Philippians 4:4-13, James 3, Proverbs 17:27-28.

One of the fruits of the spirit, peace is something that we need in our lives.  The peace that the bible talks about comes from God, and transcends all understanding, guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  This is from Philippians 4, and here’s an excerpt of Philippians 4 which provides a practical guide for our daily lives:

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Questions

Having Peace

1. Philippians 4:11-13.  Why is it important to have peace in our lives (further reading verse 7)
2. Verses 4-9. How can we become more peaceful?  Where does the peace come from?

Sowing In Peace

1. James 3:13-18.  Compare the result of sowing in peace, and sowing in selfish ambition.
2. Bonus Round: Proverbs 17:27-28. How does wisdom link with peace?  (Further reading James 3)

Romans 4:13 to 5:6.  Paul recounts of Abraham’s hope in God that, even though God’s promise didn’t look possible, he understood that God is powerful and trusted that the promise would come true (that is, the promise of having a son – Isaac).  Paul also says the same is true for all of us.  Here’s the excerpt (NIV)

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. ¹⁴ For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,¹⁵ because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by graceand may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ¹⁹ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peacewith God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And weboast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Questions

1. Verses 13-17.   What was it that Abraham did / didn’t do that caused him to become the father of many nations? What can we learn about our relationship with God?
2. Verses 18-22.   What can we learn about Hope from the story of Abraham?
3. God gave Abraham a specific promise which came to fruition but what promises has God given us?
4. How does the passage 5:1-5 link in with patience?

 Bible Study Passage:  James 1.  We all find in our lives that our patience is stretched.  In this study, we’re looking at two sides of patience:  Patience through situations, and patience with people.  James 1 seems to turn everything on its head.  For instance, we’re called to rejoice in the face of trials and taking pride in humble circumstances.  We can learn a lot from even this one chapter.  Here’s the main excerpt taken from the NIV:

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their ownevil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Questions

Patience through situations

1. Read Verse 2-6. Name some attitude traits that the passage is teaching us to have during trials.  How do you think it would feel to attempt this?
2. Read Verse 9-11.  When we’re in humble circumstances, why is this considered a high position in verse 9?

Patience With People

1. Read Verse 19-21.  What is human, or man’s anger?  How does this tie into the subject of patience?  Further Reading: Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:1-5
2. Bonus Round: Back to James 1:12.  What do we have to look forward to?  What possible rewards do we receive on Earth, and in Heaven?

Bible Study Passage:  Mark 14:32-42.  This is when Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the disciples fell asleep.  Possibly Jesus’ most lowest point, we can learn a lot about him through the passage:

³² They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him, ³⁴ and he said to them, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.”

³⁵ He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering. ³⁶ “Father,” he prayed, “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

³⁷ Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Weren’t you able to stay awake for even one hour?” ³⁸ And he said to them, “Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

³⁹ He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words.⁴⁰ Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹ When he came back the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come! Look, the Son of Man is now being handed over to the power of sinners.⁴² Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!”

Questions

1. Verse 34.  What did Jesus ask the disciples to do?  Comment on the nature of the task e.g. its simplicity or difficulty.
2. Verse 37 and 38. In this passage, Jesus categorised ‘falling asleep’ as a temptation – how so?  In what way can modern Christians fall asleep?
3. Comment on Jesus’ reaction to the disciples. What key thing does Jesus teach us to help us from falling asleep?
4. Bonus Round: Read Verse 37 again:  Suggest why Jesus called Peter by his old name?