Joy Ride: Car Trouble
Philippians 1:12-26
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Discuss how resolutions made last week in “growing more like Jesus” worked themselves out— what did God do in and through you (Phil 2:13)? Celebrate those together!
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Read:
Review: Remind the group of the focus of this series:
o The first sermon in the series, Final Destination” was all about the joy we can have knowing that God has an end in mind that includes us and will bring glory to Him!
o This sermon was about the way we can know God’s grace in suffering to not only endure, but to bear fruit in suffering that calls attention to Jesus!
Read the passage together: Philippians 1:12-26
Reflect:
Read Phil 1:12. Paul’s “win” even in the midst of all kinds of suffering was grounded in the advance of the Gospel:
o Paul should be complaining about all that’s gone wrong— what was it about Paul that made him able to feel that ‘a win for the Gospel is a win for me… even when things are going wrong”?
o Discuss how the Lordship of Jesus in Paul’s life changed his perspective on his situation (under house arrest in a foreign land, chained to a soldier for 2 years after being shipwrecked, mobbed, etc).
Read Phil 1:13-14. Discuss this passage.
o Paul says that ‘the whole palace guard’ knows he is in chains for Christ— why is that a good thing?
o Discuss how Paul’s chains gave the other believers in Rome greater courage.
Read Phil 1:15-18. Discuss this passage
o Paul seems to be able to discern what is important, what matters. What gives him the ability to sort through the circumstances of suffering, true and false believers, and the uncertainty to focus on something he can rejoice about?
o Paul says he is happy “the Gospel is preached”, even if they people preaching are doing so from false motives, even to the extent of causing him trouble. Why would he be happy about selfish people preaching Christ?
Read Phil 1:19-26. Discuss the passage
o Paul seems to be in a tension between (1) his hope of seeing them again, and (2) being uncertain of the outcome of the Roman courts. How do you see Paul’s faith active in both sides of that tension?
o Paul said, “To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”. If a 12-year old child were to ask you what that means, how would you explain that?
Respond: (Divide the group into pairs)
o When we face situations that do not make sense to us, but we pray for God’s grace in them, His Holy Spirit allows us to bear ‘fruit’ (forgiveness, peace, patience, love, joy…) that a watching world does not understand… and it draws their attention to Jesus!
Pray with and for each other that the Lord would draw people’s attention to “Jesus in you” through whatever it is you are dealing with right now.
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