Sermon Notes:

· Philippians 1:3 - 3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

· 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

· Joy means having a deep sense of well-being knowing that God is at work in us and for us.

· Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice!

· 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

· You are not done following Jesus until you see Jesus face to face.

· 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

· What the world needs now, is love, sweet love…

· 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God

· “What is wise?”

· Heaven is for people who can stand it. – Dallas Willard

· I think when I die, it may take me a few minutes to realize I am dead. – Dallas Willard

· Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; oh what a foretaste of glory divine.

· But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

· To the glory and praise of God.

· God, here I am. Use me.

· To glorify God is to live your life in such a way that people look at you and say, “What a good God there must be to use a person like that.” - John Ortberg

Life Group Discussion Questions

Starter: What makes you thankful for our church?

Dig Deeper

1. Read Philippians 1:3-6

a. Why do you think God wanted the followers of Jesus to be partners in his work instead of doing everything himself?

b. In verse 6, Paul speaks about his confidence. In your opinion, why does he have confidence?

c. What good work needs to be completed in your life? What good work needs to be completed in our church?

2. Read Philippians 1:9-11

a. What would a church with overflowing love look like?

b. Describe a time when you heard someone’s story and it helped you love them better?

c. What steps do you need to take to get ready for heaven?

d. Paul again refers to “the fruit of righteousness.” This is a call back to the fruit of the Spirit he mentions in Galatians: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What fruit seems to be blooming in your life right now? Why?