Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 1:1-11
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 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. 7 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. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Key Points
- Jesus gives us a new heart and it changes everything about us.
- Marks of a new heart in Jesus:
1) Gratitude
2) Joy
3) Confidence
4) Encouragement
5) Love - Grateful people are joyful people.
- God will not give up on what God has started in us.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“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.”
-Philippians 1:6 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: Have you received a new heart in Jesus? If so, what do you remember about that experience of grace? If not, would you like to?
2: How have you personally been changed by the grace of Jesus and the new heart he’s given you?
3: What good work has God begun in you that God will bring to completion? How are you encouraged to know it is God who will bring it to completion?
4: How have you personally experienced Jesus as “more than enough” for you in a season when everything did not seem to be going well for you?
5: Which mark of a new heart in Jesus has been most evident in your life lately? How so?
6: Which mark of a new heart in Jesus has been least evident in your life lately? Why do you think that is?
7: How is God inviting you to respond to what you have learned today?
Pray
Lord, thank you for giving us a new heart in Christ Jesus. Thank you for beginning a good work in us and for promising to bring it to completion. By the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit, make us a people who are marked by gratitude, joy, confidence, encouragement, and love. Lord Jesus, make us a people who are marked by you – all for the glory of your name.
