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November 7, 2021
Jailhouse Joy: Think About Such Things
Philippians is Paul’s most joyful letter even though he’s in jail, he’s old, people are behaving poorly and it’s not clear if things will get any better. Can there be real joy when circumstances are awful?
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Philippians 4:8-9
Message Questions:
- When Paul talks about the “peace of God” what do you envision? What would a full-blown case of the “peace of God” look like in your life?
- Verse 8 lists the following qualities: “whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy”. As a group, go through each of the qualities listed and identify items that qualify for ‘good thinking’. Give yourself good energy and space for this question!
- Bring to mind good teaching or modeling that you have ‘learned’, ‘received’, ‘heard’, or ‘seen’. How are you practicing what you’ve been taught? If you don’t currently have a ‘practice plan’ are you interested in getting started? Why or why not?
- Do you think the “God of Peace will be with you” because you do these things or as you do these things? What’s the difference between the two?
Extend your small group discussion with the expanded guide for today’s message. It includes more questions and soul training practices for you and your small group.
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Recent Sermons
Ezra 3:10-13 - The book of Ezra tells the story of the return of God’s people from exile. The account details the extra care that was taken by the returnees in doing their best to reproduce what they once had. Very quickly, they got the old altar operational and began to rebuild the temple. Our story is about what they chose to do on the day the foundation of the new temple was in place. There was a party that didn’t feel like a party for everyone, and that’s just honest!
Daniel 6:1-24-The book of Daniel is all about the Sovereignty of God. The God of Israel proves himself sovereign even in faraway Babylon: boys receive foreign favour and are released from having to eat rich and potentially unkosher food. Young men are saved from a fiery furnace, and old man Daniel doesn’t get eaten by a den of hungry lions. God proves he’s not limited by international borders, arrogant kings or wild beasts. All of this points forward to Jesus, who demonstrated his sovereignty (he is God, after all!) in different ways.
Ezekiel 36:22-28- The people of God deserved to be in exile in Babylon. They had betrayed their relationship with God by worshipping idols and committing horrible acts of violence. But instead of giving up on his people, God goes with them into exile. He shows up with a message of hope: he will bring them back, clean them up, and make them new. It was good news for the Israelites, and it’s good news for us today.
Isaiah 6:1-10 - Most of Isaiah’s writings don’t have a timestamp on them, but one event does. The day that he had his most profound encounter with God was shortly after King Uzziah died. King Uzziah would have been on the throne long before Isaiah was born and would have been the only king that Isaiah knew. That’s a big loss. Sometimes, God is able to meet us best when we’re tender from loss or grief.
1 Kings 18:16-39 - Elijah lived at odds with his culture. An evil king (and queen!) wanted him dead, so he went into hiding. After 3 years, God prompted him to set up a showdown: Yahweh vs. Ba’al, good vs. evil, a battle to the death. Sadly, good’s triumph barely left a mark on the life of his country. Thankfully, there was another good vs evil showdown years later, and its impact is still being felt around the world.
1 Kings 12:1-16: King Rehoboam continues the descent that has been the story of the kings since the throne was established. No one seems to be able to get it right. Leadership is tough. It requires listening to God and keen self-awareness. Rehoboam’s legacy is that he divided the people of God. May that never happen again.
