#150 – DISCERNING WHAT IS BEST (17/7/20)

If you missed Sunday's broadcast, please catch up by following the link below. (For the foreseeable future, we will be running our Sunday morning services digitally. Please go to our website on Sundays at 10:30 to join in)

‘And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.’ (Philippians 1:9-11)

Paul prays that they would love with ‘depth of insight’. It’s easy to love and give our lives to the wrong things. Many people have a marital affair or gamble their money away… because they mistake temptation for love. A Christian’s love is to be based upon insight; this means that we make good moral choices based upon what we know about God and His Word.

It’s not enough to know what is true, we must reason and then do what is true. Alec Motyer has written,

‘Nothing is truly known until it has passed over into obedience’ (Motyer)

Insight is about making good choices that lead to good outcomes, as Paul says,

‘…So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless’

Our lives are to be ‘pure and blameless’: true Love promotes inner ‘purity’ and leads to a ‘blameless’ lifestyle that shows the worth of God.

RESPONSE

Are you making good choices that are based upon prayerful reflection on what you know about God and His word?

Take a moment to pray and commit to making such decisions in the future. Reflect upon any decisions that you are having to make right now.

COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY – LOVE ABOUNDING

Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.

Particularly, encourage people to be aware of and praying in regard to our gift days.

Suggested opener/Ice-breaker

What is the best decision you’ve ever made and why?

Introduction - please share in your group

We are to make decisions out of love. We need to ask “is this choice or attitude loving to God and others?” However, for us to make such choices, it’s vital that we understand what love is.

How do you think that the word ‘love’ can be misused when making decisions?

Please read Philippians 1:9-11.

Paul prays that their ‘love would abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best…’

i)Love abounding in knowledge

For us to love correctly, we need knowledge of God and His ways from the Bible.

ii) Love abounding in insight and discernment

Once we have correct knowledge, we can then make good moral choices – ‘discern what is best’.

How has knowledge of God and His ways shaped a memorable decision in your life?

Discuss/share/pray in smaller groups:

1. What is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about (maybe from Sunday's message or your bible reading this week)?

2. What will you do in response?

3. How can we pray for you?