WEEK ONE
Day Four
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 1:12
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Know: Read Philippians 1:12-17
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
Advance the gospel, chains, some preach out of envy and rivalry
Observation:
Who was being influenced despite Paul’s imprisonment?
Why would others preach Christ out of envy and rivalry?
How was the gospel being advanced?
What: How is your hope barometer?
“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things [which happened] to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.” Philippians 1:12-17
Paul was imprisoned for advancing the Gospel. Historians say his cell was small, cold, and lonely. Sewage ran past his cell, so conditions were unthinkable. Despite his living conditions and the constant misunderstandings and rivalries among those trying to pervert the gospel, Paul continued in hope and encouraged the churches. God always uses what the enemy tries to take in order to stop the advancement of truth, grace and life and turns it into His victory.
At the climax of Joseph’s story found in Genesis 37-47, his brothers had just discovered that the powerful Egyptian ruler who had caused them great fear and confusion was indeed thier brother whom they had sold into slavery many years before.
For many years, Joseph endured slavery, accusation, and prison under the Egyptians' rule. Joseph, though, chose to believe in his father's God and trusted in His wisdom. Because of Joseph’s wisdom, Pharoah elevated him to second in command.
Standing before him, shocked by the revelation that the plans of killing him had led to this; thier salvation, Joseph assured them, “Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.” Genesis 45:4-8
Through Joseph's trials and suffering his character became refined and strengthened as he learned to trust God. God used the situation He was in to bring Him glory and ultimately save his family’s life. Joseph did not blame them, nor did he grow bitter and revengeful. He could probably look back and see how his proud arrogance had led to his brother’s jealousy, which in turn led him to become a man of great importance in a foreign land. While he was in prison, Joseph hoped in the Lord.
To hope (elpis) isn’t our definition of “ I wish.” It means “joyful, confident expectation.” The moment we believe a truth, hope fills our hearts.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ( Romans 15:13) Contrast that with hopelessness.
Hopelessness is putting confidence in false expectations. Hopelessness comes when we believe in a lie.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
You were saved by believing in Jesus, but you get free by believing like Jesus. We destroy lies that lead to hopelessness by lining them up against the truth of who Jesus is.
In the gospel of John, Jesus’ disciples wanted to understand who God was, as revealed by Jesus.
“Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own [authority]; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. "Believe Me that I [am] in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:8-12)
The deciples failed to see that they did not need Jesus to tell them who God was. Jesus was God. Anything Jesus said or did was who the Father is. The deciples had to unlearn who they believed God to be and relearn Him through the medium of Jesus.
We will always act in faith in what we believe to be true.
When we feel hopeless because of trials, we have failed to see Jesus; we believe God to be someone other than who He is.
If you can’t find it in Jesus, you can’t find it in the Father.
If we believe God is allowing us to go through suffering to punish us or to teach us something, we are going to slip into hopelessness. Our hope comes from knowing the nature of God when we know that God is always good. His nature is healer, provider, protector, our righteousness, our peace, the One who is there, etc.; when we are tempted to believe the opposite about Him in regards to our situation, the way to hope is to take the truth of His nature and line it up to our belief regarding our situation and choose to believe the truth.
That is how strongholds are broken, and hope is ignited.
Recently, I saw a movie called The Windermere Children. It was a true story of children who had been rescued from concentration camps after World War Two. They were sent to a home to be introduced to living outside of the camps. Each child was given a bed and three meals a day. On the first day, after being washed and led into the dining room, the children were seated at a table with baskets of warm bread in each table's center.
All eyes were on the bread as the priest blessed the meal. Before he could utter a word, the children dove toward the bread, greedily grabbing as many loaves as thier hands could carry and stuffing them in pockets as they scrambled out of the dining hall and into secret corners to hide thier bread or privately devour it.
The caretakers were shocked by the children’s behavior. Didn’t the kids know that there was plenty of bread for everyone?
It took months to deprogram the children to believe that they were no longer prisoners.
We have been programmed by the world, the enemy, and religion to believe that God is withholding something from us. The truth is that God has provided everything for us; do we believe that he has?
The Holy Spirit can teach us wisdom if our trials come because of our poor choices. He will help us even in our foolishness, and we will grow wiser.
If our trials have come because of the enemy, we have been given a powerful tool: the name of Jesus. We will cover this in chapter two.
How is your Hope barometer?
Are you living in worry, fear, anxiousness, or anger?
Do you not know what your God-given assignment is?
Do you feel unworthy, struggle with sin, and say I can’t do more than I can?
Are you choosing “safe” over taking risks for the kingdom because you fear being disappointed or wrong?
If so, here are five steps you can do to turn lies into truth:
Recognize where you have lost hope.
Bring the lie out of darkness and into the light.
Shine the truth over the lie.
Ask: What truth do I need to believe to have hope?
Renew your mind by speaking your way out of it.
For example, let’s say that I have been struggling with sickness for many years, and I can no longer see myself healed. When I recognize that Jesus paid for my healing on the cross, I can acknowledge that I lost hope for healing. I take the lie that I will never be healed, and I will live with this forever. I then take the truth: “By His wounds, I have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 and make it my declaration. Instead of saying, “I am sick,” I say, “Jesus took my sickness, so I don’t have to. Body, line up with that truth!” I can speak life over my body instead of sickness.
In what way can you do the same?