 Heavenly Father, we thank You for today. We thank You for all the things You do for us. We thank You for all Your blessings and grace that You give all of us on this call today and all the other students who are on their way to join the class and others who are unable to join the class. We thank You for Your blessings and grace to our teacher, You are all the guidance and all the guidance to impart all the good word that is there in whatever she teaches us. And we thank You for looking after us, taking us in good health. We ask You to help us to focus, concentrate on this class and apply whatever we have learned in this class. We ask this individual's name, Amen. Amen. Thank you so much. Yes, we'll get started. So in the previous session, we covered Philippians 1 and 2 and we saw that the Philippians were really very advanced in the faith, really spiritually mature people who understood that they had a responsibility in advancing the gospel. They didn't just stand on the sidelines and clap even as Paul was doing the ministry work. They did all the ministry work that they were expected to do from their side. So they were fully involved in partnering with Paul in the ministry of God. So we saw the very active role that they took and we saw all the words of praise that Paul used when speaking about them. And we also saw that in the second chapter, he focuses on the mindset of Christ and he says that this is the kind of mindset that we are supposed to have where we place other people's interests before our own. And we also kind of went ahead and looked at Philippians chapter 4, the first few verses which talk about Yudhia and Sintake. And so we looked at how these two ladies probably could have applied this passage about having the same mindset as Christ and we also saw what it would mean to have the same mind where they are being given, they are advised in that passage to have the same mind. And we looked at how it would be necessary to have the same mind when it comes to taking leadership decisions regarding the church where you can just simply not say, oh I agree to disagree and leave it at that because the congregation would need one unanimous decision. So we looked at all of those things. Today even as we get into chapter 4 later, we will touch upon a few aspects of that passage which we did not cover earlier. So these are all the things that we have gone through up to now. So now getting into chapter 3, maybe we could have one person read out verses 1 and 2 and we will take it from there. So verses 1 and 2 please. Can I read faster? Yeah. Finally my brothers, rejoice in the Lord to write the same things to you. There is no trouble to me and it's safe for you. Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doors, look out for those whom to leave the flesh. For we are the circumcisions. So he says that he is repeating these things and so we have to assume that he has warned them earlier about the Judaizers who are asking people to follow the Jewish law to fully receive salvation. So he's probably referred to this, warned them about these people earlier as well. And now he says it is no trouble for me to write the same thing to you once again because it will serve as a safe card to you. And he uses some very strong words regarding these Judaizers. So these are people who have been creating trouble for the Galatians and so it's not the first time that they have been creating trouble. So we see that maybe the Philippians also have had some encounters with them or he's worried that they're going to have an encounter with them. And so he says watch out for those dogs, those evil doers and he says those mutilators of the flesh. So coming to this first term that he uses, dogs. Now in the biblical times, in the Jewish culture, dogs were not regarded with the highest esteem that we give them today in our current society. We think of dogs as noble, we think of dogs as friends and so we have a very different perspective. But in those days, if someone is being called a dog, that would definitely be a very high level of insult. And so this was the term that the Jewish people generally used for the Gentiles. They looked down upon the Gentiles as dogs and now Paul is using that very same term for the Judaizers themselves. And so they would have taken this very badly. Now there were families of course who had dogs as pets in their homes even back then. But most of society regarded them as something very low and of course would not have wanted to have anything to do with dogs. Now why did the Jews go around calling the Gentiles as dogs? It's because they took pride in their identity. They were aware that they were the only nation to whom Yahweh had personally come down and given the mosaic law. So he literally came down upon Mount Sinai, the entire mountain shook and in fact they had two tablets. I'm not sure up to which century they were able to hold on to those two tablets which were there in the Ark of the Covenant. At some point of time it looks like they lost the tablets but they actually had two tablets with them on which God had personally written down the laws. Now you see nobody else, no other nation in the world had been given this kind of a privilege. So the Jews saw themselves as the children of God. They had gone through many political humiliations due to their sinfulness. God had allowed them to be punished in various ways. But in spite of all of that they were proud of who they were, their identity as the children of God. Now in their mistaken pride they saw themselves as children of God but began to regard everyone else as dogs. Now of course that is no way that God would ever look at people. So they got this all wrong but their idea was that we are the only ones who received the law of God where God came down and gave us the law. In fact wrote it out with his own hand on two tablets or at least the Ten Commandments which he wrote out on the tablets. So they took pride in all of that and so in their eyes the Gentiles were regarded as dogs. So what happens over here is that Paul is saying you people who are holding on to the law, it is you who are dogs. Now imagine how shocking that would sound because he is saying if you are trying to become children of God by obeying the mosaic law then whether you realise it or not, in fact you are the ones who are in a low state, you would be equal to dogs in that sense. So he is kind of turning the tables on them and saying you who think that holding on to the law is an honourable thing. Well you know what it is actually reducing you to the level of dogs is what Paul is saying over here. So now if any of the Judaizers read this letter or listened to this letter being read out it would have really made them think. And yes we have for the Charles Dix, yes you have raised your hand please go ahead. Alright I think I was talking about the dog, the use of a dog even Jesus used it. When the Canaanite woman came I was requesting him to heal I think her daughter. It was like how can I give the food to dogs. So I think Paul was also I don't know whether the New Testament had been written that he would have read it. If he had noted to read it then the Holy Spirit might have been using him to use the same word because Jesus had also used it when the Canaanite woman asked him to help her. That's what I wanted to put across. I thank you. Yes thank you. Now it is true that Jesus was aware of the way the Jewish people looked upon the other gentile people. If you observe in all of Jesus' interactions with people he treated people with dignity. So he was not personally referring to the lady as a dog but rather that is the way his Jewish people looked upon the gentiles. And so he is testing her and he says you know I have come basically for the children of Israel. They are the children of God that I have come to and you want me to take the bread and give it to you. He has done that on many occasions and the bread has been given to many, many gentiles. It is not exactly a new thing but he is testing her to see what her response would be and her response is amazing. She says okay fine don't give me the bread but even the crumbs, the dogs anyway take it right. If you look at a family setting where you have the family sitting around the table and then the crumbs are flung to the dogs. So I at least deserve that. So fine, leather people, leather gentile Jewish people think of me as a dog but even a dog is entitled to at least the crumbs. Because this woman believes that even one crumb from Jesus' table is enough for her child to be delivered. And Jesus is amazed by her faith and he says my goodness you know because of your faith you have received what you have requested and your daughter is fine. So he kind of brings out the level of faith that this lady has by when he uses the term. But then we need to recognize that Jesus never treated anybody as a dog. No, it was the term that was used by the Jewish people of his time and he points to that but he himself never ever treated anyone as dogs. And of course the simple evidence for that is his work on the cross. If he considered the rest of us Gentiles as dogs he would not even have bothered to be a ransom for us. He would have just chosen to be a ransom for the Jewish people. So yes, so this was a common thing. The people of that time were very familiar with the idea that Gentiles were referred to as dogs. Another shocking thing is that Paul turns the tables and says you know you people who consider yourselves so high because the mosaic law was given to you. You know what, if you are going to go on holding on to that law and spurn Jesus you know if you are going to reject him just because of this mosaic law that you are holding on to and you are not willing to step into the new covenant which Jesus Christ has established. I mean you are the ones who are actually reducing yourself to the status of dogs is what he says. And the other strong term that he uses over here is that he doesn't say that they are the circumcised people. He just says that you are the mutilators of the flesh. So circumcision and mutilation would be two very different things because circumcision was a mark of honour. Circumcision is a mark that you belong to God because that's basically how God had set up this particular ritual, this particular institution of circumcision. Of course the surrounding nations, many of them, not many of them, some of them, Egyptians and a few others also practiced circumcision. They had their own religious reasons for which they did it. But over here for the Jewish people, the Israelite people, God very clearly told them that they would be doing this to mark them off, to set them apart as God's own people. So they always saw this circumcision as a mark of honour which is setting them apart as God's people. But here Paul does not use the word circumcision. He says you know what you people are just being mutilators of the flesh, which again is a very, very derogatory thing to say. Simply because mutilation was something very humiliating, something that you would do to enemies. For instance, if we were to just very quickly go to Judges chapter 1 verses 6 and 7, where the enemies were always mutilated in some way or the other just to humiliate them. So Judges chapter 1 verses 6 and 7, if someone could read out please. I really do hope. You know if someone could just read out the verses. Judges chapter 1 verses 6 and 7. Adam and I, sorry Beth, Adam and I beg for love, but the person in hand caught a new cut of his tongue, and his big toes. And Adam and I said, somebody came with their tongues and their big toes, cut off, used to pick up scraps under my table. As I had done. So God has repaid me and they brought him to Jerusalem and he did that. Yeah, so the only reason I ask people to read out verses is kind of it gives me the assurance that our people on the other side of the screen and that they are listening so you know it just kind of gives also gives me a break so that someone else you know reads and I can be quiet for a little while so yeah so please you know whenever I ask if someone could please read out the verses it kind of makes it a little more interactive for me in the sense at least I know that there are people actually listening yeah so here we see mutilation actually you know being done so this Adonis Berserk he in fact talks about how he has done that to 70 kings and now his turn has come and now you know the Israelites are doing the same thing to him the mutilation which he did to others now they are doing to him so mutilation was always an act of humiliation where the person is being humiliated and so now here Paul is saying you know you have always seen circumcision as a mark of honor but you know what now now that the new covenant has come this thing that you value so much is is actually a sign of dishonor it is just a mutilation it no longer has spiritual value or spiritual significance okay so these are all very strong terms that he is using and the the people listening to him using these terms would have understood what he is trying to convey so he goes on to say something interesting in verse 3 if someone could read out verse 3 yeah so this would be Philippians chapter 3 yes ma'am for 3 3 for we are the circumcision who worshiped by the Spirit of God and the glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh yes so he says you know what you people are mutilating the flesh on the other hand you know who the circumcised people are it is believers they are the ones who are actually circumcised they are the ones who have done something that has got spiritual value and so in what sense you know did he mean circumcised that believers are circumcised we look at a couple of references the first would be Deutronomy chapter 10 verses 15 and 16 Deutronomy 10 15 and 16 please ma'am Deutronomy 10 15 and 16 yes get the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them you above all peoples as you are the state circumcised therefore the foreskin of your heart and be low longer stubborn yes so I know in fact in the NIV it says do not be stiff-necked any longer so you see right from the very beginning right from Moses times itself God had always insisted that physical circumcision alone is not enough they would also need to circumcise their hearts how in the sense that they should not be stiff-necked any longer they should no longer be rebellious and unwilling to you know bend their heads and accept correction and obey rather they must be willing to bend their you know head and bow their neck and submit to the Lord obey him accept correction from him so physical circumcision alone was never enough God also always had in mind the circumcision of the heart where you choose to give up the things which are you know displeasing to the Lord the same thing we see even in Ezekiel chapter 44 verse 9 if someone could read out Ezekiel 44 verse 9 Ezekiel 44 9 thus says the Lord God no foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh of all the foreigners who are among the people of Israel shall enter my sanctuary okay so so right down to the time of Ezekiel we still have the same concept running where God is not just interested in physical circumcision but he also wants circumcision of the heart and therefore he says you know I don't want any foreigners coming into my sanctuary who are uncircumcised in both heart and flesh so here Paul is saying you know what we believers we are the ones who are actually the true circumcised people why because you know we are living according to what God has now required you know rather than living according to the old covenant which is no longer you know valid so he says we are the you know circumcised people because we no longer put any confidence in the flesh these these judicers were putting great confidence in the flesh you know they were they were earning salvation through the ritual of circumcision by keeping all the other you know laws which the Pharisees had instituted in doing all of these things they hoped that they would earn God's favour and earn salvation but he says we believers are not like that we do not put any confidence in the flesh you know just to look at one one scripture which talks about the great importance that the Jewish people gave to the law and how actually this was so inadequate Matthew chapter 23 verse 24 if someone could read out Matthew 23 24 ma'am Matthew 23 24 you blind guides training out a nut and spallowing a camel is it the worst ma'am yes yes this is the one so yeah so I know in the previous verse in fact Matthew 23 23 he says you know Jesus is speaking and he says you know you're so careful in giving your tithes but when it comes to more important matters of the law you know you ignore those in the same way he says you know you strain out and that but you swallow a camel you know insects which did not have jointed legs were not supposed to be consumed you could have a grass hopper because the grass hopper has got jointed legs but but you know insects which do not have joint you know joints in their legs you're not supposed to consume them because they were declared by the Lord as unclean so basically what this juice would do is I know the ones who are will consider themselves very very pious because they would be small insects you know in the water they didn't have the kind of water supply that we have now you know so in the water which they would be collecting from their wells you know there would be insects so the ones who believe that they should be very very you know careful in in their observation of the law they would in fact take a cloth and they would strain the water out so that you know these little little insects which are there in the water gets get strained out because of the cloth so Jesus says you know you are so careful in straining out a tiny little net so that you don't consume it by mistake but what else do you but on the other hand what do you do an entire camel which is also equally on unclean you swallow it whole you know so in the sense Jesus is saying it's when it comes to small convenient matters you know you're very very careful in following those things but when it comes to the bigger things the weightier things you know you just neglect those so the thing about placing confidence in the flesh is that whatever we do it is never really up to the requirements that God has and you know again and again lot of times we've looked at that James 2 10 you know where it says even if you stumb you know even if you stumble over one single law one single time and you break it it's as equal to breaking all of the law so these are things that have been very made very clear to the believers so Paul is saying you know we are the actual circumcised because we are not putting any confidence in the flesh in fact what do we put confidence in what do we boast about what do we glory in we in fact glory in Christ Jesus because you see it is his finished work on the cross which has made us children of God not following the Old Testament law or not following the mosaic law that no longer can you know bring us into a salvation relationship so our boast is not in good works our boast is not in the flesh in the works of the flesh our boast is in fact our glory is in fact only in Christ Jesus maybe we can look at one verse you know which touches upon this Romans chapter 11 verse 5 please Romans 11 5 Romans 11 5 it is the same today for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God's grace he's on deserved kindness in choosing them yes yes please and since this is true God's kindness then it is not by the good works or in that case God's grace would not be what it is really is free and on deserved yeah so he you know Paul points out that we refer to the grace which Christ has offered as grace because it's undeserved right so on the other hand if salvation was by works was by good works then we would no longer say that salvation is by grace we would say yes it is it has to be earned so it's very very clear that our boast should be in Christ Jesus our boast and confidence should be in what Jesus has done for us through grace you know which we did not even deserve so the the boast should not be in the works so so he he you know this is brought out in Romans 11 5 as well and he then he goes on to say you know we who are the circumcised we do not glory in the flesh we boast in Christ Jesus and how do we serve God we serve God by his spirit so you see the judicers were trying to keep the law in their own strength and so while they were so busy you know straining out little gnats they were swallowing entire camels that is the condition that they were in but then we believers we the actually the true circumcised he says we serve God by his spirit it is through the Holy Spirit alone that we whatever works we do these are works which are done through the power of the Holy Spirit and we have a lovely scripture which brings out this if someone could read out Ezekiel chapter 36 verses 26 and 27 Ezekiel 36 26 and 27 please Ezekiel 36 26 and 27 I'll give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh I'll put my spirit within you of course you to work in my statues and you will keep my judgment and do them yeah it says over here I will put my spirit in you and cause you and you know in the NIV it says and move you to follow my decrease so you see now these things that we are doing it is not on our own we have no confidence in the flesh we have no you know faith that we will be able to do anything for God on our own but God has promised he said I will put my spirit in you and move you I will cause you to follow my decrease and be careful to keep my loss so so the believer the truly circumcised person he now lives out you know in a way that pleases God he fulfills the law in the sense he you know he he is serving God by the spirit so all of these things make the believers the truly circumcised people on the other hand the Judaizers are just simply mutilating their the flesh and humiliating themselves okay so so after having talked about this he goes on to say though I myself have reasons for such confidence so you know he's saying if I wanted to place my confidence in the flesh more than any of these Judaizers I would be able to actually place more confidence in the flesh than even than any of them you know because after all he had striven very very hard in his past to be the ultimate Pharisee to be the ultimate Jew you see his sincerity level was so high he was so divided devoted to what he believed in that he had gone way beyond these Judaizers in trying to be the perfect Pharisee in trying to be the perfect you know Jewish person so he talks about all his past qualifications so we see that in verses four five and six if someone could read out please yeah Philippines three was this four five and six yeah so he says see this is who I actually am you know in the flesh so he says when it came to circumcision on the eighth day itself you know after I was born my parents you know got me circumcised and he says as for my status you know I'm not just an Israelite I'm from the tribe of Benjamin the people of the tribe of Benjamin were very proud of their status simply because you know Jerusalem you know falls within their boundaries and the temple of God is in in the boundaries of the tribe of Benjamin so they felt that you know they are higher they literally have God's presence in their midst so in that sense you know they consider themselves Hebrew of Hebrews so he says you know what when it comes to status I'm not just an Israelite I'm in fact a Benjaminite in fact that's probably the reason why you know his parents gave him the name Saul in honor of you know the first king who was from the tribe of Benjamin you know so so and then when it comes to the law he's not just somebody who keeps the law you know like the way average people do he in fact followed the law as a Pharisee because as we know not only did they follow the mosaic laws they also had this a hundred other extra rules and regulations which they had come up with and he was somebody who sincerely tried to keep all of those paricycle laws as well so that was his level of sincerity of course when it comes to his zeal he expressed his zeal and passion for the Jewish faith by persecuting Christians and trying to you know snuff them out and then when it comes to the righteousness based on the law he says faultless I mean that really amazes me the word that he uses over there he says you know ask anyone in my past they will tell you I was faultless in the way I kept the mosaic law so yes he probably failed a billion times in keeping the spirit of the law but at least when it came to the letter of the law he was so faultless in the way he kept it so he says more than anyone else I am the one who should be you know having confidence in the flesh but this is what he says about all these wonderful badges of honor that he has you know he says this is what he says in verses 7 to 9 very very interesting important words that he speaks verse 7 to 9 if someone could read out please verse 7 and 9 he says for what things are gained to me these I have countered laws for Christ yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish and I may gain Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is true faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith so he says you know these were my bad just of honor these are these were my gains but now when I look at these gains I I know rather think of them as a loss I'm willing to give them up I'm willing to throw them aside and us and you know dismiss them as a loss why why is he saying that he says for the sake of Christ I am willing to take these badges of honor and I'm gonna I want to just throw them away as a loss why because for the sake of Christ because you know he understands that apart from Christ you have nothing apart from Christ you are nothing you know it's something that he's clearly understood someone could read up Galatians chapter 5 verses 2 to 4 which bring out this exact point Galatians 5 2 to 4 Galatians 5 2 to 4 indeed I Paul say to you that if you become circumcised Christ will profit you nothing and I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he's a debtor to keep the whole law you have become estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by the law you have fallen from grace you know he he says over there when he's writing to the Galatians he says if you hold on to the mosaic rituals and to circumcision and all of that Christ profits you nothing you know it's like Christ has has no more value for you and in fact he says you are estranged you're alienated from Christ so you fall away from grace and you're back on your own you're now relying on the on your own works rather than depending on the grace or being offered by God so he does not want to be alienated estranged from Christ he values Christ he understands that that whatever he has today it is only because of Christ and so he says for the sake of Christ you know I take all these gains this badges of honor and I just fling them aside as a loss because they are nothing they cannot earn me you know Christ so if I can have Christ then I'm willing to give up anything you know it's basically what he's saying so he in fact goes on to say that in verse 8 so he says I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord so he says knowing Christ Jesus that has got surpassing worth it's got more worth than anything else so I'm willing to give up everything you know I mean if it had come to his Roman citizenship I'm sure he would have been willing to give up that he was willing to give up the the honor that he used to receive from the Pharisees earlier he was willing to give it all up it none of it even mattered why because compared to all of that now knowing Christ Jesus has got surpassing worth you know much greater worth than all these previous things ever had so that is the level at which he places knowing Christ Jesus so for Paul when he had that encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus you know it was not just that he got himself a ticket to heaven that day no on that day he got into a personal relationship with the very one you know whom he had been persecuting it probably just took his breath away that that Jesus you know did not retaliate against him with anger and wrought so even though he had been persecuting Jesus actively the same Jesus reached out to him in love and gave him a purpose and said you know what I'm gonna use you I'm gonna use you to reach out to the Gentiles and so Paul understood the honor that he had been given and he valued this personal relationship you know that Jesus had extended towards someone like him and so he says the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus you know makes it worth it I mean I'm willing to give up anything everything is a loss compared to having him knowing him is what he says and so he goes on to say in verse 8 I consider them garbage you know this bad just of honor these things that the Judaizers regard as something so honorable and great he says all of these things you know what they are just garbage when compared to what I can actually have if I give them up then I can have Christ and that is worth it so the term that is used over there for garbage that's the Greek word sky balloon it's basically a combination of of the two Greek words dog and Balon which is to throw so throwing to the dogs I guess would be the literal translation of sky balloon what did it mean it just basically meant you know when you have you have your you cook your meal and then you have your meal and all of that and all the scraps which are left you know you kind of throw them in the waste because it's just garbage you know it's something fit for the dogs so you just throw it you know to the dogs so sky balloon literally was like you know waste from the table waste from the kitchen also it was used by some for dung you know the dung which gets dropped in the streets even as the animals go by you know the donkeys go by and all of that so sky balloon literally refers to scraps that are being thrown to the dogs and sky balloon also came to refer to a dung of animals so he says these badges of honor they are like mere you know garbage they are nothing compared to knowing Christ compared to what I can have in him okay so that's what he's saying over here which actually would have sounded pretty shocking to the to the jewellers simply because they had very low opinion of dogs and now what they value is being regarded as something thrown to the dogs fit only for the dogs so again you know it's a very very strong wording that Paul is using over here so he goes on to say this is what I want you know because you know he says in where in verse 9 he says and be found in him so you see this is my desire my deepest desire he says is to be found in in Jesus so he goes on to explain in what sense how he wants to be found in Jesus in what way he he wants to have this knowledge of Jesus Christ so that he explains in verses 10 and 11 if someone could read out verses 10 and 11 please there are me go ahead please go ahead actually thank you but I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may and may share his sufferings becoming like him and his death but by any means possible I mean I think the resurrection from the death yeah so he's not just talking about knowing the blessings of Christ he actually wants to know Christ himself in what sense you know he has understood what it is to be united with Christ to be in union with Christ because these are these are things that he touches upon in his other letters so just to refer to a couple of verses Galatians 220 this is what he says about being in Christ you know being united with Christ in Galatians 220 someone could read out he clearly understood what had happened in that moment of salvation where he was crucified with Christ so he understands now you see it is no longer I who live I no longer live in any way that I wish to but he says Christ lives in me so the life and I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God so Christ gets to decide what I should do Christ gets to decide how I leave so Christ gets to have his way whatever he wants his will his way in my life he has understood this so it's not just going when he refers to knowing Christ is not just talking about okay I know I know who Christ is and I've had an encounter with him it's talking about knowing Christ on a daily basis where Christ is living out his life through Jesus through Paul you know sorry so Paul is submitting to Christ to the level where on a daily basis Christ is freely comfortably living out his Christ's life through this man Paul so it is knowing Christ to that extent you know to that level of trust and intimacy where Paul is willing to trust Jesus to that extent where he allows Christ to just have his way in his life and so you know he says I live by faith in the Son of God so that's the level of faith that he chooses to place you know in the Son of God we'll just look at one more reference Colossians 3 3 if someone could please read out Colossians 3 3 Shers 3 3 for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God so again he talks about you know the crucifixion that has happened in that moment of salvation and he says for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ so you see everything about your life should be hidden in Jesus Christ he gets to have his way he gets to decide and you are safe in him you're hidden in him it's no longer you trying to assert yourself you submit to him you live how by the by faith in the Son of God and so you are literally led by him so in that context having understood these things he says I want to know Christ yes to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings and he goes on to say verse 11 and so somehow attaining to the resurrection from the dead so he says in this context that you know he wants to participate in the sufferings of Christ he wants to participate in the sufferings of Christ because by doing so he knows that one day you know he will be be resurrected so how do we understand this maybe we could first touch upon the resurrection part the power of his resurrection maybe that first phrase I want to know Christ yes to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings let's just you know take a look at that maybe we can refer to Ephesians chapter 1 verses 19 to 20 to kind of catch that first Ephesians 1 19 to 20 Ephesians 1 19 to 20 Eritz and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he walked in Christ when he raised him up when he raised him from the dead and seated him at the right hand in the heavenly places yeah so he is saying you know this is the kind of mighty power that is now at work in me so because of this mighty work this mighty power that is at work in me I am able to participate in the sufferings of Christ so he says I want to know Christ yes to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings so he is not volunteering to you know just on his own in his own strength participate in the sufferings of Christ he understands that it's going to be through the power of Jesus resurrection it is God who is going to enable him to be able to participate in the sufferings of Christ so his life is hidden in Christ and he's going to be Christ is going to be able to live out his life through Paul and it's all going to happen by the power of his resurrection and Paul by allowing himself to you know cooperate in all of this he gets to know the resurrection power of God he gets to know what it is like to participate in the sufferings of Christ and he's willing to go through all of this because he knows what he's aiming for one day just like Christ he too will be resurrected where he will receive a glorified resurrected body so he's aiming towards very high things he knows he knows so there's something very beautiful awaiting him in the future and so he's also aware that you to reach there to get there you would have to allow Christ to live out his life in you I no longer live but Christ lives in me so he understands the process so he wants to know Christ in this way not at just a superficial level where you just have a kind of acquaintance with the blessings of Christ and leave it at that but no he wants to know Christ himself to the extent where he's where he's participating in the sufferings of Christ where he is you know allowing the resurrection power of Christ to work in and through him because all of this will lead to one day his being glorified you know when when we are all resurrected at that time so he yeah we'll have to take a break right now so we'll come back and we'll continue verse 12 onwards so if we can all log back in at 10 o'clock please thank you