Five
times received 39 lashes from the Jews, three times beaten with rods, once he
was stoned (I don’t think this
means he was on drugs), three times
shipwrecked at sea, spent a night and day adrift at sea, during frequent
journeys he was in danger from rivers, robbers, his own people, the Gentiles,
danger in the city, in the wilderness, at sea, and from false brothers. Experienced toil and hardship, many sleepless
nights, hunger and thirst often without food, and experienced cold and
exposure. On top of all of this was his
anxiety for all the churches. II
Corinthians 11:24-28
And yet we read in his letter to
the Philippians these familiar but sometimes perplexing words: “For me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 1:21
As you move forward from your
previous series, The Signature of Jesus, and
work your way through Philippians you will see the word “joy” is found at least
20 times in this book. When seen in
relation to the whole of scripture we find if our life in Jesus is real, then
joy should be overflowing. But true joy
does not seem to come easy. Mike Mason
in his book, Champagne for the Soul, says
this: “The search for joy is inseparable from spiritual warfare. Anybody who wants to be happy will have to
fight for it.”
We will spend most of our time
this Sunday in Philippians 1:20-26. In
these verses there are two words which seem to be contrasted to one another: ashamed
and honored (some translations use the
word exalted).
- What do you think of when you hear the word “ashamed?” Are there any times in your live when you experienced shame? Why was this?
- Likewise, what do you think of when you hear the word “honored.” Are there any times in your life when you experienced being honored or honoring someone or something? Why was this?
- In Daniel chapter 3, we read the familiar Sunday school story of Shadrech, Meshach, and Abednego. What do we learn about shame and honor as they lived their lives?
- Paul explains what he means when he says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” How does he explain this and do you agree?
- Agree or disagree with the following definition of faith: “Faith is the confidence or trust that we put in a person who has given us cause to think that he/she is reliable and is able and willing to help us in our need.” If true, how does this help us to see what Paul describes as “joy in the faith.”
- For those of you who remember singing an old hymn, “Jesus Is All The World To Me,” meditate on the words of this hymn. If you don’t know the hymn, look it up on the internet and listen to the message.
