A New Epistle Philippians 1:1-11 (ESV) Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Have you ever hoped for something that just shouldn’t have worked? Or wished for something despite seemingly impossible odds?
Share Your Story • What’s something you’re hoping for right now, in spite of the obstacles? • Has God met a hope of yours before? What did that look like? WATCH THE VIDEO
NorthlandChurch.net/Studies Afterward have someone read the discussion questions in the “Hear God’s Story” section and start the conversation.
Hear God’s Story and Create a New Story ROMANS 4:18-25 (NIV) Read the passages together, and then discuss the following questions.
• Why was Abraham’s faith “credited to him as righteousness” (v. 22)? Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do” (emphasis added). What is something God’s promised that you have learned you can’t do on your own? •W hat does it look like for you to live on the basis of God’s promises instead of your own limitations? • How can your community help you walk in the hope of God’s faithfulness? •W hat are needs within your group or community that you can uniquely help meet? How has God positioned you to be an emissary of hope?
• What is the hope we are called to have in Jesus (Romans 4:24-25)?
The Giant Secret of Joy
Let’s worship God together!
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A Journey with the Philippians
Give each person an opportunity to share prayer requests.
Find Your Story in God’s Story
If you feel God is nudging you to go deeper, take some time between now and our next discussion to dig into His Word. Explore the Bible passages related to this session’s theme on your own, jotting your reflections in a journal or in this study guide. Want to go deeper? Select a few verses and try paraphrasing them: writing them in your own words. If you like, share them with the group the next time you meet.
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How can you develop your trust in God so you can live more fully in hope? READ 2 CORINTHIANS 4:7-18 (NIV) • How can we have hope in the face of adversity and struggle? What does that look like? •W hat does it mean to be “renewed day by day” (v. 16)? Have you felt renewed by God before? •H ave you had the life of Jesus revealed to you through someone else? What did that do for you? •W ho are the people in your life now who need to experience the hope of Jesus revealed through your life? How can you share that with them? READ 1 PETER 3:8-15A (NIV) • Have you ever suffered for acting in love and faith? •W hat are some of the hopes you hold that are visible to the people around you? How can your hope be more visible? • How would you explain a hope that you hold in one of God’s promises? • How would you explain your hope in Jesus?
• What couldn’t Abraham do on his own? • What did God do for Abraham that seemed beyond hope (Genesis 17)?
Welcome
• I n The Message translation, Romans 4:18 reads, “When everything was hopeless,
Looking for more questions and reflections so you can keep digging deeper? There’s even more to this week’s study available on Northland’s apps or at NorthlandChurch.net/Studies.
OCTOBER 7-9, 2017
DIGGING DEEPER
Philippians 1:1-11
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