Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the first quarter of 2026, we will explore the theme “Uniting Heaven and Earth Christ in Philippians and Colossians” This week’s lesson, titled “Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer” covers the period from January 03 – January 09. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.

<p>Sabbath School lessons are part of a global study initiative undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we enter the first quarter of 2026, we will explore the theme “Uniting Heaven and Earth Christ in Philippians and Colossians” This week’s lesson, titled “Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer” covers the period from January 03 – January 09. Join Pastor Mark Finley for a brief preview of what to expect in this week’s study.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

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Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

Mark Finley

01 Persecuted but Not Forsaken

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

Welcome back to another 1 of our studies in Philippians and Colossians.

This quarter our theme is Uniting Heaven and Earth.

We're in lesson 2, Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer.

This lesson is largely about intercessory prayer and we'll study the contents of Paul's intercessory prayer.

But before we jump right into the lesson, I wanna just pause for a moment and raise this question.

If God already knows and God is already doing everything He can to save your son, your daughter, your husband, your wife, your friend, your neighbor, why pray?

He's isolated, he's alone, hundreds of miles away in a Roman prison.

He believes that as he prays, his prayers go up to heaven, and God sends angels down or the Holy Spirit down to touch the hearts and minds of the Philippians and the Colossians.

1 thing's for certain, Paul believed in intercessory prayer.

Another thing's for certain, intercessory prayer is biblical.

Although we may not understand everything about the ministry of intercession, this we can understand.

That there is a conflict between good and evil.

A conflict between Christ and Satan in the universe.

And 1 of the ground rules of that great controversy is that God will not violate our freedom of choice.

So therefore God is doing everything he can to win that loved 1 that doesn't know Jesus.

God brings deep conviction to their heart.

God arranges circumstances in their life.

God brings people into their life to influence them.

When we pray for somebody else, God can turn to Satan and say, look, although I respect that person's freedom of choice not to respond, I respect Pastor Mark's freedom of choice to pray.

I respect John or Mary's freedom of choice or Alice or Peter's freedom of choice to pray.

And as Alice and Peter and John and Mary pray, The Holy Spirit is poured out through them to touch the life in a more powerful way.

She says in Great Controversy, page 525, God will do an answer to the prayer of faith.

That which he would not do, did we not thus pray?

In the ministry of healing, page 509, it says, prayer and faith will accomplish what no power on earth will accomplish.

So although intercessory prayer may not be fully understood in its depth by all of us or any of us.

1 thing we know, God respects our freedom of choice to pray for others.

And our prayers make a dramatic difference.

Philippians chapter 1, verse 3 to 8, is the prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church at Philippi.

And he says in Philippians 1, verse 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy." So Paul, what are you requesting?

He then says, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day till now.

Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Paul was praying for them and he believed that the Christ that began a good work in them would finish the work that Christ began.

What Jesus has begun in you, what Jesus has started in you, Jesus is gonna finish.

Then it says, just as it is right, I'm reading verse 7, for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart, in so much as both in my chains, and in defense and confirmation of the gospel." He says then in verse 8, "'For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you with all affection of Jesus Christ." Paul says, I'm in prison, I'm in the chains, but I'm longing for you.

Paul, note under Sunday's lesson, Paul established the church in Philippi.

Thus we can see the warmth of Christian fellowship pervading his letter.

Though separated by hundreds of miles, Paul, chained and imprisoned, carries the Church and its members on his heart.

He wants them not to be despondent, discouraged, or disappointed because he's in prison.

He writes to them to tell them, I'm okay and I'm praying for you.

Can you think of any other experience or expression in the Bible that talks about being on your heart.

The high priest of Israel had the 12 stones representing these 12 precious gems, different gems of course, on his breastplate, they represented Israel.

Every stone was the name of a different tribe of Israel.

Jesus is our great high priest and because he is we can intercede for others.

We join Christ in his intercession and as he carries his people on his heart we carry God's people on our heart.

This is what Paul is saying in Philippians chapter 1 he's saying bear you 1 another's burdens.

Galatians 6 2 And he's saying here in Philippians 1, bear 1 another on your heart.

Bearing 1 another on our heart means we're burdened enough about the salvation of others, about the trials of others, about the difficulty of others, to carry them on our heart.

What did Paul pray for when he prayed for the church at Philippi?

Philippians chapter 1, verse 9 to 11, we read it.

This I pray, okay, this what he's praying, he's telling you, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and discernment.

So he's praying that they'll be filled with the love of God.

And the love of God will be so impactful on other lives that they too will see Jesus.

It says in verse 9, "'This I pray, that your love will abound still more and more, your knowledge and all discernment.'" He's praying that they would grow in a knowledge of the Word of God, that they would continue to grow in their faith.

He's praying also that they'd have discernment.

If we ever needed discernment, it's today.

To discern between truth and error, to be discerning between right and wrong, to discern between what the Bible says in human tradition.

It is written that the track of truth and the track of error lie so closely together that they will not be discernible except by minds worked by the Holy Spirit.

Let's pray for others that they'll be filled with God's love.

Let's pray for others, our brothers, our sisters in the church, that they too would be filled with the knowledge of God and that they'd have discernment.

Let's ask them to pray for us, that we have love and knowledge and discernment.

But this is not the end of Paul's prayer.

He says that you may approve all things that are excellent.

What does it mean that you may approve all things that are excellent?

In the Greek language That word simply means be very sincere.

In other words, be transparent, be open, be honest.

But approve those things that are Excellent.

Live a life in harmony with the will of God that is pleasing to God.

Then it goes on to say that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, the glory and praise of God.

Can you think about what the fruits of righteousness are?

Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, temperance.

So here Paul is praying that the fruits of the Spirit be manifest in the lives of the Philippians.

If I can summarize his prayer, I would summarize his prayer this way.

Paul prays that the Philippians will be filled with the love of God, that they would have the knowledge of God's word, that they would have discerning faith that could tell the difference between truth and error and that their lives would be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

We can pray that prayer for our husband, our wife, our son, our daughter, our children, our neighbors.

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Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2026: Uniting Heaven and Earth: Christ in Philippians and Colossians

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

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01 Persecuted but Not Forsaken

26m

02 Reasons for Thanksgiving and Prayer

24m

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