LESSON 8 Classroom Goals of this time together: * here to see and meet and learn of Jesus * not to learn about another book in the Bible, but to MEET HIM...here and now; not to finish another epistle, but to grow in each one of our own personal lives/relationships with Jesus * to grow in our daily day-to-day JOY IN Him * to grow in our vision /understanding of Jesus as our SAVIOR and REDEEMER everyday in the midst of our lives in a pagan world ROE: * all questions are encouraged all the time * we are not obligated to agree with me or each other * TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT OUR TIME TOGETHER, WHETHER WE AGREE OR NOT WE MUST LOVE EACH OTHER SUMMARY: 1:1-11 Greetings and Gratitude 1:12-26 This is the next BIG part of the book "Pauls Personal Circumstances: the Preaching of Christ" Then we began a NEW section 1:27-2:30 "The Pattern of Christian Life: The Humility of Christ" This section had 4 parts: 1:27-2:4 The Exhortation to Humility HERE is the Goal 2:5-11 The Epitome of Humility Jesus - here is the Divine Example 2:12-18 The Exercise of Humility here is HOW YOU experience this in YOUR daily life 2:10-30 The Examples of Humility Timothy and Epaphroditis We started the first section last time: 1:27-2:4 The Exhortation to Humility HERE is the Goal, the Need, to live in Christ while in a hostile Pagan world; 1:27-28 Paul talked about being "citizens worthy of the Gospel" -standing firm together -of one mind striving (fighting side-by-side) -unafraid of (NOT panicked by) suffering (vs28) HOW??? How does this become a REALITY in the life of a Church and it's believers?? It's in 2:1-4 that he begins to give us HIS answer: ONLY THROUGH HUMILITY, ONE TO ANOTHER. Here at the start of chapter 2, Paul seems to shift from addressing how they (and WE) are to face out towards a hostile unforgiving and unaccepting world. NOW he starts to talk about how we are to face INWARDS towards EACH OTHER; before, he set the stage, he described the environment in which the Christians are to move and live; NOW he goes on to describe the inner heart of the church, to appeal to them as to how they are to live and move and respond to and with each other; 2:1 (AMP) "SO" given the above call to Christian living AND given the following precious common life experiences we share in Christ Jesus... This vs is RICH with PROMISES; SEE what Jesus has made available to us: (KJV) "consolation", "comfort", fellowship", "bowels and mercies" -"consolation" better trans "EXHORTATION in Christ"; WHAT kind of EXHORTATION IS there in HIM?? What DOES He call us to do?? [read John 13:34-35; 15:12; 17:22] -"comfort" the Greek lit trans as "beside speech/word", meaning a word which comes to the side of one to stimulate and comfort him, to act as an incentive to him; so a better trans would be "PERSUASIVE INCENTIVE in love"; AND WHAT IS THE INCENTIVE LOVE HAS? WHO'S love?? HOW does it DO this to/in us?? [RELATE THE LOVE FROM OTHERS DURING LEE'S ILLNESS; THIS HAS BEEN AN INCENTIVE TO EXTEND THIS SAME LOVE TO OTHERS] -"fellowship" "Participation IN the Spirit"; It's not "fellowship wrought BY the Spirit" BUT RATHER "fellowship WITH, participation IN the Spirit"; WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO "PARTICIPATE IN THE SPIRIT"??; a participation in His gifts and influences; AND ALSO to participate in His COMFORT -"bowels and mercies" better trans AFFECTION and COMPASSIONATE SYMPATHY; "bowels": we already discussed that to these people this was the "location" of DEEP seated emotion; MORE importantly is the word trans "mercies" {oiktirmoi}; from the word {oiktos} "pity or mercy", this word defines the feeling which expresses itself in the exclamation {oi} OH! on seeing another's misery; it further can, and does here, signify the outward expression of deep feeling in compassionate yearning and action; Paul is telling them (AND US) that THESE are GIVENS, they are REALITIES in their lives because JESUS is REAL; Are they real in our lives and in our Church as well?? They CAN be, AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT HAS TO KEEP THEM FROM BEING SO; IF we are willing and yearning for them; 2:2 AND he goes ON to say that GIVEN these DO exist and are AVAILABLE to them, then "FULFILL" (KJV), or (AMP, NIV, NAS) " COMPLETE" my JOY; lit: "complete of me THE joy..."; Before we go on, see the transition above, where in 1:27-30 he appealed to them for the sake of THEIR joy; but HERE in 2:1-2 he's now appealing to them for the sake of HIS joy; Reminds us that what we do DOES NOT JUST AFFECT US, BUT ALSO ALL THOSE WHO LOVE US AS WELL; there are those who would try to say that what they choose to do is their OWN business and NOBODY ELSES; FALSE! UNTRUE!! WE ARE LOVED BEYOND OUR OWN RECKONING and our choices DO impact upon others and WISHING it otherwise does NOT make it less so; OUR joy and the joy of those around us who love us is inevitably intertwined and inseparable; One commentator calls vs1 a "fourfold appeal" and then goes on to call this vs a "fourfold result" that can and should naturally come out of accepting and living out the above "promises": (KJV) "likeminded", "same love", "one accord", "one mind"; "likeminded" lit trans "think the same thing"; does this mean all thinking the same way?? NO!! BUT it DOES mean having the SAME OBJECT of our thoughts, the same GOAL; AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT IS FOR PAUL?? SEE 1:20-21 JESUS JESUS JESUS!!! HIS EXALTATION! the AMP writes it "living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose" "same love" from {agapon}; does this mean we all have to love the same way?? Express the affection Jesus puts in us the same way?? NO!! BUT WE ALL MUST HAVE THE SAME SOURCE OF LOVE; BUT, that "same love" often gets manifested in MANY different ways because WE are very different children of the Lord; The "Prophets" among us will express that love by calling out to us about those things that they can see so clearly that dishonor us and the Lord, that so clearly are dragging us down, keeping us from FULLY living that marvelous life in Christ; the "Mercys" among us will not see the sin as much as the pain and anguish that it has caused in and among us and they will seek out the hurting and comfort them; the "Servants" among us will busily buzz around us "DOING" what we either can't or won't see that needs to be "done"; And so on for ALL the different parts of the Body of Christ, LOVING AS THEIR DIFFERING GIFTS ENABLE THEM; "one accord" lit "one in soul"or "wholeheartedly"; What does this mean in real terms? It can mean that when ONE of us hurts the REST of us do TOO; That we don't see ourselves as apart and UNAFFECTED by the events and trials others of us are experiencing; It's a kind of perverse reverse of the self-righteous Pharisee who prayed "Oh Lord, I thank you that I'm NOT like that miserable SINNER over there" BUT INSTEAD WE may find ourselves praying "Oh Lord, I thank you that I'm NOT suffering or hurting like THAT miserable wretch over there; I'm glad those aren't MY problems" GUESS AGAIN!!! IF THEY ARE HIS OR HER PROBLEMS THEY ARE YOURS TOO!!; "one mind" lit "thinking the ONE thing"; this is a repeat use of the same Greek word in the first of this verse only here he gives it a harder and heavier emphasis of his original point; AMP writes it as "of one harmonious mind and intention"; 2:3 now he goes into what it is he's afraid of for this so very precious church to Paul; AND WE SHOULD TAKE THIS CONCERN TO HEART; WHAT EVER IS A THREAT TO THIS CHURCH IS ALSO THE SAME TO US!! "Do nothing" is really just the Greek word "nothing"; makes it more ALL INCLUSIVE, doesn't it? "through" lit trans: "by way of"; Doing things out of "strife" and "vainglory"; does this sound familiar?? Remember 1:15-17?? "strife" this is the SAME word used in 1:16 (or 17, depending on your version); party squabbles and petty bickering especially over issues of PERSONAL self-seeking; "vainglory" if "strife" is the symptom of the problem, the THIS is the ROOT CAUSE; it is a combination of two Greek words lit trans: "empty/vain [favorable] opinion", literally meaning seeking a glory that ISN'T worth HAVING; it is an empty conceit and unworthy ambition; the AMP calls it "empty arrogance"; HERE Paul DOES take exception to HOW things are done; Before, he hadn't given any concern to WHY the OTHER so-called preachers were preaching the true Gospel, so long as it was PREACHED; BUT WHEN IT COMES TO HIS PRECIOUS PHILIPIANS, IF they are to be able to LIVE that life he described above in 1:27-2:2 it CAN"T be gained "by way of" strife and vainglory; HOW OFTEN we waste our time and effort, not to mention hurt others, in our attempts to glorify ourselves, often at the expense of others; Well, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?? "but" how I love that word, for it means we're NOT left alone to flounder in our OH SO STRONG natural tendencies so sadly and accurately described above; there IS an "INSTEAD" upon which to base our hopes; "lowliness of mind" other versions trans as "humility"; THIS WORD HAS A HISTORY! it is one LONG single word; originally, the Greek root word for "lowly" had a BAD NEGATIVE DEGRADING connotation; "lowly" people were the street people of the ancient world; the expanded combination word for this Christian virtue of "humility" was NOT used before the Christian era and apparantly is a distinct outgrowth of the Gospel; it is drawn from our SEEING OURSELVES AS WE TRUELY ARE: SINFUL AND HOPELESSLY LOST IN OUR SINS WITHOUT THE LORD TO SAVE US CONSTANTLY; IT IS A POWERFUL WORD FULL OF MEANING CARRYING A PICTURE OF ABSOLUTE DEPENDENCE, OF HAVING NOTHING BUT RECEIVING ALL THINGS FROM GOD; THIS is the "humility" that Paul wanted them to seek, to LIVE; It is in this picture of absolute dependence that this word can be applied EVEN TO OUR PRECIOUS LORD HIMSELF; FOR US, our absolute dependence is born of the absolute NECESSITY of our lost and helplessly sinful state, BUT FOR JESUS IT WAS A CHOICE; He CHOSE to come down and live a perfect but still human life that was a constant living on the fulness of His Father's love, of creaturely dependence; And what happens when we really DO see ourselves as we truly ARE? It makes it a heck of a lot easier to "esteem" the other members of our church as better than ourselves, as being WORTHY of consideration ABOVE our OWN perceived position and ambitions; WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?? How does this "humility" express itself THROUGH US?? If we're smarter or wealthier or better at sports than someone else, does this mean we somehow convince ourselves that that is NOT the case?? NO!! We're NOT talking personal traits or talents here; WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT SENSE OF PERSONAL VALUE, THAT WE VALUE THAT PERSON ABOVE OURSELVES; and that we ACT the truth of that realization; I treasure my Annie more than and above myself; I AM WILLING TO SACRIFICE MYSELF FOR HER; SHE IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ME THAN I AM; NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE HAS OR WHAT SHE CAN DO, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO SHE IS TO ME; We have got to develop that same hearts attitude here for each other; THIS is the "HUMILITY" that Paul desired of them and of US as well; NOTE ALSO: it was "lowliness of MIND"; not based upon outward efforts to live in open poverty; he wasn't saying to live LIKE street people, for that can easily become only an affectation, a phoney wearing of rags while STILL FULL OF PRIDE; the REAL lowliness starts and lives and acts IN THE MIND/HEART; 2:4 such a heart attitude WILL demonstrate itself in real life and actions; If they really are that important to us, then we won't be able to NOT be concerned; we won't BE ABLE to ignore them; EVERYTHING that happens to them will concern us, every pain will burden us, every need will cry out to us for meeting, every sin will break our hearts as we yearn for that Christ life to be more fully lived in and through them; WE WILL BE FOCUSED UPON THEM WITH THE SAME INTENSITY AND SINGLE MINDED PURPOSE WITH WHICH OUR PRECIOUS LORD JESUS WATCHES OVER US AND ACTS IN OUR LIVES; The Lord Jesus yearns to pour this life into our hearts and lives, to BE this to us, in us, and through us; WE NEED NOT DESPAIR AT SUCH A HOPELESSLY MONUMENTAL TASK AS THE ABOVE WOULD BE; FOR IT IS JESUS WHO ONLY CAN AND CERTAINLY WILL MAKE THIS SO IN OUR LIVES AND IN OUR CHURCH: BUT WE MUST ASK HIM, WE MUST GO BEFORE HIS THRONE OF GRACE AND TELL HIM OF OUR NEED, TELL HIM OF OUR HUNGER FOR JUST SUCH A LIFE FROM HIM; 2:5-11 Here we begin the second part of "The Pattern of Christian Life: The Humility of Christ": before we have just finished the "Exhortation to Humility" where Paul sought to describe to his precious Philipians the world in which they lived and the Life in Christ they needed to extend BOTH OUTWARDS to the world and INWARDS to each other; NOW Paul goes even deeper into the meaning of what true humility REALLY IS and MEANS; NOW he is going to tell them about the "EPITOME OF HUMILITY"; This can ONLY be our precious Lord Jesus.