Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.
• Read through the first 12 verses to refresh the context.
• What are the main verbs in verse 11? What additional verbs are there in the sentence that explain what is going on with the main verb?
• In verse 11, who is praying the prayer? To what end is the prayer being prayed? How can you tell? (hint: look for the keyword "that").
• Why would Paul be praying that God will count them worthy of their calling? Is there something that would hinder them being worthy?
• Whose desires are to be fulfilled? What does it mean by goodness?
• How does the "work of faith with power" relate to the prayer? What is the "work of faith with power?"
• "So that" often is seen as a result of something prior in writing. What is the result here and what is a result from?
• Is Paul saying that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in the Thessalonians and also in Jesus by this result or is there some other meaning?
• What is the "grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ?" (hint - look for other times Paul uses the "grace of God or the grace of Jesus Christ in this letter).

Prayerfully Meditate

• How does this prayer model something for us to pray as individuals and the church?
• By what measure are we held to be "worthy of our calling"?
• How could "every" desire for goodness be fulfilled?
• To what end do you daily work, spend your money, and your time? What does this say about your desires?
• How do you define the grace of God? Is it "just" undeserved favor? Can you define that and be trusting in that to get you through your day and persevere for a lifetime? Or is there something more to understand in God's grace?
• Do you trust the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ to glorify God? How do you display this trust in your words and actions? Is there a grumble, a sigh, or anxious thought over what you have? Are you holding this things in your power or of the Lord's grace?