 So, we were in verse 27, right, so Paul again reminding the believers and saying, challenging them, saying let your conduct be worthy, let your behavior be worthy of the Gospel, so irrespective of where you are, irrespective of who you are with, you know, whether me as a leader, if I'm there or not or, you know, let your conduct be worthy so that you will be strong, you will stand firm and stand fast in one spirit and one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel. So, he's talking about unity, that with one spirit and also with one mind, right, that you will strive together for the faith of the Gospel, that you will move on together, you will press in together as a church, as a body of believers for the faith of the Gospel, right. And, yeah, verse 28, okay, let's read 28 onwards till the end of the chapter, the next three verses, right. And not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them the proof of perdition, but to you of salvation and that from God, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here is in me. Okay, so verse 28 and not in any way, so he's talking about verse 27, where, you know, as you live like this, as you live with one heart, one spirit and one mind, and, and striving together for the sake of the Gospel, that in nothing, you know, you don't have to be fearful of anything, you don't have to be afraid of anything, any of your adversaries, right. So, you don't have to be afraid of persecution, you don't have to be afraid of, he's talking about, you know, whether, whether it's persecution, whether it's, which was intense, like during those times and So, if you stand unafraid, which is to them, when they see that, that is, you know, for them, it's a proof of perdition or proof of their own eternal destiny, right, which is eternal hell or destiny away from, apart from God, which is to them, you know, when they see the reality that the fact that you're unafraid, the fact that you are choosing to stand strong, choosing to, you know, continue on for the faith of the Gospel, which is for them, it is a proof of perdition, right, but for you, it is, it says, but for you, it is the, it is a proof of salvation, right, which is from God. So, for them, it is a proof of, you know, it is a proof that yes, they are, you know, if they're continuing to reject Christ, if they're continuing to pursue, persecute the body of Christ, and for them, their destiny is, you know, this is the proof of their destiny, which is, which is an eternal future without Christ, an eternal destiny without Christ, and which is hell, and, but for you as believers, it is a proof of your salvation, right, and then he goes on to say, verse 29, for it, for to you, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. Now, suffering for the sake of Christ, right, suffering for the sake of Christ is what he's talking about, let me just share the screen. So, so Paul, you know, we know that from his journeys, from his, from his ministry and his accounts of sharing his ministry that he went through a lot of hardships, went through a lot of physical discomfort, hardships, imprisonment, punishments, and so on, right, so suffering was part of it, not suffering, it was an everyday thing, like he says, I know we die daily, and we carry about in us a sentence of death, right, so everywhere they turn, it was, it was danger, it was physical danger, you know, there were fears, and he's talking about that, right, so he says that, you know, this, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe but also to suffer for his sake. So, now this could be different for people, different people, right, but the fact is that there is a measure of suffering for the sake of the gospel, now it could be either people ridiculing or making fun of the, you know, the stand that we take for the sake of the gospel, or the, or the values that you stand for, because you seem different from the values of the world, right, from the values of, you know, whichever environment you are in, so it could be because of that, so it could be just ridicule or making fun, or, you know, of you, so it could be that, or, you know, it could be as extreme as persecution and even loss of life, so whatever, you know, the, the, whatever be the measure of persecution or suffering, this is for the sake of Christ, and we know that suffering happens because of various things, right, suffering happens because of, because of our own choices sometimes, suffering happens because of, you know, our own poor choices, you know, we make some poor decisions and then because of our bad decisions, because of which a consequence of that is suffering, because our, you know, suffering happens, you know, because of sin, you know, there is sin in the world, gender is in this, because of the nature of sin and there is corruption and decay and everything that's around and because of that suffering, suffering happens because of a direct intervention of Satan, the powers of darkness, they try to bring in suffering, we read in John chapter 10 that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, so when he comes to do that, you know, there is suffering, suffering also happens because of, you know, others actions towards us and so on, so he talks about suffering for the sake of Christ, for the sake of the gospel, if when you are doing things for the sake of the gospel and you're living for the sake of the gospel and the suffering that comes as a result of that, right, so saying that it has been, it has been granted to us as people who believe in him, it has been granted for us also to suffer for the sake, for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and you're now here is in me, so he's saying, you know, you might also go through the same kind of conflict, the same kind of, you know, the pulling away in different directions and what was it, you know, he was saying just, you know, a few verses back to saying that I am hard-pressed between the two, wanting to depart and to be with the Lord or to be with you, you're here in the flesh, right, so he's talking about that kind of a conflict and so he says, you know, which you saw in me and now you here is in me, you know, you might also go through the same thing, right, okay, so let's move on to chapter two, chapter two, therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself, that each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others, okay, so verse one, therefore, if there is any consolation, so we know, you know, that there is consolation in Christ, there is comfort in Christ, and so he's saying, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, we know that if any affection and mercy, we know that all that is there in Christ, and all this we draw from Christ, right, and the word comfort, meaning paraclysis, which he's called the Comforter, the Paracletos, like the one who comes alongside and brings comfort and brings, and stands with us to strengthen us, right, so he is talking about the one who does that, so if there is anything, you know, if there is all this, if we experienced consolation in Christ, comfort of love, of fellowship of the spirit, you know, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the communion of the Holy Spirit, if any affection and mercy, right, affection and mercy from God and through fellow believers, if there is anything, saying, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind, okay, so all this we have in Christ, we have through Christ, like we receive from Christ, like we receive the communion of fellowship, we have the communion of fellowship, we have the consolation from Christ, the comfort from Christ, love, affection, mercy, we have, so he's saying, if there is anything, you know, if you have this, then fulfill my joy, what he's talking about is, you know, I would be even more, my joy would be complete, right, would be brought to completion if you live in this manner, and what is that manner in which he wants people to live, the believers to live, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind, okay, so he's calling and he's inviting the believers to live in unity, okay, being of one accord of one mind, okay, so we know that, you know, he's not talking about uniformity, okay, uniformity means, you know, I like the same thing, and I, you know, I do the same thing, you know, it's not like that, you know, each one of us have been made uniquely in Christ, and so he's not talking about the sameness or uniformity, but he's talking about unity in Christ that does not, there is no striving, there is no conflict, there is no pulling apart, because there is strength and there is blessing in being united, right, in being of one heart, being of one mind, which is what the early church also, you know, experienced, right, if you look at Acts chapter one, we read several, in several places, in several places, Acts chapter one and, you know, the first few chapters, we read that they were of, or they were in one accord, okay, which meant that, you know, the foundation of their belief, right, what they believed in, and they had this oneness of heart and mind, with one expectation, they came to that place of being united, okay, so we see in Acts chapter one and verse 14, we see that these all, these all continued, no, the verse before that lists, who were there, who were all who continued, it's talking about, you know, the disciples and then verse 14 says, these all continued with one accord, in prayer and supplication, so they continued with one accord, in prayer, in and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers, okay, so they continued in one accord, in prayer with one accord, in prayer and supplication, okay, then chapter two also we see the same thing, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, okay, they were all with one accord, so we, you know, when we see that, you know, see that phrase being a one accord, it means, or one mind, which means unity to, one second, similar in sentiment, to be like-minded, to be of one spirit, to be like-minded, to be similar in sentiment, to reach for the same thing, to reach for the same goal, to have the same expectation, right, to be of one, to be in one accord, okay, so the Greek word conveys that meaning, so on the day of Pentecost, they were in one accord, and this is what happened, right, and then, Samus also talks about, you know, about unity, and how, when people come together, united in the Lord, that there is great blessing, right, so the thing is this Paul saying, you know, come to that place of unity, be united, be of one accord, and just reading this verse, Psalm 133, so the psalmist says, behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, it is like the precious oil upon the head running down on the beard, beard of Aaron running down on the edge of his garments, it is like the dew of hermit, freshness, descending upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing life forevermore, so, you know, there's something that happens in the spiritual realm when believers are with one accord, so, Paul wants that to happen to these believers, right, so he says that you would be like-minded and be of one accord, verse 3, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit or pride, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself, okay, so talks about humility and which destroys pride and arrogance, right, so he's saying let nothing be done through selfish ambition, you know, you don't be selfish, and let nothing, you know, anything of the work of God, he says nothing, which means nothing, really, right, so let nothing be done through selfish ambition, okay, so which is, I think it's a good point to reflect and see how can I live this practically, how can I apply this principle of this truth practically in my life, right, so how can I live a life where I'm not living for myself, but I'm also looking out for the interests of others, so that it is a win-win, right, so both are winning, so everybody stands to gain, and how can I do that, it's not like I'm winning at others' expense, or I'm benefiting at others' expense, right, so one is, and it's not like I'm taking away from something or making someone, putting someone at a disadvantage so that I can be at a beneficial place, right, so it's really going against the ways of the world, right, those of us who are in the world, who are called not to be of the world, this is going against the ways of the world, right, so he's saying you be of one accord, you know the spiritual reality of it, what will happen when you're of one accord, of one mind, so let nothing be done through selfish ambition, or conceit, or pride, okay, but in lowliness of mind you be humble, and you esteem others, let each one esteem others better than himself, so it's a life of honor, you're esteeming the other person better than oneself, right, so well that does not mean that you're putting down yourself, right, you recognize who you are, because Paul also talks about, you know, we need to acknowledge every good thing that is in us through Christ, right, so we acknowledge all the good things, we acknowledge all the benefits, we acknowledge who we have become, because of Christ dwelling in us, but you esteem the other person better than yourself, you know, so it's a life of honor, honoring the person, respecting the other person, right, for who that person is, right, and not what the person has, or what the person can do, just for the fact that, you know, here's a fellow believer, or here's a fellow human being, so esteem the better, esteem the other better than himself, verse 4, let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others, you know, which is the same thing as let nothing be done through selfish ambition, but here is saying, you know, if you look out for the, you know, this is the antidote, or really the medicine for selfish ambition, which will destroy selfish ambition, if you look out for your interests, you know, nothing wrong in that, you know, if certain things you require, you need to do that, you need to get that, you need to, you know, maybe build that in your life, nothing wrong in that, right, so look out not only for your, not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others, okay, so what is it that will benefit others, what is it that will be beneficial for others as well, so consider that, look out for that, okay, so that is what Paul says, look out, you know, watch out, it is like, you know, that word meaning, it means, you know, to focus, to take aim, okay, so when you take aim, maybe you have, you know, like a bow and arrow or a catapult or, you know, something to hit, some target to hit, you are taking aim, right, you know, you take aim at the target and you want to shoot that, you are focusing on that, there is intense focus, you know, you don't want to miss, so Paul is saying, you know, you do the same thing, look out for the interests of others also, you know, while you are so focused, intense in your focus on benefiting yourself, nothing wrong in that, you need to do that in order to accomplish that, but can you do the same thing for others also, right, or why don't you do the same thing for others also, right, okay, then verses 5 to 11, okay, let's go through that, okay, so verse 5 onwards, and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross, death off the cross, sorry, therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, okay, so he's talking about how to treat others, right, in the previous verses, how to treat one another, how to have the, to be like-minded, being a one accord, etc., and then he goes on to say, let this mind be in you, you know, let this thought pattern, let this way of thinking be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, now we know that Jesus is our example, that Jesus is our role model, and so the same kind of mind, okay, so froneo, meaning, you know, the same sentiment, or same thoughts, or same pattern of thinking, right, so you also have the same mind, let this be in you, which was also in the Lord Jesus, okay, so what is that mind, okay, who being in the form of God, right, and nature of God, who being in the form of God, that word form, meaning image, nature, shape, appearance, everything, who being in the form of God made himself of no reputation, sorry, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, so he was in the form of God, in other words, it means that he was equal with God, he was God himself, right, you know, if you look at Colossians talks about, we're going to study that next, so Colossians talks about that, one Colossians 1 and verse 15 and 16 talks about the deity of Christ, right, he is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation, for by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things and in him all things consist, and he is the head of the body of the church, who is the beginning, the first born from the dead and in all things, that in all things he may have preeminent, so talks about the deity, talks about the respect and honor and the glory of the sun, right, so he's saying that is what it is, in the form of God, he's equal with God, right, and he is deity himself, but this is what he did, which is verse 7, what did he do, but made himself of no reputation, okay, so he did something, this deity, this glory, this awesome God, he made himself of no reputation, that word we've studied before, kino, which means he emptied himself, he emptied himself, he laid aside that glory, and he walked in what we can call, what we've been, the term used, the sunship glory, to explain the kind of glory that he walked in on the earth, being filled with the spirit, right, he emptied himself of that glory, of that majesty, he was still deity, he emptied himself of that, and taking the form of a bond servant, he didn't hold on to deity, he didn't hold on to any of that, but he took the form of a bond servant, okay, emptied himself, and that word means that he laid aside his glory, and then he took on, he added on the form of a bond servant, and what did he do, he came in the likeness of men, coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of the cross, okay, so he emptied himself and he humbled himself to the point of death, even the death of the cross, so this is what he did, he was completely obedient to the will of the father, he was deity, the sun being co-equal with the father, he laid aside all that and took on the form of a bond servant, and completely obedient to the will of the father, to the point of death, the death on the cross, okay, so let that mind be in you, let that mind be in you, you know, so he's asking for, it's a big ask, right, saying let this kind of a mind be in you, because this is what we saw in Christ Jesus, and this is how he lived, he came and he, in order to fulfill the will of the father, he did this, so also you must do the same thing, right, so he says that when he did that, verse 9, therefore God has also highly exalted him, because the Lord was willing to empty himself and willing to humble himself and willing to submit himself to the will of the father and obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross, now what has happened is that therefore the father has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, okay, so now this is something which is amazing and which is what happens when we exalt that, when we humble ourselves that God exalts, and exaltation comes from him and this is what happened to the Lord Jesus, that he was exalted and the name that was given above every other name, verse 10, that at the name of Jesus, it's a sovereign, all-powerful name and authority, or title and authority, right, so it's not just the name but the authority that name carries, that person carries, so at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven, of those on earth, of those under the earth, so he literally is talking about the entire universe and saying, at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, meaning, you know, everything is in subjection, okay, so literally when you talk about that, when you talk about knee shall bow, talking about how you come in, you know, you bend low, you're placing yourself lower, humbling yourself and giving honor to the other, and then you say, I bow my knee saying that, acknowledge, you know, it's a place of bringing oneself, humbling oneself to the point of worship, when you bow down and saying, it's a very, what do you say, it's a posture of extreme humility, right, and you're saying that, you know, if one is kneeling down and saying, you know, it's a posture of absolute surrender, right, so here Paul writes and he says that, at the name of Jesus, that every knee should bow, so that's the kind of place that the sun has, but this is the mind that he had even before, when he went to the cross, this is the kind of thing that he had, this is the kind of thought or mind or perspective that he had to humble himself, he thought of himself, he just, of nothing, you know, he just laid it all aside for what was before him, so this is what has happened that at the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, every knee should bow, everything stands, everything comes under or subservient to the name of Jesus, to the person, the power, the title, the entire universe, verse 11, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father, so every tongue would confess it, would acknowledge it that, yes, Jesus Christ is Lord. Now this need not be, you know, people even who agree, you know, they would just confess, they would profess, acknowledge, yes, Jesus is Lord, right, so this is what, this is the reality of who Jesus is, this is the reality of what Jesus is, you know, the kind of power and the authority that he wields the Son, the deity of the Son, so he is saying, you know, he is just contrasting how he came, how he laid down all his majesty and the glory that he had with the Father, the eternal one becoming finite, living as finite man and because of which he is highly exalted, this is what he is, who he is right now, right. Therefore, my beloved, verse 12, let's read then, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure, do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain, yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all, for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me, okay, look at his reason for rejoicing, anyway, we come to that. So he says, therefore, my beloved, this is who Jesus is, this is the kind of mind and the mindset that he had, and I want you to have the same kind of mindset, being like-minded, being of one accord, striving to the gather for the faith of the gospel, looking out for the interests of others as well as your own interests. I want you to live this way, and he talks about the glory, the deity of the Lord Jesus that, you know, just think about it, at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue can confess, what do they confess that Jesus is Lord? This is what they have come down to, this is what it will come down to, right, that this is the reality. Okay, so this is what is going to happen, and so, therefore, my beloved, as you always obey, this is how you have lived, not in my presence, but also in my absence, so I am asking you to work out your salvation, right, I am asking you to work out your salvation, just a minute, please, sorry, yeah, with fear and trembling, so what does he mean by that? Like, work out your salvation, right, as you always obeyed, either in my presence or in my absence, now work out, okay, live out or finish fashion, okay, to make something fit, so he is saying, you know, you live this out, you accomplish this, you achieve this, work out your salvation. Now, does that mean that, you know, I am not saved and I need to work out or, you know, achieve something on my own? No, no, that salvation is purely a work of grace and we receive it by faith, right, so when we receive salvation, it's by faith, it is a work of grace, it's something that is freely given, but for me to live out this salvation or for me to live this saved life, live this life as a believer who is saved, now I need to work that out, right, what are some things that I need to do, I need to make some choices, I need to make sure that my mind is renewed to the word of God, I need to receive the end-drafted word which is able to save my soul, save my soul, meaning change my, like James talks about, change my thinking, renew my thinking, my imagination and everything, and so that my behavior, my action, my speech, everything changes, right, now I need to work that out. So Paul says, you know, this is the God whom you worship, this is the Lord whom you follow, so therefore you need to work that out with fear and trembling. You need to live that out with fear and trembling, for it is God who works with you. Now this is another amazing thing then, it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for his good pleasure. You know, if, I think that's verse 13, right, yeah, I just want to read from another translation, which is the Passion translation. It says, God will continually revitalize you, implanting within you the passion to do what pleases him, right. He will continually work or re-vitalize you, right, and another good news Bible says, because God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to obey his own purpose. So what is it that God is working in you? The fact is that, you know, that work, that word work, meaning it's an effective, fervent, mighty work, powerful work, energy effective, powerful work. So it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do. Okay, both to desire something, both to decide, come to that place of decision or being able to make a choice. He works in you, right. Of course, the choice will be made by us, but he works in us. He influences us by his spirit and by his word. So it is God who works in you both to will and to do, do something for his good pleasure, right, that brings him delight. That brings him pleasure or his good pleasure. So work that out with fear and trembling. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling and he works in you. It's not like you have to do it in your own strength or in your own ways, but we have the Holy Spirit who is in us. And we are in a way empowered or energized by the Holy Spirit, by God himself, both to will, right, to even to desire. He brings, he influences us. He leads as he prompts us, both to will and to do to whatever you desire to carry it out. Sometimes there could be a gap in what I desire and what I do. My intentions are good, but then I'm not able to carry out my intentions, right, because there needs to be dying to the pull of the flesh. And how can I die to the pull of the flesh? It is by the Holy Spirit. When I live according to the Holy Spirit, when I live by the Spirit, I will put to death what we saw in Galatians. We studied in Galatians that if I live by the Spirit, Galatians 5 and verse 16, I say then walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. So in wanting to do the things of the Spirit, there could be the lust of the flesh that is preventing me, pulling me back and carrying out these good intentions, these good desires. So how do I do that? When I walk in the Spirit, when I make a choice, moment by moment choice to walk according to the leading, the guiding, the prompting, the empowering of the Spirit. When I give in to that and I decide to follow that, then I will not walk according to the lust of the flesh. So it is God who works in us both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Verse 14, do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. So do all things without complaining and without disputing. Look at the word complaining is using the word which means murmur or grumble. You're just complaining, you're just murmuring and you're grumbling. It's not like you're solving something. So God is not against us solving a problem. If there is something that needs to set right, we need to address it and solve it in an honorable manner. It could be maybe some kind of a dispute and we need to solve it. And how can we do it? We need to talk about what the other person is doing wrong, which is just causing you some pain or some causing you the hurt. God is not against that. Doesn't say that you need to keep quiet and not really do anything about it. Here he's specifically talking about murmurings, grumblings. In fact, in the Greek it means it's a secret debate. It's not openly talking about things, but then it's just a secret debate where you're saying that this is wrong, that it's wrong. It's in secret. So muttering, murmuring. So God is saying don't do that. Do all things without complaining. Do all things without disputing. Even that word there, disputing. So what does that mean? That means that arguing, questioning what is true. So in a positive way it means you have a discourse or you're having a dialogue or you're having a debate. You're talking about the pros and cons and you're talking about it, you're dialoguing. So here he's not talking about, it's a negative saying you're murmuring and you're disputing. So it's not a healthy discussion. You're just murmuring, you're complaining and without wanting to solve something. You're just murmuring, you're complaining and you're disputing. So it's again, the word again, it's like you're thinking within yourself. You're deliberating within yourself, you're doubting. It's more like an internal thing that's happening. So which means that it's going to affect the way you move with the other person, the way you consider the other person and so on. So do all things without complaining and disputing. And then he says that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. So this is what will happen. This will be the outcome. If you live in this manner, this will be your outcome. This is what you will turn out to be, that you will be like shining lights in the world. You will be dispelling darkness. People will see clearly because of the light that emanates from you. You'll be like shining lights in the world and you will be dispelling darkness. And in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, this is how it will be. A generation that is perverse, a generation that is crooked. You will be like this. You will be children of light. You will be blameless. You will be harmless. And that's verse 15. Okay, we'll stop here and then we'll continue in our next class. So thank you. God bless you. Have a good day. Bye-bye.