Living A Joy-Filled Life In A Trouble-Filled World
Philippians 1:19; Selected Scriptures
By
D.Z. Cofield, Th.M., D. Min.
August 9, 2020
Scripture Reading –
John 14:15-21 (ESV) – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
1. You need to REMEMBER someone PRAYED for YOU.
Philippians 1:18-19 (ESV) – What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
Prayers –
Proverbs 15:29 (ESV) – The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
James 5:16 (ESV) – Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT2) – Never stop praying.
2. You need to REMEMBER The HOLY SPIRIT is with you to HELP you.
Philippians 1:18-19 (ESV) – What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
Help –
A. The Holy Spirit was given to be your COMFORTER.
John 14:16-17 (ESV) – And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
B. The Holy Spirit was given to COUNSEL you.
John 14:26 (ESV) – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
C. The Holy Spirit was given to put CONVICTION in your life and ministry.
John 16:7-11 (ESV) – Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
D. The Holy Spirit was given to PRAY and INTERCEDE for you, to help you pray.
Romans 8:26 (NLT2) – And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
E. The Holy Spirit was given to bear His FRUIT in YOU.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV) – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
F. The Holy Spirit was given to CONTROL you and to put a SONG of JOY in your heart despite circumstances.
Ephesians 5:18-19 (NLT2) – Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.
G. The Holy Spirit was given to ASSURE you that you are a CHILD and HEIR of GOD.
Romans 8:16-18 (NLT2) – For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
LIFE Group Questions
1. If you could ask one person, dead or alive, to pray for you, who would you ask? Why?
2. Who taught you how to pray?
3. Whose prayers to God for you do you think He is still answering even though they have passed away? Explain
4. How do you feel when someone tells you, “I’ve been praying for you”?
5. Besides yourself, who do you regularly pray for?
6. When was the last time you let someone know you prayed for them?
7. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being “not effective” and 10 being “extremely effective”, how effective are your prayers? Why?
8. How important is it to know The Holy Spirit is in your life to help you?
9. What’s the one thing you need The Holy Spirit to do to help you become a joy-filled Christian?
10. How can you regularly activate the help The Holy Spirit makes available to you?
