Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 1:19-30
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Key Points
- Jesus gives us a new purpose: to be conformed into his image.
- To live is Christ. Christ is life.
- Christ himself is the focus of our life, not our devotion to Christ, but Christ.
- Because Jesus gives us a new purpose, we can:
1) Shine with courage (vs. 19-21)
2) Stay put with conviction (vs. 22-26)
3) Strive in community (vs. 27-28)
4) Suffer with confidence (vs. 29-30)
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” -Philippians 1:21 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: Go back and read our primary passage from today’s message: Philippians 1:19-30. Given the global events of this week, how are you personally convicted and encouraged by this passage?
2: What do you think Paul means when he writes in Philippians 1:21 (our memory verse for this week), “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain?”
3: If you have received a new heart in Jesus, how have you experienced Jesus guiding you to a new purpose in him, too?
4: Why do you think God’s purpose for us is to be conformed into the image of God’s Son?
5: How have you seen God forming you into the image of Christ over the last week, specifically?
6: How does the fact that Christ is our life – not our devotion to Christ, or the work we do for Christ, but Christ himself – resonate with you?
7: How is God inviting you to respond to what God has revealed to you today?
Pray
Lord, thank you for the gift and the power of prayer. We pray for all who are suffering around the world today. By your Holy Spirit, our prayers go places we are unable to go and do things we are unable to do. You are glorified not only through our prayers, but in our prayers, as we glory in you. Lord, keep us in this position of prayer. May your Holy Spirit guide our prayers when we rise in the morning, when we rest in the evening, and every moment in between. Help us hold fast to you, believing you are worth living for, and you are worth dying for.
