THE WEEKS OF OCT. 12 - NOV. 16, 2025
A STUDY
IN THE
BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
This leads Paul into the great poem of chapter 2. It’s rich with echoes of key Old Testament texts, specifically the story of Adam and his rebellion in Genesis 1–3, as well as the poems about the suffering servant from Isaiah 45 and 52–53. This poem is worth committing to memory. It’s a beautifully condensed version of the Gospel story.
Before He became human, the Messiah preexisted in a state of glory equal to God (Phil. 2:6). Unlike Adam, who tried to seize equality with God, the Messiah chose to not exploit His equal status for self-advantage. Instead, He emptied Himself of status to become a human, a servant to all. He even allowed Himself to be humiliated and was obedient to the Father by going to His death on a Roman execution rack. Through God’s power and grace, the Messiah’s shameful death was reversed through the resurrection, highly exalting Jesus as King of all. He was given the name above all names so that all creation could now recognize that “Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
This last statement is astounding because Paul is quoting from Isaiah 45:23, a passage in which all creation recognizes the God of Israel as Lord. Paul’s point is clear: In the crucified and risen Jesus, we discover that the one true God of Israel consists of God the Father and the Lord Jesus. For Paul, this poem expresses his convictions about who Jesus is, but it does more than that. It offers the example of Jesus as a way of life that His followers are to imitate.
Intro taken from Bibleproject.com.
Verse 1 begins with “therefore,” which is a connecting word. It connects what he is about to say with what he just said. In chapter 1 he refers to his suffering and their suffering. Then he says in chapter 2, verse 1, that “in Christ” he has found comfort, encouragement, love, and partnership with the Holy Spirit, affection, and compassion. In spite of all the things he has been through, he experienced the benefits of being “in Christ.”
This is a call for unity.
Unity is achieved through selflessness and humility.
Selfishness and pride are what kill unity.
Unity is not the same as uniformity.
Uniformity means to be identical, or sameness.
Oppressive, domineering systems punish diversity and reward uniformity.
We see things differently because of our life experience, gifts, education, and our level of spiritual development. See Romans 15:1–3.
But unity comes from us valuing other members of the Body of Christ.
Diversity is a word that must be Biblically defined because it’s been hijacked and twisted by modern culture.
Diversity’s definition must stay within the bounds of Scripture.
Unity doesn’t come from weakness, compromise, or the fear of man.
True unity comes from strength, selflessness, and honor.
Being of the same mind means we value others instead of being preoccupied with ourselves.
Best definition of humility: “Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”
Strife comes from selfishness and pride.
Proverbs 13:10 NKJV says, “By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.”
Unity is only possible if we have the same mindset that Jesus had.
Instead of holding onto His position as God, He emptied Himself and took the position of a servant.
Philippians 2:6–7 AMPC says, "Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, but stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.”
Jesus humbled Himself by identifying with us in our humanity and by dying for us.
Selfishness and pride are the source of all human suffering.
2 Timothy 3:1–2 NLT says, “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.”
Paul said difficult times will come because people are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, and proud.
Proverbs 16:18 NLT says, "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.”
There is a price we pay for unity, but the rewards are worth it.
Psalm 133:1–3 ESV says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”
The principles of the Kingdom of God are opposite: the way up is down.
Jesus is highly exalted, but He humbled Himself.
Introduction (from BibleProject.com): Paul turns the focus onto the obvious concern at the moment, his status in prison. While being in a Roman prison isn’t exactly fun, it has paradoxically been beneficial for advancing the Good News about Jesus. All the Roman guards and administrators know that Paul is in prison for announcing Jesus as the risen Lord. Additionally, his imprisonment has inspired confidence in other Christians to talk about Jesus more openly. While Paul is optimistic that he’ll be released from prison, it’s still possible that he could be executed instead. As he reflects more on that fact, he decides that dying would actually be better than living. “For me, life is the Messiah, and so dying would be a gain” (Phil. 1:21). For Paul, his life in the present and the future is defined by the life and love of Jesus. If he is executed, he would be with Jesus, which would be great for him. But if he’s released, he could keep working to start more Jesus communities, which is better for others. Notice his train of thought here. Dying for Jesus is not the real sacrifice for Paul, it’s staying alive to serve others. It’s his way of participating in the story of Jesus, who suffered in order to love others more than Himself.
“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me.”
While our challenges may not compare to what Paul endured, we all face difficult situations in our lives. By sharing your story of how God has guided you through past trials or is currently leading you, you can encourage other believers in their faith.
"But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice."
"For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance."
Paul relied on the prayers of the church and the Spirit's help for his deliverance.
“For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live…”
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News…”
We’ve shared a step we can take this week, now let’s pray for one another to live boldly as citizens of heaven.
Knowing Jesus is a deeply personal and transformative experience. Living as a Jesus-follower means seeing your own story as an embodied expression of Jesus’ story.
The church in Philippi was the first Jesus community that Paul started in eastern Europe (Acts 16). Philippi was a Roman colony in ancient Macedonia full of retired soldiers and well-known for its patriotic nationalism. So Paul faced resistance there for announcing Jesus as the true King of the world. After Paul had moved on, those who became followers of Jesus continued to suffer persecution, but they remained a vibrant community, faithful to the way of Jesus.
Paul sent this letter to them during one of his many imprisonments for a very practical reason. The Philippians had sent one of their members, Epaphroditus, to take a financial gift to Paul and to support him in prison. Paul sent this letter back with Epaphroditus to say thanks for the generous gift and address the community.
The design of this letter does not develop one singular idea from the beginning to end like some of Paul’s other letters do. Instead, Paul has arranged a series of short, reflective essays or vignettes, all revolving around the center of gravity in this letter, the poem in chapter 2. It artistically retells the story of the Messiah’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. In each of the letter’s vignettes, Paul takes up key words and ideas from the poem to show how living as a Christian means seeing your own story as a lived expression of Jesus’ story. This excerpt is taken from BibleProject.com.
“This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
Philippians 1:1-11 NLT
Philippians 1:3-4 “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,”
You will notice through Paul’s writings how much affection and care he has for brothers and sisters in Christ.
John 13:34-45 says, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
1. How is your "love level" for your fellow Christian?
Not those on the other side of the world, but those who live near you.
2. What are you doing or saying towards your fellow Christian that proves your love?
Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
God is certainly working by His Spirit in our lives!
We can be confident of this because of His many promises to us.
3. How would you describe the “work” that God has started in you?
We are all in progress.
4. Have you ever noticed God start and complete a work in an area of your life? (Freedom from sin, forgiveness, past pain, grow love, joy, peace, patience)
5. How confident are you that the Holy Spirit is working in your life? Testify! Point to something God is doing in you.
Philippians 1:7 says “So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.”
Paul could see God’s grace at work even in chains. It is important that daily we are looking for the grace of God at work. Without the supernatural ability of God, our lives will have the same effect as those without God.
1 Peter 2:11-12 says, “Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”
See also Matthew 5:13-16
Light & Salt
Grace is the greek word “charis” meaning: joy, pleasure, delight, good will, favor, divine influence upon a heart, a gift of grace, thanks
6. Where do you see God’s grace at work in your life?
7. How have you experienced God’s grace as you defend or share the Good News of Jesus Christ?
Philippians 1:9-10 says, “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”
• Paul is praying that the church in Philippi would grow in the knowledge and discernment of their love.
• As we grow in the love of God, we prioritize our relationship with Him, and we begin to love what God loves and hate what God hates.
• We “understand what really matters” and begin living “pure and blameless lives”
8. Looking through the lens of the priority of love and with the help of the Holy Spirit, is there an area in your life that needs to change? (i.e. attitude toward someone, making decisions in fear, pursuing the things of this world, etc.)
9. Will you share with the group?
Remember, when we are convicted of an area, Repent : ask for forgiveness from God and people, leave behind your sin, go a different direction, and ask God for the grace to be strong in this area.
Philippians 1:11 says, “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”
Spiritual fruit never comes out of human effort. It only comes from a person who is living dependent on the Holy Spirit.
10. Where are you seeing spiritual fruit in your life?
11. In what area of your life would you like to see an increase of spiritual fruit?
God receives the glory when we produce good fruit!