Preparing for Sunday - Philippians 2:1-11

December 23, 2016 by Sam Walker Preparing for Sunday

Prepare your heart for Sunday by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and tangibly putting scripture to action in your personal life and in our corporate body.

Carefully Think

Read Philippians 2:1-11 to prepare your heart and mind to increase in the knowledge of God and bear fruit in every good work.
Paul is building from previous verses when starting with “So” in verse 1. Read back as many verses as needed to gain the context and look for what Paul is communicating and to whom he is speaking. Is this to an individual or a group? Believers, unbelievers, or religious leaders?
What is the focus of verses 3-4? Look at the second half of verse 3. As you continue reading in verse 5, what mind is Paul talking about and whom should it be among?
How do verses 2-3 compare or contrast with verses 5-8?
What are the results of this kind of humility do you see in verses 9-11? Who is being exalted and why? Who do verses 9-11 verses impact, what is their response? Why?
The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

As verses 5-8 as an example, pray for that to impact us our hearts so we can see where we fail in verses 3-4 in our own humility.
Dwell on the response of God to the utter most humility in Christ. Would this be how you would honor someone that has be debased so vilely? Would you put yourself in a situation that would debase you for someone else’s benefit?
How do we as a church respond to Christ’s humiliation? Are we ashamed? What did the humiliation accomplish? Do we only focus on God’s exaltation of Christ? Reading through these verses does God focus on the humiliation? What about being called a sacrificial lamb, slain for others? When do we stop focusing on the humiliation and only glorification? When in Scripture does God stop dwelling on the slain lamb? (Revelation 22) Pray how this should impact our own humility as individuals and corporately.

Intentionally Act

Think of ways this past week you avoided being humiliated for the sake of Christ to give honor and glory to yourself. This could be in avoiding opportunities presented to you to share the gospel and you avoided the possible conversation. It could have been serving your brother or sister in Christ.
How can you use this passage to help you grow in humility?
Look for ways we are avoiding humility in our church and speak with others about it and prayerfully repent and turn to Christ.
Pray for our congregation, that as we gather this Sunday the Lord would use this passage to shape our souls, increase our appreciation for Christ, and make us more like him.
Click the links below to find the lyrics and recordings of the songs planned for our gathering this Sunday; practice the songs, study the lyrics and sing together.
Pray for those leading our corporate gathering this week and for the Holy Spirit’s work as the Word of God is further explained and applied: Dawson Bryant: music; Todd Arnold: Elders' prayer and Scripture reading; Bret Capranica: teaching.

Songs for Sunday

Lyrics

Lyrics Christmas Morning Gathering - December 25, 2016 by Summit Woods Baptist Church on Scribd