Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
How Hope Helps Happiness
Scripture
5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
12Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
15It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. 20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Main Idea
Life can be like a pinball machine at times. You can get bounced around and feel like you may be slightly out of control. This can make it extremely difficult to keep steady and maintain your joy. There are always things in life that will take you by surprises and knock you down but you can still have joy during those times.
In God's presence there is fullness of joy. Since God never leaves us nor forsakes us, you are in His presence even during hard times which means you have access to His joy at all time. It isn't easy but we can practice replacing our negative thoughts with reminders of God's goodness and promises. As we start to remember and speak about the God's goodness the atmosphere in our lives will change as well.
Chaos can be going on around us but it doesn't have to be chaos in us.
Discussion Questions
- Did you identify with Pastor Marissa's illustration about life being like a pinball machine? Can you share how this has or maybe is happening to you right now?
- Give an example of being frustrated with a situation that later on you could see God's hand in it.
- What are your strategies to remain hopeful during times of struggle?
Summary
When looking at Paul's letters from Romans, Galatians, and Philippians you can see his strategies for keeping focused on maintaining his joy and peace. Paul was no stranger to trouble and some of his best writings came while he was in prison.
When you feel like you are getting knocked around, it is good to steady yourself by looking for God in your situation.
- Look Behind - This takes a little bit of reflection to see how in the past God has been faithful to you. His faithfulness in the past can serve as a great reminder of how He will be faithful to you in the future as well.
- Look Between - Take an opportunity to look at how your circumstances and position is impacting others. As Christians, we are constantly being watched to see how we act in challenging situations. It's okay if you went the wrong direction. Simply take a U-turn and try a different direction.
- Look Beyond - You can't choose what's thrown at you but you an choose your focus. The easiest way to stick with a difficult path is to look at the end goal. When you see your circumstances as a way God is developing you into becoming more like Christ, then it is worth it.
Paul continues to remind us that even when he was in prison, the kingdom was being furthered by others becoming more bold to share the gospel. He was a model of what it means to reframe your situation. He consistently took his own instructions by taking his thoughts captive and redirecting them towards the goal of furthering the message of Christ. All through Philippians 1, you can see this masterclass in action.
When you put these things into practice, you can have calm in the middle of chaos. You can have hope during uneasy times with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 1:13 (Easy) - 13God is the one who causes us to hope for good things. I pray that God will bless you very much. I pray that he will cause you to be happy and to have peace in your minds. He will do this because you believe in him. As a result, God's Holy Spirit will make you strong with his power, so that you hope even more certainly.
Take Action
- Create a list of ways God has been faithful in the past to remind you of the things to look behind at.
- What you start getting frustrated this week, ask God to show you the big picture and things to thank Him for.
Announcements
- Essentials at 10am every Sunday
- Father's Day - June 15th
- Legacy Social - June 17th at 7pm
