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PHILLIPPIANS – Study Guide – English Know Jesus More

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PHILLIPPIANS – Study Guide – English Know Jesus More PHILLIPPIANS – Study Guide – English Know Jesus more intimately through experiencing? His power that is faithfully working in me (Phil. 1:6) His joy, even in the midst of suffering (Phil. 1:18-20) His humility that puts others first (Phil. 2:3-8) His all-surpassing worth and lordship over everything in my life (Phil. 3:7-8) His call to forget the past and press upward, closer to Him (Phil. 3:13-14) His peace that guards my heart and mind as I pray and let go of my anxiety (Phil. 4:6-7) His truth as I encounter what the world puts in my mind (Phil. 4:8) His contentment in the midst of uncertain situations (Phil. 4:11) His strength in me to do all things-anything and everything that comes my way (Phil. 4:13) His provision to meet all my needs (Phil. 4:19) 1 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE – Philippians 1 SESSION I DAY ONE – Scripture to be studied today: Acts 16 1. For the story of the Church in Philippi, read Acts 16. The church Paul established there was the first church in mainland Europe. Read Acts 16. a. How is Philippi described in Acts 16:12? b. In Acts 16 three people were affected by Paul and his ministry. Name each one and give a brief description of what happened in their lives. c. How do Paul and Silas’ actions in prison (Acts 16:25) exemplify the filling of the Spirit as described in Ephesians 5:18-20? 2. Because of the use of the first person “we” in Acts 16:10-12, it would appear that Luke, the writer of Acts, joined Paul when he went into Macedonia. Who else was with Paul in Philippi as mentioned in Acts 16? a. Who was with Paul while writing the letter to the Philippian church according to Philippians 1:1? b. By what affectionate term did Paul address Timothy in I Timothy 1:2? c. Read II Timothy 1:1-4. What do these verses tell you about Paul’s feelings toward the younger man, Timothy? 2 DAY TWO – Scripture to be studied today: Overview and Philippians 1:3-7. 1. Read the first chapter of Philippians. Look for expressions of Paul’s feelings and references to his circumstances. Jot down words/phrases that express these. a. Paul’s feelings b. Paul’s circumstances c. How can these two be reconciled? What clues did Paul give in this chapter as to why he could feel the way he did in spite of his circumstances? 2. Perhaps Philippians 1:3-5 gives some insight as to what motivated the joy in Paul’s heart. a. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” We must be careful that we are not so focused on our own circumstances that we do not see others and what they mean to us. 3. Paul’s confidence expressed in Philippians 1:6 may also have contributed to his feelings of joy. a. What was the “good work” to which he referred? Also read John 1:12, 13. b. Who initiates the good work? c. Who takes responsibility for its progress? d. Who guaranties the outcome? 3 DAY THREE – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 1:8-11. 1. Paul not only praised God for the Philippian Christians, he prayed for them. Read Paul’s prayer in Philippians 1:8-11. a. How do you visualize “love abounding more and more”? Is there a picture that comes to your mind? Philippians 1 #20 Page 3 2. Philippians 1:10 in the Phillips Translation reads: “I want you always to recognize the highest and the best….” When we abound in love and approve things that are excellent, what will be the result in our lives? 3. Paul further defined a sincere and blameless life as one filled with the “fruit of righteousness” in verse 11. a. What is the source of our ability to “bear the fruit of righteousness”? Read both Philippians 1:11 and John 15:1-8. b. Righteousness as used here is right conduct resulting from a right relationship with God. What does righteousness/unrighteousness prove according to I John 3:7, 10? 4 DAY FOUR – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 1:12-26. 1. In our passage for study today, Paul demonstrated by his personal testimony, the genuineness of his faith-for it is how one handless adversity that determines the depth of his spiritual experience. Read Philippians 1:12-26. a. When Paul looked back on his imprisonment, what reason did he see for his being in jail? Philippians 1:12, 13 b. What resulted from his imprisonment as indicated in verse 14? c. Did Paul allow the wrong motives/actions of other people to destroy his joy? Philippians 1:15-18 2. What did Paul mean when he stated “For to me, to live is Christ”? a. How do Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20 help explain his philosophy of life? 3. Paul was aware that he was facing death. To him, both life and death were desirable. a. Which would he have chosen and why? b. What other considerations did he have to take into account? c. In general, how do people feel about death? Do many people share Paul’s eager anticipation of it? Why or why not? 5 DAY FIVE – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 1:27-30. 1. Paul, in the next paragraph, exhorted the Philippians to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of Gospel. a. What aspects of worthy conduct are described in verse 27? b. What do you think Paul meant by “in one spirit, with one mind”? c. What does it require of each individual in a group if there is going to be a spirit of oneness? d. How important is this to “striving together for the faith”? 2. Paul told us that we are not only to believe in God, but we are to suffer for His sake. a. What does the passage in I Peter 4:12-16 teach us about suffering? b. We do not suffer today as the early Christians suffered for their faith. In what ways are Christians today suffering for their faith? 3. What have you learned from the first chapter of Philippians about maintaining an attitude of joy in all our circumstances? 6 WORKMEN OF THE WORD-II TIMOTHY 2:15 BIBLE STUDY GUIDE – Philippians 2 SESSION I - Continued DAY ONE – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 2:1-4. 1. Paul called for his readers to walk worthy of the gospel by demonstrating a unity that is a witness to who they were. Read Philippians 1:27 with 2:1-4, especially noting the use of the words “one” and “same”. 2. Unity comes from our mutual benefits in Jesus Christ. What do we have “in Christ” according to Philippians 2:1? 3. In Philippians 2:2 Paul stated that his joy will be complete when these benefits in Christ cause believers to be examples of unity. What four things did he desire? 4. Philippians 2:3, 4 give the method for obtaining and maintaining unity. What directives are given in these verses? 5. Whose responsibility is to maintain these attitudes-the Body as a whole or individuals within the Body? What words or phrases indicate this? DAY TWO – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 2:5-8. 1. Paul had urged the believers to maintain certain attitudes that build unity, but these are not natural or easy. He went on to explain that Jesus Christ has shown us how it can be done. What is the command of Philippians 2:5? 2. In order to understand the attitude and actions of Jesus, we must first look at who He is. Paul said “He existed in the form of God (possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God.).” Philippians 2:6. What do you learn about Jesus from John 7 8:58 and Hebrews 1:1-3 concerning His pre-existence and His divine nature? 3. We are also told that “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” a. Who was Jesus obeying? Mark 14:36; John 10:18 b. Read Philippians 2:8 with Galatians 3:13. How does this explain why the means of death was important and specifically mentioned? DAY THREE – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 2:9-11. 1. Read Philippians 2:9-11. The word “t h e r e f o r e” could be “consequently” or “for this reason.” Considering what we have learned about Jesus in Philippians 2:6-8, tell why you think God “highly exalted Him.” 2. What do you learn about the ascension of Jesus Christ from the following verses? a. Luke 22:66-69 b. Luke 24:50, 51 with Acts 1:9-11 3. Paul has impressed upon us our need to have Christ’s attitude in all things. What is our responsibility and the promise that is ours if we apply His heart attitude to our lives? a. Luke 14:11 b. II Timothy 2:11, 12 c. I Peter 5:6 8 DAY FOUR – Scripture to be studied today: Philippians 2:12-18. 1. We see Paul’s progression of thought as we proceed to our passage of study today. In Philippians 2:6-8 he gave the example of Christ’s obedience; in verses 9-11 we saw God’s response to His Son’s life of humility and obedience; and in verses 12-18, he called for the Christian’s response to the example of Christ.
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