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 Philippians 4:4-9. How are these verses related to one another? Where else in Philippians does Paul tell them to rejoice in the Lord?
- What does Paul mean by “gentle spirit”? What does Paul mean by “the Lord is near”? How do these relate to v. 6?
- What does the command at the beginning of v. 6 presuppose? What is contrasted with being anxious? What is promised if we bring our requests to God in v. 7?
- What is v. 8 ultimately pointing to? Upon what/whom should we dwell?
- How is the discipleship pattern we see in v. 9 related to anxiety? What is the result of faithful discipleship according to v. 9?
Prayerfully Meditate
- Consider how we are to deal with anxiety according to this passage. What does each verse have to do with dealing with anxiety?
- How does rejoicing in the Lord help with anxiety?
- How does being gentle help with anxiety?
- How does thinking on the nearness of the Lord help with anxiety?
- How does prayer help anxiety?
- How does believing the promises of v. 7 and 9 help with anxiety?
- How does dwelling on God help with anxiety?
- How does discipleship help with anxiety?