulers and presidents and kings and powerful CEOs are nothing compared to him. Even the seemingly immovable stars are like an army that obediently parades before him, their General and Ruler.

Yet, beholding God’s grand power and glory shouldn’t lead us to believe that he is distant and unknowable. Isaiah 40 doesn’t show us a God who is merely above us, but a God who gives to us out of his great power (40:29). He is both a mighty warrior and a gentle shepherd (40:10–11). We can find joy in the fear of the Lord by beholding his holy majesty and power and knowing that he rules over all for his glory and the good of his people.

Discussion Questions

  1. What part of God’s greatness described in Isaiah 40 stood out to you?
  2. How is this description of God’s greatness meant to bring us joy and comfort (Isa 40:1)?
  3. How does beholding God’s greatness help us grow in the fear of the Lord?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read all or portions of Isaiah 40 with your kids. Talk about some of the imagery and what it means. For example, pour some water in the “hollow” of your hand and show your kids what a “span” is (the distance between your thumb and pinky finger) to demonstrate Isaiah 40:12. Get a bucket and pour a drop of water into it to picture Isaiah 40:15. Discuss with your kids how God is greater than we can imagine but he is not far away but loves and cares for us.     

Memorization: “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Song: Listen to “Behold Our God” (Sovereign Grace Music).

Pray Together

  • Praise God for his unfathomable greatness.
  • Confess before God that we often fail to grasp his greatness and power and hold small views of who he is.  
  • Give thanks to God that he is the God who give us strength when we rely on him.   
  • Pray that God would help us grow in cultivating a heart of joy with the fear of the Lord.

Go Together

  • Make a plan as a family or as individuals for some steps you can take to grow in your view of God and his greatness. Some ideas include: memorizing all of Isaiah 40 as a family and reflecting on what it teaches, making it a habit to ask yourselves “what does this teach us about God” as you read the Bible, reading a book like Isaiah as a family and reflecting on what it teaches about God, or reading one of the books Pastor Jerry recommended in his sermon.

  

Photo Credit: “Cosmic Cliffs,” Webb Telescope, nasa.gov.


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The Greatest Treasure

Posted on Jul 3, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Mark 10:17–31

We saw on Sunday that the Kingdom of God is a treasure that is worth the joy of recklessly abandoning everything else. There may be a cost to following Jesus, but the gain is infinitely greater than anything we give up: Jesus himself. In Mark 10, we see the same truth put forth in the negative example about a rich young man.

This man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus calls him to sell all he has, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow him. This way he will have treasure in heaven. Yet, this young man who ran to Jesus eager to learn the way to eternal life now turns around and leaves discouraged. It is clear that he does not view Jesus and his kingdom worth that kind of sacrifice.

The rich young man did not really think Christ and his kingdom worth the cost of selling all his stuff. He was the opposite of the man in Jesus’s parable who sold all to obtain the treasure hidden in the field. This young man did not leave with joy to sell all he had but left sad to hold onto his stuff. His valuation of things was all messed up. He viewed his wealth as having greater value than Jesus.

The point of this story isn’t to guilt trip us into selling all our stuff. It’s to convict us that we can tend to be just like this rich young man and fail to see Jesus as the greatest treasure. We tend to view Jesus as an add-on to our lives. Or we view him simply as a means to an end. Yet, we must come to treasure him above everything else, to the extent that we could joyfully abandon everything else if it meant gaining him. Following Jesus may cost us everything, but he is always worth it.

Discussion Questions

  1. What was the one thing this rich young man lacked?
  2. According to Jesus, why is it more difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom?
  3. Does following Jesus mean we literally have to give up all our stuff? If not, what’s the big idea of Jesus’s words to this young man?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read “Treasure Hunt” in The Jesus Storybook Bible (pages 250–55). This is a retelling of the parable of the treasure in Matthew 13. Highlight for your kids that Jesus and his kingdom is better than any other treasure.   

Memorization: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8 ESV)

Song: Listen to “How Rich a Treasure We Possess” (Matt Boswell). “The sum of all created things are worthless in compare / For our inheritance is Him whose praise angels declare.”  

Pray Together

  • Praise God that in Christ we gain the greatest treasure in the universe.
  • Confess before God that we often value and treasure lesser things and fail to grasp the true value of knowing Jesus.   
  • Give thanks to God for his grace in opening our eyes to even just a little of the value of knowing Jesus.  
  • Pray that God would help us to grasp more truly and deeply the surpassing worth of knowing King Jesus and being a part of his Kingdom.

Go Together

  • As Pastor Jerry mentioned Sunday, we need to pray that God would give us a greater sense of the worth of Christ and his greatness. Commit to pray together this week that God would help you grasp the true value of the Kingdom and the greatness of the King. Consider using Ephesians 1:15–23 as a template for your prayers.  
  • Discuss together what you tend to treasure. Ask each other: If Jesus were to walk into our home and ask me to give up something, what wouldn’t I want him to say? How you answer that reveals what you’re treasuring. Commit whatever you tend to treasure to the Lord with open hands, asking him to help you treasure Jesus above everything else.


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His Kingdom Is Forever

Posted on Jun 26, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Daniel 2:24–45

We saw on Sunday in the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven that though God’s kingdom has seemingly small and unimpressive beginnings, its growth will be great in the end. God will build his kingdom, and it will be great. In Daniel 2, we find another illustration about the coming of God’s kingdom that parallels Jesus’s parables in Matthew 13.

Daniel 2 records a story about King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a statue. This is no ordinary statue. The head is gold, the chest and arms are silver, the waist and thighs are bronze, and the legs are iron and the feet are iron mixed with clay. A rock strikes the feet of the statue, and it is destroyed and blown away like chaff in the wind. But the rock becomes a mountain that fills the whole earth.

Daniel is able to interpret this dream for the king: the parts of the statue represent different kingdoms, starting with Babylon itself. The rock represents God’s kingdom that overcomes all earthly kingdoms and will one day fill the whole earth. This is no manmade kingdom. It is set up by God himself, it will stand forever, and it will never be defeated.

Jesus, ultimately, is the rock in the dream. He is the King who establishes a kingdom that topples all other kingdoms. This kingdom is not like the powerful kingdoms of the world. It is not manmade and does not advance through worldly power. It is established through the cross: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone . . . . and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him,” (Luke 20:17–18).* God will set up his kingdom in his way, and his kingdom will be great. God has set all of this in motion in the first coming of Christ, and he will complete it when Christ comes again.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does the statue in the king’s dream represent?
  2. What does the rock represent?
  3. What do we learn about God’s kingdom from this dream?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read Daniel 2:24–45 with your kids. Consider providing extra context and paraphrasing some sections as needed. Talk about what a “kingdom” is—a place and a people ruled by a king or other leaders. Jesus came to bring God’s kingdom. And God’s kingdom is forever, it wins in the end even if it sometimes seems small.

Memorization: “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28 ESV)

Song: Listen to “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (performed by Norton Hall Band). The last line captures our hope: “His Kingdom is forever!”

Pray Together

  • Praise God that his kingdom is forever!
  • Confess before God that we often serve our own little kingdoms instead of God’s forever kingdom.  
  • Give thanks to God that Jesus is coming again to complete his work of setting up the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • Pray that God would help us to trust God’s work in setting up his kingdom and that we would rely on him as we seek to serve his kingdom purposes in this world.

Go Together

  • Take some time to reflect together on the question: “What kingdom am I serving? Am I serving God’s forever Kingdom or my own little kingdom or another manmade kingdom?” Write down a few ideas for how you can better serve God’s kingdom this week.

 

*Iain Duguid, Daniel, Reformed Expository Commentary Series, pp. 40–41.

 
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The Day of the Lord

Posted on Jun 19, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Malachi 4

As we saw on Sunday, Jesus teaches us in the Parable of the Weeds that there is a harvest coming when all evil will be dealt with. Those who have gone the way of the Serpent will share his fate: everlasting destruction. But those who follow Jesus will shine in his kingdom forever. We see the same sort of message many times throughout the Old Testament prophets.

In Malachi 4, the prophet declares that there is a day coming, the Day of the Lord (v. 5). It is a Day of both judgment and salvation, destruction and healing. It is the Day at the end of history when the Lord will act decisively in the world to establish his rule.

The Lord declares that evildoers will be punished on that Day. The Day of the Lord is a day of burning, and no evil will survive that blaze. All evildoers and their deeds will receive justice. But all who have walked in the ways of the Lord will experience healing. The Sun of Righteousness will shine on them, and they will be filled with joy and new life.

Throughout history, there have been several smaller days of the Lord that point to this Day. God’s judgment on Israel for their idolatry, the preaching of John the Baptist and the first coming of Jesus (vv. 5-6), the pouring out of the Holy Spirit—all of these foreshadow and lead to the final Day history is heading towards. What will be our fate on that Day? If we belong to Jesus, it will be a Day of glory and joy. If we go our own way, it will be a Day of terror. We must prepare now for that Day for it will come when we least expect it.

Discussion Questions

  1. What will happen to all who have rejected God’s rule on the Day of the Lord?
  2. What will happen to all who have trusted in God’s rule?
  3. How does this challenge us? How might this encourage us?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read “The Snake Crusher Wins” in The Biggest Story Bible Storybook (pages 518–21).

Memorization: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10 ESV)

Song: Listen to “The Sands of Time Are Sinking” (Sovereign Grace Music). This is a version of an older hymn written by Anne Cousins based on letters by a Scottish pastor named Samuel Rutherford about our glorious future in “Immanuel’s Land”.

Pray Together

  • Praise God that he is the King of History.
  • Confess before God that we are often so rooted in the present that we forget the Day all history is heading towards.  
  • Give thanks to God that Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness and that we find healing and new life in him.
  • Pray that God would help us live in light of eternity, that we would walk by faith, in holiness and the fear of the Lord.

Go Together

  • According to Malachi 4, those who fear the Lord will experience his healing and new life. The fear of the Lord should define our lives. To fear the Lord means we live in a deep worship, awe, and reverence of him. So, set aside some time to ask yourselves: am I living in this way? How can we grow in a deeper worship and trust in the Lord? The foundation for wise living in this world and hopeful living for the next is the fear of the Lord.
  • Consider writing or printing out verses like Malachi 4:2 or 2 Peter 3:9–10 and posting them somewhere in your house to remind your family of eternity and the hope we have in Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness.

 

 
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The Words of Life

Posted on Jun 11, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: John 6:60–71

On Sunday, we reflected on the Parable of the Sower and the mixed reception of Jesus’s preaching. The parable helps us answer the question of why not everyone receives the word of the kingdom, the gospel. The answer to that question is found in the condition of our hearts. We see some of this in action in John 6.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus proclaims that he is the Bread of Life, the true manna from heaven, and he calls us to feed on his flesh and drink his blood (to receive his sacrificial death as our life). Many of those who were following Jesus had a hard time with this saying. They didn’t understand it and even found it offensive. Jesus says that his words are spirit and life, but not all those who hear them believe.

Many of Jesus’s early followers leave him after this exchange. But the Twelve disciples remain with Jesus. Peter shares why: Jesus has the words of eternal life, and they have believed in him and know that he is the Holy One of God. The words of Jesus give life, but not all receive them. In fact, Jesus says that no one receives his words unless “it is granted him by the Father,” (John 6:65).

Our unbelief is only overcome by the gracious work of God in our hearts. We can receive and believe in God’s Word only by his grace. So, as we ourselves hear God’s Word, we must pray and ask God that he would open our hearts to receive it as the word of eternal life. And as we share the message about Jesus, we must rely on God to open hearts to see that it is the word of life.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does this passage of Scripture teach us about Jesus? What does it teach us about ourselves?
  2. What does it mean that Jesus’s words are “spirit and life”?
  3. Why doesn’t everyone receive Jesus’s words as the words of life?

Ideas for Younger Kids

·      Read “A Story about Soils” in The Biggest Story Bible Storybook (pages 318–21).

Memorization: “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68 ESV)

Song: Listen to “Your Words of Life” (Sovereign Grace Music).

Pray Together

  • Praise God that he is the God of grace and truth.
  • Confess before God that our hearts are often hard with unbelief.
  • Give thanks to God that he has sent his Son Jesus to speak life and open our hearts to believe in him.
  • Pray that God would continue to help us understand his word and receive it as our source of life.

Go Together

·      Revisit the questions Pastor Nathan gave from the Parable of the Sower:

o   Am I a careless hearer?

o   Am I a shallow hearer?

o   Am I a distracted hearer?

o   Am I a fruitful listener?

·      Reflect together about which of the four soils you tend to identify with, and pray together that God would speak to you when you hear Jesus’s Word and that you would receive it as the word of life.

 
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The Deceitfulness of Sin

Posted on Jun 5, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Hebrews 3:7–14

On Sunday, Pastor Jerry reminded us that a consequence of sin is becoming blind to the truth. Part of the purpose of Jesus’s parables was to separate those with faith from those with hard hearts of unbelief. Sin hardens us to the truth. It makes our hearts callous and unfeeling to what God has to say.

We read in Hebrews 3 that sin is deceitful. The author of Hebrews quotes a warning from Psalm 95 taken from the experience of the Israelite generation who rebelled against God in the wilderness. This generation saw God perform many mighty works. They heard the Word of God spoken by Moses. They witnessed God’s salvation and provision time and time again. Yet, they continued in sin and unbelief, and their hearts were hardened toward God.

The author of Hebrews offers a warning for us today: beware of an unbelieving heart that leads to rebellion and falling away from God. We must hold each other accountable so that we are not hardened toward God by the deceitfulness of sin. When we disobey God and fail to keep his Word, we make our hearts dull and resistant to God’s truth. A sin committed once is always easier to justify a second time and a third time and on and on until we don’t even feel the need to justify it anymore.

So, we must pay attention to how we are living. We also must not forget that we need each other. We need the body of Christ, the church, because on our own we are much more prone to give in to sin’s deceitfulness. We must allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to speak into our lives. Sin is deceitful. It hardens our hearts toward God and his truth. We need to be there for each other when sin whispers its lies into our ears.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does it mean to have a “hard heart”?
  2. How does sin lie to us and make our hearts resistant to God’s truth?
  3. What are some ways we can help each other not to give in to sin’s lies?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read Hebrews 3:7–14 with your kids. Ask them: “What is sin?” Discuss how sin includes not listening and doing what God says, disobeying him. Discuss how sin lies to us: it makes us think that we know better than God what is right and what is wrong.

Memorization: “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13 ESV)

Song: Listen to “Hallelujah for the Cross” (by Ross King). Praise the Lord that through Christ’s work on the cross we can know forgiveness and freedom from sin!

Pray Together

  • Praise God that he is the God of grace and truth!
  • Confess before God that we often give in to sin’s lies and, in some areas, have become resistant to his truth.
  • Give thanks to God that he has sent his Son Jesus to forgive our sins and that he has placed faithful believers in our lives to speak truth to sin’s lies.
  • Pray that God would make us aware of areas in which we are resistant to his truth and areas of sin we need to repent of.  

Go Together

  • Be honest and ask one another: are there areas in our lives where we have been taken in by sin’s lies and become resistant to God’s truth? Are there people in our lives who can speak truth to sin’s lies?
  • Commit together to value the body of Christ, gathering with the church, and being intentional in your relationships within the church body.
  • If there is an area of your life in which you know sin has a firm hold, consider seeking out a brother or sister in Christ who can hold you accountable and exhort you every day so you are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

 

 
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Sweeter than Honey

Posted on May 28, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Psalm 19:7–11

On Sunday, Pastor Jerry walked us through the meaning of the Jewish Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). This Jewish Feast is a holiday of thanksgiving and covenant renewal, a time of remembering God’s covenant with his people. This feast reminds us of the value of God’s Word, which David also brings out in Psalm 19.

In the second half of Psalm 19, David declares that God’s Word is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, and true. It gives life to our souls, makes us wise, gives us joy, opens our eyes to truth, and endures forever. We should delight in God’s Word as more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. God’s Word is a fountain of all that is good, right, true, and sweet to our souls.

So, when we open our Bibles, do our souls salivate, so to speak, for the sweetness of God’s truth? Are we eager to taste and see in the pages of Scripture that the Lord is good? We often subconsciously think the Bible tasteless, dull, and—dare I say—boring. This is because our spiritual “taste buds” are often dull. We are like someone who finds honey boring because they cannot taste its delightful sweetness. The problem isn’t with the honey, but with the person’s senses.

We need the Holy Spirit to renew our spiritual senses so that we might truly taste God’s Word as sweet. When we open the Bible, we should be praying for the Spirit to open our eyes and renew our senses that we might see the glory of God in his Word and taste the sweetness of his truth. We can take heart: our God delights to answer this prayer. When we prayfully take time to chew on God’s Word, we will find it sweet to our souls. Let’s be people who value God’s Word and show we delight in it by reading and doing it every day.

Discussion Questions

  1. How does David describe God’s Word?
  2. What does it mean that God’s Word is sweeter than honey?
  3. How can we grow to value God’s Word more in our daily lives?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read Psalm 19:7–11 with your children. Talk about what it means that God’s Word is sweet.
  • Make a sweet dessert with your family. Enjoy it together and use this as a practical illustration to discuss how God’s Word is sweeter than honey or anything else. (I’m sure your kids will like this one!)

Memorization: “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10)

Song: Listen to “Speak O Lord” (Keith and Kristyn Getty).

Pray Together

Go Together

·      Pastor Jerry gave some practical steps to grow in valuing God’s Word as individuals and families. Take stock on how you are applying these. Here are a few questions to get you started:

o   Are you personally in the Word on a regular basis?

o   Do your times in God’s Word always feel like a chore that you never get anything out of? (Reading God’s Word takes work, but by his grace it should be a delightful work).

o   As a family, are you spending time reading and discussing God’s Word together?

·      Commit together to value God’s Word by reading it prayfully and sharing with others how God is shaping you by his Spirit through his Word.

 
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The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Posted on May 22, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: 2 Chronicles 30:13–22

On Sunday, we returned to our study of the biblical feasts, and Pastor Jerry preached on the significance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread for us as Christians. This feast was an annual reminder to Israel of God’s salvation of his people. It was an opportunity for the people to remember God’s holy love and to renew their commitment to be holy as he is holy (Lev 19:2).

In 2 Chronicles 30:13–22, King Hezekiah leads the people in keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Throughout the centuries, Israel had become lax in keeping the feasts (2 Chron 30:5). Under ungodly leadership, the people often failed to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread on a yearly basis. Kings like Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had filled the land with sinful practices and idolatry.

Hezekiah, however, cleansed the land of these practices, restored worship in the temple, and sought to uproot idolatry from Judah. He sent out a call throughout all of Israel (including the northern under Assyrian control) to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Passover. Many came, and despite their imperfect ritual purity, their hearts were pure. And the Lord accepted their imperfect celebration of the feast (30:18–20).

Though imperfect, this celebration under Hezekiah captured the heart of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The people sought the Lord and gave thanks for all he had done. They renewed their commitment to the covenant and removed the real “leaven” from the nation, the idolatry and sinful practices that had taken over Judah. 

Our King, Jesus, also leads us in a renewed celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We celebrate this festival truly, not with a seven-day festival, but with a daily renewal to trust in the true Passover Lamb, Jesus, and live as the holy people we truly are in him.

Discussion Questions

  1. What was the purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread?
  2. What does leaven symbolize in Scripture, and how does Hezekiah’s celebration of this feast connect to that symbolism?
  3. How does this feast point us to Jesus? How might we celebrate the true essence of this feast today?

Ideas for Younger Kids

·      Read Exodus 13:3–10 with your children. Talk about how Israel celebrated different “holidays” than we do. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was one of them, a seven-day long holiday! Talk about what leaven is and what this feast was supposed to remind God’s people about (his salvation and the call to keep God’s Word and get rid of sin in our lives).

·      Play the game Bedikat Chametz (Search of Leaven):

o   Supplies: Candle (or flashlight), 10 pieces of leavened bread, feather, wooden spoon, paper bag, and fire.

o   Hide the 10 pieces of bread throughout the house.

o   Have your kids search with the candle/flashlight for the bread and say when they’ve found it: “Father, Father, we have found the leaven.”

o   The father then comes and picks up the bread with the spoon and feather and puts it in the bag.

o   When all the bread is found, burn the bag and everything in it outside.

o   Discuss with your family what this symbolizes: by God’s grace, we seek to find and get rid of sin in our lives.

Memorization: “Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:8)

Song: Listen to “His Mercy Is More” (Shane & Shane). Praise God for his mercy that forgives our sins and frees us from the hold of sin!

Pray Together

  • Praise God for his salvation in Christ!
  • Confess before God that our lives are often taken over by “small” sins that spread quickly.
  • Give thanks to God that Jesus is our Passover Lamb and Bread of Life and that in him we can be forgiven and live holy lives!
  • Pray that God would open our eyes to areas of sin that we need uproot from our lives.  

Go Together

  • Take some time this week to take stock of your own life: are there any areas of your life where sin is spreading? Are there areas in your family life where sin is thriving? Take steps to uproot this sin from your life by confessing it to God and asking for his help to fight this sin, asking forgiveness from others (where applicable), and taking whatever practical steps necessary to prevent that sin in the future.


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Trusting in God’s Name

Posted on May 15, 2023 in Family Faith Talks |

Read Together: Psalm 33

On Sunday, Pastor Jerry reminded us that God’s power to answer prayer isn’t rooted in us and the strength of our faith, but in who he is as the Almighty God. Psalm 33 reflects this emphasis as a song of joyful praise and hopeful prayer that reminds us of God’s power and faithful love. It reminds us that we find a deeper joy, faith, and hope in prayer when we focus on God’s perfect character and his faithful love.

Psalm 33:21 captures the essence of the psalm: “For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” We wait upon the Lord and find joy in him because we trust in his holy Name. Trusting in God’s “holy name” means we trust in his holy character. In Scripture, the Name of God refers to who he is.

Much of Psalm 33 is a joyful, hopeful declaration of who God is. He is the good and faithful God who fills the earth with his unfailing love (vv. 4–5). He created the world by the power of his Word (vv. 6–9). He rules over all things, and his plans stand while the plans of the peoples fall (vv. 10–12). He fashions our very hearts and sees everything we do (vv. 13–15). He alone is mighty to save, not the strength of man and his weapons (vv. 16–19). And so, we shout for joy in his salvation, and we trust in him to be our help and shield through the trials of life.

We can rejoice in the bright seasons and the dark seasons of life because we trust in the holy character of our God. He is the almighty Creator and King and our loving Father and Lord. Our faith is often imperfect, but his power and love never fail his people. No matter what you’re going through, Christian, God is with you and his perfect plans stand forever. So, bring your praise and prayer before him today with joyful, hopeful faith in who he is.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does it mean to trust in God’s holy name?
  2. What does this psalm teach us about who God is?
  3. What are some ways this psalm motivates us to pray with more earnestness?

Ideas for Younger Kids

  • Read “Knock Knock, Who’s There?” in The Biggest Story Bible Storybook (pages 472–75). Discuss with your kids how “our big God listens to prayers of small faith,” (474). Our God is powerful and loves us and can answer our prayers even when our faith is small.   

Memorization: “For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:21)

Song: Listen to “Song of Moses” (Aaron Keyes).

Pray Together

  • Praise God that his plans stand forever!
  • Confess before God that our faith is often weak and imperfect and that we often neglect to pray with a deep faith and hope in who he is.
  • Give thanks to God that in Christ God hears our prayers and that he is mighty to answer them!
  • Pray that God would give us a deeper faith, hope and joy in his perfect power and unfailing love.

Go Together

  • Write down a two or three ways Psalm 33 strengthens our praise and prayers to God. Then, take what you have written down and apply it to a prayer request (or praise) for someone in our church family. Consider praying through Psalm 33 and applying what it says about God to that situation. Commit to bring that prayer request (or praise) before God every day this week and send a card or text message or make a phone call to tell that person you are praying for them.


If you have any questions, comments, or ideas related to this Family Faith Talk guide or future guides, please let us know by leaving a comment!

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