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

• According to verse 8, how does Paul consider all things?
• What has happened to Paul as a result of following Christ?
• What two kinds of righteousness does Paul contrast in verse 9?
• What three things does Paul want to know, according to verses 10 and 11?
• On what basis does God impart His righteousness?

Prayerfully Meditate

• What does it mean to “know” Christ Jesus? How is Paul using that word in this context?
• Look back to the qualifications Paul listed in verses 5-6 of this chapter. Why is it so significant that Paul counts all these things as “loss” and “rubbish?”
• What reasons do you have for confidence in your flesh? (intelligence, wealth, success, etc) Are these reasons necessarily bad things? If not, how are we to consider them as loss?
• In what ways are you drawn towards ‘Law-derived righteousness’ in your life? Are you tempted to trust in qualities or qualifications for your right standing before God?