TEACHING NOTES Introduction As we continue our study of Philippians, today we’re going to discover the next step in living out our salvation. At the end of the first chapter of Paul’s letter to Philippi, he urges the church to live as a family worthy of the Gospel. Not only when things are good, but also when things are not so good. ‌ Main Theme of the Series ‌ Philippians 2:12–13 12 Therefore…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ‌ Work out = Grk. katergazesthe - continue to do, bring about, produce. Work out = Keep living out (faithfulness) ‌To have faith is to be faithful. ‌Faithfulness is our cooperation with God’s work. ‌ How to Live Out Your Salvation: ‌Phil. 1:1-11 — Partnership in the Gospel ‌Phil. 1:12-26 — Live Selflessly ‌Phil. 1:27-30 — Work Together ‌ Philippians 1:27 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ‌ Manner of life = Grk. politeuesthe - conduct your life. This present tense verb can also mean, “be a citizen or live like a citizen.” In this context, Paul is saying we should continually live like citizens of the kingdom of God. ‌ Worthy of the gospel = Grk. axios tou euangeliou - Since the Gospel is the announcement that Jesus is King over all, we must live as the King commands. ‌ Standing firm = Grk. stekete - continue to be firmly committed. ‌ One spirit = Grk. heni pneumati - The “spirit” should probably be capitalized here to refer to the Holy Spirit. Since all faithful Christians are temples of the same Spirit of God, we should live accordingly and in unity. ‌ One mind = Grk. mia psyche - The word for “mind” here can also mean “life.” The church family should live in unity of Spirit, mind, and way of life. ‌ Striving side by side = Grk. synathlountes - struggle along/contend together. ‌ The faith of the gospel = The Greek word for faith is pistis, which is the same word for faithfulness. We must understand that when a new king had taken over a region, the people were not told to believe in the king, but to live in allegiance to the king. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not call us to simply believe, but to live in allegiance/faithfulness to our King. ‌ Philippians 1:28 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. ‌ Not frightened in anything = When the church is a family striving side by side to be faithful to the Gospel, fear can take a back seat to faith. The early church had much to fear; poverty, persecution, disease, etc. But the early church stood strong and continued to be faithful. In the same way, there are many things happening today that could cause us to be afraid. Be we are not governed by the kingdom of this world. We are governed by the kingdom of God. ‌ Sign of their destruction = When we have no fear of our opponents, is shows that they are in the wrong. When the early Christians we threatened with death, their willingness to die for Christ won over thousands to Christ. ‌ Your salvation from God = We can defeat fear because we know that we will be saved in the end. Even if we die, we still win. ‌ Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ‌ Philippians 1:29–30 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. ‌ Granted = Grk. echaristhe - freely given, shown favor. ‌ For the sake of Christ = What God has given us is not merely for us, but for the sake of Christ and His glory. ‌ Not only believe in him = Notice that believing is not the only element of being a follower of Christ. Believing is the first step in our journey of being faithful to Christ and becoming more like Christ. ‌ Also suffer for his sake = Paul says that suffering for the sake of Christ is a gift from God. In Acts, after the apostles were released after having been jailed and beaten, Acts 5:41 tells us “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Modern Christians have the opposite view and reaction to suffering. ‌ In the same conflict I had, still have = Paul is referring here to his current imprisonment for preaching the Gospel. Paul is letting the Philippians know that they will also be persecuted. ‌‌ Conclusion ‌The Church is meant to be a family that works together in love, support, accountability, and growth in the faith.