::Note:: This was a two week discussion. Sorry for the length of the post. The past two weeks we’ve been looking at compartmentalization and how even though we might be able to hide things from others, there is NOTHING we can hide from God. Our memory verse for this study was Philippians 4:4-8. Let’s take a look at it real quick. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. These verses provide us with the challenge of four distinct spiritual disciplines that we can practice. Last week you chose one of the four and were asked to focus on that one for this week. I look forward to hearing how each of you approached it and how focusing on it gave you a different perspective on the issue. In the text we’re going to read today, a lot of cool stuff is said. But the heartbeat of this passage is found in four words, tucked inside the verses, barely noticeable. Everything Paul writes is directly connected to it. Let’s read the passage, and see if you can guess which four words I’m talking about. Read Philippians 4:2-9 2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Anda I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. What four words do you think make this whole passage stick together? :THE LORD IS NEAR The Lord is near” is a vital part of these verses. Although tucked away in the middle of what Paul is saying, everything he says hinges on that single fact, those four little words. God was near to the Philippians, he was near to Paul, and He is near to us. That gives us something to think about. God is inside of us…God cannot only see everything that we do, He knows our every thought. I want you to listen for things that God does… (we listened to the audio of Job 38 Ill put the link in the comments) How many things can you name that God did and that He asks Job to do? (There are over 40 things.) What can we learn about God from these verses? Knowing this about God, He surely knows our every thought. He is definitely present in our lives. So, let me ask again, do you live in such a way that reflects the nearness of our God? Paul lays out some ways that the nearness of God should affect our lives. As we go through each one, I will also introduce a spiritual discipline. At the end of the lesson, you will be challenged to practice one of these disciplines in order to experience the nearness of God more fully. Let’s get started! -The Nearness of God Demands Christian Community: Read Again Philippians 4:2-3 What seems to be the problem in Philippians 4:2-3? (There is some dispute between believers. We are not told what, specifically.) What is Paul advising the Philippians to do? (Help them reach reconciliation.) Can being part of the body of Christ, a church community, be annoying at times, hard, fun, or work? Sometimes we dont think of being a part of a church as a discipline, it more or less ends up being something we do and take for granted. When we talk about a Christian community, the local Body of Christ, you need to realize it takes work. We dont always get along with other Christians, but when we experience conflict, we must work at resolving it. There are Christians who live in turmoil with other Christians, through gossip, backstabbing, and lies. It’s gotta stop…it must stop. God is near; why dont we live like it? What do you think of when you think of discipline? How is discipline good? How is it unpleasant? When we talk about spiritual disciplines, we are talking about things that we do on purpose in order to grow spiritually. When you hear the word discipline, at first you may think of punishment, but that is something very different. Discipline always has growth in mind. -The Nearness of God Demands Joy Read again Phillipians 4:4 Paul says we should have joy always. Name some times that it is difficult to have joy. Why does Paul repeat himself in verse four? (We may not think of joy as a discipline because it is a fruit of the Spirit, but Paul shows us that even when it seems like a hard thing to do at the time, we need to discipline ourselves to have joy that is seen in our walk.) Remember where Paul was when he wrote these words? -The Nearness of God Demands that we Not Worry Read again Philippians 4:6-7 What were you most afraid of when you were a kid/now? Why? How did/do you deal with it? Ever notice when you’re with someone else things don’t seem as scary…What is it about being with someone else that helps us worry less? If we can realize that our Lord is near, how much easier will it be to face life day in and day out? But…no matter how close God is, we still seem to worry. Worry is a hard thing to combat, but we must. We must practice the spiritual discipline of trust. -The Nearness of God Demands Pure Thoughts We’ve already talked about how God not only sees our actions, but knows our thoughts. His brain is much more powerful than ours is. We cant keep anything from Him. That’s scary to think about, but it’s the truth. The next two verses say we should change the way we think, and they give us real helpful guidance on what to think about, instead of a “thou shalt not” list. Read again Philippians 4:8-9 What does it mean to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy? How do your thoughts affect your actions? What does God think of your thought life? Is He pleased? Think about this. If your thoughts were broadcast on an LCD screen duct-taped to your forehead, how many of your friends would still be your friends? How long would you be allowed to live in your house? Would you ever be embarrassed at church? We can laugh about it, but the truth is, our thoughts are broadcast to God, and He knows them. The way we think is a discipline. We must train our minds to think thoughts that are true, noble, etc., and some of you need this discipline more than others. Lets review. The Lord is near, and His nearness demands that we have community, that we have joy, that we don’t worry, and that our thoughts are pure. That’s a lot to work on, but every single one of us can think of at least one of those four that we need to grow. I want to challenge you to participate in a spiritual discipline this week, and next week we’ll share our experiences. This can be amazing if you’re willing to invest in it so I ask you to take this challenge seriously. The Lord is near, and we can experience His nearness more fully through action. Living in a Community Rejoice in the Lord Always Don’t Worry, be Happy Think on These Things (Each challenge will have two options. I’m not going to share what the challenge is publicly so that you can decide which one might be best for you lol… I’m going to ask you to pick one of our four disciplines that we talked about today and I will msg you later with your challenge…deal???) See you in the morning... Stand_Fast!!!
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 18:07:54 +0000