WE DISCOVER JOY WHEN WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE THINGS TAHT MATTER MOST. (Philippians 1:1-6)
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SERMON NOTES:
Discover Joy!
Philippians 1:1-6
We discover joy when we are grateful for the things that matter most.
Grateful to be a saint. (1-2)
Grateful for true Christian fellowship. (3-5)
Grateful for God’s work. (6)
study questions:
For the Next Lesson – Philippians 1:1-6
1. Warm-up. When meeting someone, how do you introduce yourself? Do you talk about your family, your job, your faith, something else? As you study through this passage consider the different ways that you could describe yourself based just on these six verses.
2. Read verses 1-2.Who wrote this letter, and how does he describe himself? Could you describe yourself the same way? Why or why not? To whom is this letter written, and how are these people described? What does this mean? Could you be described the same way as the recipients of this letter? Why or why not? What is the greeting given? How does this greeting describe who we are in Christ Jesus?
3. Read verses 3-5.The theme in these three verses is Paul’s thankfulness. Who is Paul thankful to? When is he thankful?How is he thankful? Why is he thankful (see 2:25, 4:18; 2 Corinthians 11:9)? Notice the word “partnership” (“participation” in some translations).This is the Greek word koinonia which we also translate “fellowship”. As you consider these verses, how can we cultivate true Christian fellowship? How can the idea of fellowship shape the way we see ourselves?
4. Read verse 6.What is Paul sure about? What is the “good work” Paul is describing here? Who does this “good work”? Why is this work “good”? How is this work brought to completion, and when will this happen? How does the “good work” described here shape your view of God and of yourself?
5. So what. Take a few moments to list the different things that are true about you based on these verses. Take a few moments to read through theses verses again and list what they say about God. What truth about who you are in Christ encourages you from this passage and why? Why truth about God encourages you and why? What is your one big takeaway from this passage that applies directly to your life?