PHILIPPIANS 4. Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade. Setting the Heart. Digging In. Personal. Prep. Session 9. Learning to Be Like Christ

Transcription

1 PHILIPPIANS 4 Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade Setting the Heart You ve heard this simple maxim: Be present where you are. Despite the wisdom of this simple phrase, how many of us truly live our lives in the present? It s so easy to fall into the trap of anticipating the next thing, to the neglect of our current circumstances. If we re single, we want to get married. If we re married, we can t wait to have children. If we live in an apartment, we want a house. If our children are grown, we want a few grandchildren. As you prepare for this final session in Philippians, read the verses below as you take a quick inventory of your current situation in life. Are you maximizing your present circumstances and available resources? Are you being faithful with the few things God has entrusted to you? Or are you hoping and waiting for things to change? As you read this passage, be sure to note the all-encompassing words like all and every. Allow your heart to be encouraged by Truth. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:8 11 Digging In At the close of his letter to the Philippians, Paul got personal with his readers, sharing more about the immediate circumstances of his life with his Philippian friends. Read Philippians 4:10 23 using your Scripture sheets. As you read, use a distinctive color or symbol to mark every mention of Paul. After you ve finished, make a detailed list of what you learn about Paul. Personal Prep 133 1

2 Personal Prep 134 In verse 12, Paul said that he had learned to be content whatever the circumstances. What do you think Paul was saying here? Digging Deeper You ve gotta wonder whether in Paul s day they were saying the same motivational one-liners we hear today: Bloom where you re planted. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Rather than curse the darkness, light a candle. Sure they re cliché, but they do a pretty good job of summing up the biblical response to life s challenging circumstances. Paul s contentment is enviable, but his words reveal that this type of contentment didn t come naturally for him. Use your Bible to look up the Scripture passages below. As you read these verses, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you on the subject of contentment. Journal your observations and thoughts beneath the verse references. Paul s School Where He Learned Contentment 1 Corinthians 4: Corinthians 11: Corinthians 12:7 10 Some Thoughts from Jesus on Contentment Matthew 25:14 30 (Note the words of the master to the servants) Luke 12:22 34 More Insight from Paul 1 Timothy 6:3 12

3 Wisdom from Proverbs Proverbs 17:1 Proverbs 30:8 9 Taking It Inward What are the life challenges you re facing right now? Finances? Health? School pressures? Job anxieties? Not knowing God s will for your future? Let today be the day when you begin learning as Paul did to be content in every circumstance. What needs to change in order for you to begin worrying less about your life and more about advancing God s kingdom (Luke 12)? How can you begin maximizing the kingdom resources God has already entrusted to you? What adjustments can you make to become more content with your lot in life? How can this contentment put you in a better position to be used by God? Paul said that he learned the secret to being content in every situation. Did he tell us that secret? Reread Philippians 4:12 13 and see whether he revealed anything. Write below what you think Paul s secret was. Digging Deeper Now read Philippians 4:14 20 again, using your Scripture sheets. As you read, mark every reference to the Philippians. Circle every reference that describes their giving. Draw a rainbow over any promises. Then respond to the questions on the following page. Personal Prep 135 1

4 Personal Prep 136 What did you learn about the Philippians giving? What promise of God did Paul share with them? Taking It Inward The Philippians continual support of Paul especially when contributions from the other churches had dropped off brought about a special relationship between Paul and this church. The gifts from the Philippians seemed to come to Paul at his neediest moments. And while Paul himself couldn t possibly reciprocate in generosity, he reminded them of Someone who could! The beauty of this was that though the Philippians were giving out of their limited resources, God would be giving to them out of His limitless resources (see verse 19). To whom can you be a Philippian? Think about the people around you who may be in need. Perhaps your assistance to them is to come in the form of money, time, attention, or perhaps a simple card. Allow God s Spirit to speak to your heart as He calls these people to your mind. People in Need of Assistance Paul s promise in Philippians 4:19 isn t necessarily a promise of material wealth but it does guarantee that as we give to others, our lives will be enriched beyond measure. By paying attention to the needs of people, the Philippians entered into an abundantly rich level of existence. Would you like to experience this in your life? Begin by being attentive to the needs of the people you listed above. Then watch how rich your life becomes. Start now by jotting down an idea beside each name. Try to act on at least one idea before you meet with your students. Wrapping It Up Spend some time collecting your thoughts and convictions on these closing verses in Philippians. What has God taught you? What has He asked you to do?

5 Congratulations on completing your study in Philippians! Do you know the book better than before you started? More importantly, do you know Christ in a deeper way than you did before? Have you learned more about what it means to be like Christ in humility, in obedience, in your thoughts, and in your circumstances? With that question in mind, look back over your Personal Preps, and connect with how Paul s letter to the Philippians has helped you become more like Christ. Journal your thoughts below. Personal Prep 137 1

6 PHILIPPIANS 4 Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade Philippians 4 1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Leader Scripture Sheet 139 Sessions 8 & 9

7 Leader Scripture Sheet 140 Sessions 8 & 9 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

8 PHILIPPIANS 4 Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade Materials Needed For this session you ll need Scripture sheets for Philippians 4, colored pencils (at least two colors per student), a chalk/dry-erase board, and student journal pages for. If you plan to give a prize to the student who can correctly answer the Bonus review question, you ll need to purchase this. Students will need their Bibles, pens, and notebooks. Optional: Magic markers (one or two per student), one sheet of poster board for the group, and one shipping or mailing label per student. (The shipping size is better. These may already be perforated. If not, you ll need to cut them ahead of time. Leave the labels affixed to the backing.) Session Intro Goals of As students experience the closing verses of Philippians 4, they will... see how Paul learned to be content in every situation; examine their own life situations and begin learning contentment; be challenged to imitate the Philippians in giving of their time and resources to the needy people around them. Prayer After the group members have gathered, begin in prayer. Reflect on Paul s statement the theme of this study I want to know Christ. Ask the Lord to use these final verses in Philippians to bring you and the group members one step closer to knowing Him. Review Help your students stay connected to the big themes of Philippians by asking: What were the eight things Paul told us to think about in Philippians 4? (Encourage them to use the sentence they created to remember these.) Did anyone think to run his/her thoughts through the thought filter this past week? How did it work? Bonus Question: Who were the two people Paul pleaded with, asking them to agree with one another? Lesson Plan 141

9 Lesson Plan 142 Digging In Begin the session by diving right into Philippians 4. Have the students read Philippians 4:10 13 using their Scripture sheets. As they read, they should use a unique color or symbol to mark every mention of Paul (remind them to look for pronouns like I ). Then, in the margin of their Scripture sheet, ask them to make a list of everything they learn about Paul. After a few minutes, ask the group to tell you what they listed. Record this information on the board as follows: Paul -He s learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (v. 11) -He knows what it is to be in need and to have plenty. (v. 12) -He s learned the secret of being content in any and every situation: -whether well fed or hungry. -whether living in plenty or in want. (v. 12) -He can do everything through Christ who gives him strength. (v. 13) Then discuss the information on the board, asking these questions: What message was Paul conveying to his readers? Do you think being content in any situation came naturally for Paul? Why or why not? Why do you think this message is important to God? (After all, it made it into His Book!) Do you think it s possible for us to be content in every situation? Why or why not? Taking It Inward Ask each student to think of a particularly hard or challenging life situation. This can be something they re experiencing right now or something they fear facing in the future. Have them write this in the space provided on their journal pages. Then discuss the following questions. You may want to record their responses on the board. What are some unbearable situations that you or teenagers in general are facing right now? -difficult home life -pressure from friends to do things you don t want to do -no friends -struggles with grades -a life-threatening disease, like cancer -the death of a friend or family member -rejection of friends because you re a Christian

10 I Wanna Be Like Christ! 1 Student Journal

11 PHILIPPIANS 4 Philippians 4 1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! 2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Student Scripture Sheet 9 Sessions 8 & 9

12 Student Scripture Sheet 10 Sessions 8 & 9 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

13 PHILIPPIANS 4 Blooms, Candles, and Lemonade Taking It Inward Challenging Life Situations Paul s School Where He Learned to Be Content 1 Corinthians 4: Corinthians 11: Corinthians 12:7 10 Other Insights on the Subject Jesus Matthew 25:14 30 (Note the words of the master to the servants) Luke 12:22 34 Paul 1 Timothy 6:3 12 Student Journal 33

14 Student Journal 34 Proverbs Wisdom Proverbs 17:1 Proverbs 30:8 9 My Grade Report from the School of Contentment In light of the verses you just read, give yourself a grade in the following classes: Material Things 101 I m totally content I want more A B C D F Coping with Challenges and Difficulties I can endure with God s help. I want them removed now! A B C D F Accepting Myself I m maximizing what God gave me I m wishing I could change A B C D F Now complete the following sentences by circling one of the options given. When life gives me lemons, I: a. get sour! b. make lemonade! When life gets dark, I tend to: a. stumble around in the darkness. b. light a candle. I usually tend to: a. bloom wherever I m planted. b. wish I were planted someplace else!