Week 2 Advent

Hope

Philippians 1:3–11 NRSV

3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

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Prayer is our only hope...

Answer 2 questions...

1 —> How do we bring joy to our world through hope?

2—> How do we keep our hope up?

Philippians 1:3–5 NRSV

3 I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

—> sometimes our best source of hope is those around us.

—> are you connected to someone who gives/brings you hope?

—> who is that person?

—> Do you give thanks for that connection?

Philippians 1:6–8 NRSV

6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

—> Confidence in the working of Christ Jesus brings hope

—> confidence in Christ

—> confidence that God is at work through Christ Jesus not just when Paul first met them but even now.

—> are you seeing God at work in the people and situations around you?

—> are you confident that God will work things out?

Philippians 1:9–11 NRSV

9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

—> Hope is found in sharing the love of Christ with others

—> How will we share our hope in this season?

—> Our hope looks different, therefor, our lives look different