Beyond Sunday - Philippians 4
Beyond Sunday, Week of August 25, 2024
“Joy Ride” Week 4, Philippians 4
“Joy for a Lifetime”
Thoughts: There is a story about a pastor who picked up a hitchhiker one night. During their conversation, the pastor asked about his faith walk. The hitchhiker described times past when he felt close to God and was growing in his knowledge and depth of understanding, a time when he was maturing spiritually. He said those times ended, and now he felt God was deaf
to his prayers and holding him at a distance. He asked the pastor why God had abandoned him. The pastor was silent a while, praying to God for what to say to this man. Then, he simply asked, “What was the last thing God asked you to do?” The hitchhiker began to sob uncontrollably. He never answered the question, and just silently exited the car when they arrived at his destination.
To me, that story hits many of Troy’s points from Sunday. There was some disobedience in that hitchhiker’s life that stunted his spiritual growth, some lack of trust in God and some error in his thinking at the root of that disobedience. Obviously, he had been praying, but perhaps his prayers were more transactional than relational. Whatever it was, it had robbed the man of
his joy.
Read: Daniel 3:16-18, Luke 12:4-5, John 16:33
• Having an eternal perspective is foundational to having Biblical joy, the hope of eternal life.
o How does the story of the three friends in Daniel display that perspective?
o Notice that God did not keep them from being thrown into the fire, nor did he immediately yank them out of the fire. But he did save them through the fire. Explain in your own words why God would operate that way, and what that tells you about God.
• How does knowing that Jesus has “…overcome the world” help you deal with life’s troubles?
Read: Matthew 6:9-13, Hebrews 10:19-23, Proverbs 3:5-6, Mark 14:32-36
• Joy is found in a deep personal relationship with our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Like any relationship, it is based on mutual knowledge and appreciation, and in consistent heart-felt communication. Jesus gave us what we commonly call “The Lord’s Prayer” as a model—not a formula—for our more personal, relational prayers.
o How could you make your prayers more personal and relational, and less transactional?
o How does knowing what Jesus did for us give you confidence to enter into God’s holy presence in prayer, “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?
• Where in life is it difficult for you to trust God, and not “lean on your own understanding”?
• Jesus’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is the ultimate example of trusting God, no matter His answer to prayer.
o Describe a situation in which it was/is difficult to trust God, regardless of His answer to your prayer.
o How does/might hindsight help you see how trustworthy God was in that situation?
Read: Romans 8:5-7, 2 Peter 1:3-8
• When you surrendered to God you became a “new creation.” It is like a vehicle that originally had a diesel engine and then was converted to an engine designed to run on gasoline. You can no longer put diesel fuel into it and expect it to operate properly. Allowing into your life some of the things Troy described, like worldly media and pastimes, anger, or bitterness, is like trying to operate your new gasoline engine on diesel. Right (godly) thinking and living is the fuel you now need.
o What are you allowing into your life that may be inhibiting your spiritual growth/maturity?
o What could you remove from, or add to, your life that would give you a “mind governed by the Spirit”?
Pray: Pray using the Lord’s Prayer as a model, replacing your own words to describe your love and gratitude for Him, to express your needs, and to submit fully to His will. Or, this might be a good time to revisit and use that A.C.T.S. prayer model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) in your prayer time. Praise God for who He is; confess any areas where
you still battle against sin; thank God for all He has done for you; ask Him for what you and/or others need. You can learn more about the model here.
Next Steps:
• Commit to a time of daily Scripture reading and prayer. Try using the YouVersion Bible App or subscribe to their online Verse of the Day.
• We are better together, and healing comes when we gather in a community of others who want to think and act like Jesus. If you are not already in a RHC Small Group, join one today by going to the website or the RHC App.
“Joy Ride” Week 4, Philippians 4
“Joy for a Lifetime”
Thoughts: There is a story about a pastor who picked up a hitchhiker one night. During their conversation, the pastor asked about his faith walk. The hitchhiker described times past when he felt close to God and was growing in his knowledge and depth of understanding, a time when he was maturing spiritually. He said those times ended, and now he felt God was deaf
to his prayers and holding him at a distance. He asked the pastor why God had abandoned him. The pastor was silent a while, praying to God for what to say to this man. Then, he simply asked, “What was the last thing God asked you to do?” The hitchhiker began to sob uncontrollably. He never answered the question, and just silently exited the car when they arrived at his destination.
To me, that story hits many of Troy’s points from Sunday. There was some disobedience in that hitchhiker’s life that stunted his spiritual growth, some lack of trust in God and some error in his thinking at the root of that disobedience. Obviously, he had been praying, but perhaps his prayers were more transactional than relational. Whatever it was, it had robbed the man of
his joy.
Read: Daniel 3:16-18, Luke 12:4-5, John 16:33
• Having an eternal perspective is foundational to having Biblical joy, the hope of eternal life.
o How does the story of the three friends in Daniel display that perspective?
o Notice that God did not keep them from being thrown into the fire, nor did he immediately yank them out of the fire. But he did save them through the fire. Explain in your own words why God would operate that way, and what that tells you about God.
• How does knowing that Jesus has “…overcome the world” help you deal with life’s troubles?
Read: Matthew 6:9-13, Hebrews 10:19-23, Proverbs 3:5-6, Mark 14:32-36
• Joy is found in a deep personal relationship with our God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Like any relationship, it is based on mutual knowledge and appreciation, and in consistent heart-felt communication. Jesus gave us what we commonly call “The Lord’s Prayer” as a model—not a formula—for our more personal, relational prayers.
o How could you make your prayers more personal and relational, and less transactional?
o How does knowing what Jesus did for us give you confidence to enter into God’s holy presence in prayer, “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?
• Where in life is it difficult for you to trust God, and not “lean on your own understanding”?
• Jesus’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane is the ultimate example of trusting God, no matter His answer to prayer.
o Describe a situation in which it was/is difficult to trust God, regardless of His answer to your prayer.
o How does/might hindsight help you see how trustworthy God was in that situation?
Read: Romans 8:5-7, 2 Peter 1:3-8
• When you surrendered to God you became a “new creation.” It is like a vehicle that originally had a diesel engine and then was converted to an engine designed to run on gasoline. You can no longer put diesel fuel into it and expect it to operate properly. Allowing into your life some of the things Troy described, like worldly media and pastimes, anger, or bitterness, is like trying to operate your new gasoline engine on diesel. Right (godly) thinking and living is the fuel you now need.
o What are you allowing into your life that may be inhibiting your spiritual growth/maturity?
o What could you remove from, or add to, your life that would give you a “mind governed by the Spirit”?
Pray: Pray using the Lord’s Prayer as a model, replacing your own words to describe your love and gratitude for Him, to express your needs, and to submit fully to His will. Or, this might be a good time to revisit and use that A.C.T.S. prayer model (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication) in your prayer time. Praise God for who He is; confess any areas where
you still battle against sin; thank God for all He has done for you; ask Him for what you and/or others need. You can learn more about the model here.
Next Steps:
• Commit to a time of daily Scripture reading and prayer. Try using the YouVersion Bible App or subscribe to their online Verse of the Day.
• We are better together, and healing comes when we gather in a community of others who want to think and act like Jesus. If you are not already in a RHC Small Group, join one today by going to the website or the RHC App.
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