Weekly Lesson for September 8, 2013

Guest speaker: Dr. Matthew McKellar
Associate Professor of Preaching/Chair of the Preaching Department
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Growth and Glory” Philippians 1:9-11 Bible Study 09/08/13

Given our tendency to underestimate the power of prayer and to underexercise the privilege of prayer, Paul’s prayer in today’s text is an instructive and encouraging reminder. While it is true that we have been invited to pray about everything, no prayer request is more important than the one that pleads for the spiritual growth of God’s people. Because God’s glory matters most, let it shape the content of your praying and the conduct of your living.

I. Pray for supernatural love (9-10a)
-abounding: sacrificial love

-informed: knowledge and discernment

-discriminating: enablement to assess

II. Pray for supernatural character (10b-11)
-pure: sincere and blameless

-produced: “…having been filled…”

-perceptive: the return of Christ anticipated

-purposeful: the glory of God

“Let the glory of the all glorious God be everything to you.” – Andrew Murray

There are no traffic jams on the straight and narrow way.

“All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First, the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.” – Henry Alford