On Sunday, Bryan Holt spoke about “The Secret of Contentment” from Philippians 4:10-13. He reminded us that “contentment is learned through trials to display Christ.” Here are some questions for application:
- Since “contentment is learned,” it is a process that takes time. Looking back over the past year, in what ways are you growing in contentment?
- If “trials are the classroom of contentment” what circumstances is God presently using in your life to develop and display contentment?
- How is your response to these circumstances putting Jesus on display for the world around you?
This past Sunday, Jeff Purswell spoke from Phil 4:4-7 on “Counsel for the Christian Soul.” He pointed out that the Gospel focuses on the state of our hearts rather than a call for superficial obedience or behavior. As a result, the Christian’s soul is meant to put the Gospel’s power on display in three ways…joy, gentleness, and peace. All three are grounded in the Gospel– “in the Lord” — rather than being dependent on circumstances. In fact, God frequently uses trials to reveal happiness that is masquerading as joy so that we shift our confidence back to the Gospel.
Here are some questions for application:
- Where can you identify a dependence on circumstances for your well-being? How can you intentionally find joy in the Lord?
- Since the nature of biblical gentleness is to absorb wrong and injustice with grace rather than responding in anger and unforgiveness. How can you cultivate gentleness in your life? (Hint: see 1 Peter 2:23)
- Jeff said “the Bible provides a worldview where anxiety makes no sense…anxiety reveals a functional belief that God is not faithful or is not wise or is not powerful.” How does this apply to anxiety in your life?
As we approach the Christmas season, let’s remember the promise from this passage: “God is near!” He has drawn near to each of us through the sacrifice of His Son. May this truth explode in your heart in the weeks ahead!
This week’s message is “Pursue Harmony” from Philippians 4:1-3. In this text, Paul provides two imperatives for Christian living: Stand Firm and Pursue Harmony. First, because our homeland is in heaven & not on earth, and we have a Savior and a glorious hope, we must stand firm by contending for the Gospel even in opposition. One way we do that is by radically pursuing relational harmony. One man wrote, “It is against the nature of the church and the community of the redeemed to confess unity in heaven and practice disunity on earth.” What are some ways God is calling you to pursue relational harmony? Who do you need to express forgiveness to or to extend love toward?
Paul also contends for the ministry of reconciliation in the church by asking a “true companion” to “help these women.” From time to time, we all need a trusted mediator to help us resolve a dispute. Are there unresolved conflicts in your life where you could ask a friend or leader for help?
At the end of the message, we viewed a short video called Perspectives from Peacemaker Ministries. Take a couple of minutes to review it by clicking here.
On Sunday, Aaron Campbell spoke about our Citizenship in Heaven from Phil 3:17 to 4:1: “This World is Not Our Home!” He pointed to trials and adversity as God’s megaphone to show us our weaknesses and lift our gaze to Him. Our weakness reminds us that this is not the way things were meant to be. Consider: How have difficulties and adversities in your life caused you to see God and treasure His promises more clearly?
Aaron also talked about the mission God has entrusted to us. “Because the future is certain, the present has meaning… God uses imperfect people in imperfect circumstances for His perfect work to go forth.” How are you doing identifying and walking in the works God has created for you?
For further reflection, Paul Tripp’s excellent article that Aaron quoted from is available here: God’s Will for Your Wait
On Sunday, Johnny Duress spoke from Ephesians 1:3-7: “Look at What God Has Done for Us!” He pointed out that God began blessing in the first chapters of Genesis in creating man and placing him in a world of blessing on every side. But that blessing was eclipsed by sending His Son to be a propitiation for our sins followed by the promise of v. 3: “God… has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing!”
- As Thanksgiving approaches, let’s consider our thankfulness quotient. How often do you give thanks for God’s amazing blessings that fill your life? Make a list of blessings you’re aware of today.
- Paul goes on to list additional blessings… predestination, adoption, redemption and forgiveness. Johnny exhorted us to think of life from the perspective of Romans 8:28… to see all of life - both blessings and trials - as coming from the hand of a loving Father. In that light, how do you think of difficult times, trials and adversity? How can you prepare your heart so that you encounter God’s kindness in future trials?
On Sunday, Gene preached from Philippians 3:7-14. Verses 7 to 11 highlight our goal to live for “know Christ Jesus,” and verses 12 to 14 describe how we do that. Here are some questions to help in application:
- We must “forget what lies behind” in order to run the race. What ways do your successes, failures, or memories tempt you to run the race “looking backward”? What commitments is God calling you to make to press on to served God?
- “Straining forward to what lies ahead” protects us from distraction and discouragement. How can we live each day with “knowing Christ” continually in view?
- In verse 12, Paul exhorts us to “press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.” Literally, we grasp Him because He first grasped us! How does our daily walk reflect a dependence on God’s work in our lives?
In Sunday’s message, Gene preached from Philippians 2:19-30 on “Real Life Examples.” We saw how Paul included these two men as living illustrations of his admonition in Philippians 1:27 to “Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” The Gospel had dramatically transformed the lives of these two men!
Timothy is an example of selfless humility in his genuine concern for God’s work…putting Jesus’ interests ahead of his own. Can you point to choices you have recently made to set aside your rights to sacrifice for others?
Epaphroditus is an example of sacrificial obedience. He was proven when he had an opportunity to make the 800 mile trip to Rome to deliver Paul’s gift. He was faithful in serving Paul, even at the risk of his own life. He was ambitious for the Gospel! How is God calling you to invest sacrificially for His glory? What godly risks can you take to bear fruit for Him?
Last Sunday, Matthew preached from Phil. 2:14-18, how God has called each of us to a life of joyful obedience.
Here are a few questions for application:
- Why does God care so much about joyful obedience?
- Has observing someone else’s joyful obedience ever caused you to marvel at who God is or what he’s done for you?
- Where do you have opportunity in your life right now to proclaim the truth about God to those around you through your obedience? Is your light bright or dim?
- How can we continue to joyfully obey even when it means we walk a path of pain or suffering?
On Sunday, Matthew taught from Philippians 2:5-11 on Authentic Humility. Here are some questions that you can use for application:
- How would you define biblical humility?
- What do you find most provoking about Christ’s example of humility?
- Where does the practice of humility conflict with the preservation of a “right” you hold dear?
- How does the exaltation of Christ affect the way you respond to injustice in your own life?
As we prepare for a new season of church life, here are some helpful points my Nancy DeMoss on preparing for and benefiting from Sunday mornings…
How to Get the Most Out of Your Pastor’s Preaching
By Nancy Leigh DeMoss (True Woman blog)
Do you ever find yourself…
- waking up on Sunday morning and wishing you didn’t have to go to church?
- having a hard time staying awake in church?
- daydreaming during the message, or making a mental “to-do” list while the pastor is preaching
- picking apart the message or the preacher in your mind or not getting anything out of the sermon?
- wishing your pastor would be more _____?
- forgetting what the message was about before you get home from church?
If we’re not benefitting from the ministry of the Word as it is publicly proclaimed in our local churches, the fault may not lie in the one proclaiming the Word. It may lie in our readiness to hear, receive, and respond to the Word.
How can you prepare your heart to get the most out of your pastor’s preaching?
Before the service
- Pray for your pastor as he prepares for Sunday. Pray that his schedule would be free from unnecessary distractions. Pray that God will give him understanding into the meaning of the Word. Pray that God will speak to him personally through the Word and that he will respond in humility and obedience. Pray that God will help him to communicate the truth with clarity, freedom, passion, and power.
- If your pastor is preaching a series from a particular book of the Bible, take time during the week to read ahead and meditate on the text. Ask God to speak to your heart before you even hear the message.
- Prepare for public worship the night before. Turn off the TV, limit social activities, and instead do things that will cultivate your appetite for God’s Word.
- Ask God to prepare your heart for the preaching of the Word. Repent of any sin God reveals to you, and get rid of the things that are standing in the way of the Word of God in your life.
- Ask God to give you a sense of anticipation. Come to church asking God to meet with you. Expect to hear from Him and to be different when you leave.
During the service
- Participate—you need to be there. You’re not going to get a lot out of church if you don’t go.
- Get to church early enough to spend a few minutes before the service quietly preparing your heart for worship. Pray for God to move—in the pastor, in your heart, in others’ hearts—and surrender your heart to whatever God will say.
- Don’t be a spectator. Participate fully in every part of the service. That means when it’s time to sing—sing. When it’s time to pray—pray. When it’s time to give—give.
- While the sermon is being preached, open your Bible and follow along. If your pastor refers to other references, look them up.
- Listen attentively to the reading and the preaching of the Word. Try to make eye contact with the pastor. Be a “yes face”! Not only does that help the pastor know people are listening and connecting, but it helps you stay alert and focused.
- Listen humbly to the preaching of the Word. Ask the Lord to make it fresh. If your heart is humble, your focus won’t be on evaluating the message or how it’s delivered; you will let the message evaluate you.
- Take notes. Jot down things the Lord speaks to you about; highlight points the Spirit applies to your heart and life. Take those notes home, and work through them later.
- Don’t make your pastor a prisoner of unrealistic expectations. Your pastor doesn’t have to be mesmerizing, entertaining, dramatic, or tell a lot of stories to be effective. You are blessed if he is a man of God who is humble, loves the Word, and opens the Word and seeks to make its meaning plain. The power is in the truth, not the messenger.
After the service
- Ask God to give you at least one takeaway from the message—a key concept, phrase, or verse that you can review throughout the week. Jot it down so you don’t forget.
- While it’s still fresh on your mind (before you leave church, on the way home from church, over the meal following the service, etc.), discuss the message with others. Share how God spoke to you.
- Be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer (James 1:22). Apply what you heard Sunday morning to real-life, everyday circumstances and situations throughout the week.
Making It Personal
- Do you highly esteem, respect, and reverence the Word of God (Neh. 8:5; Ps. 138:2)?
- Do you prepare your heart to hear the Word of God (Ps. 119:18)?
- Do you find delight in hearing the Word proclaimed?
- Do you listen attentively when the Word is being read or preached (Neh. 8:3; Ps. 85:8)?
- Do you expect God to speak to you every time you hear His Word proclaimed?
- Do you have a teachable spirit (Ps. 25:9)?
- Do you tremble at the Word of the Lord (Isa. 66:2; Ezra 9:4)?
- Do you pray for those who proclaim the Word to you, that they might be pure, anointed vessels of God (1 Thess. 5:25)?
- When the Word is preached, are you conscious that you are not listening to the words of men but to the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13)?
- Do you have a commitment to obey anything God shows you from His Word (Matt. 7:24; James 1:22–25)?
- Do you respond in faith, that is, acting on the Word you have heard (Heb. 4:2)?
- Is your heart good soil that receives the Word and produces fruit (Luke 8:15)?
- Are you willing to let the message sit in judgment of you rather than you sitting in judgment of the message?
- Do you take the message personally (James 1:22)? Or are you more focused on how it applies to the people sitting near you?
- Do you pass on to others what you’ve learned from the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:2)?
- Do you express appreciation and gratitude for those who minister the Word of God to you (Gal. 6:6; 1 Thes. 5:12-13)?
