1Consolation means encouragement, Comfort means to make strong, to fortify, to encourage, assisting or helping, Fellowship with the spirit, meaning to be a partaker of the Holy Spirit’s life and sharing in its gifts, ministry’s and teachings, bowels of mercy, meaning affection and mercy which will strengthen you to contend for the gospel and to face opposition.  

2 Paul found it joy to see that the Philippians were in one mind and one accord and the same love as he, God wants all his children to be this way

3 God is greater then us and let us not forget who we are and where we come from and who God is. Self ambition and conceit are two of our biggest enemies. Self ambition is the desire to be no one no matter what the cost. We are to put on the mind of lowliness, which means to put our self below others that we can truly see there needs and to encourage them and uplift them. This can only come through the leadership of the Holy Spirit of God.

4 Paul is telling the church at Philippi that the greatest cure for the Church and Gods People is to be more concerned with the interests of others then of the own things in our life. It should be that we give our lives devoted to others and for there service that we might rise above selfishness ways. Lord help me to help others that I might be more like you.

5 Paul here is charging the Church to let this mind be in you as it was also in Jesus Christ. God is charging you and I today to be like him in all his ways, The Selfish Mind, The sacrificial mind, and the serving mind. Jesus had shed no tears for his on self, but Shed great drops of blood for you and I that we might live.   

 6 Jesus Christ was the son of God. Jesus Christ did not consider it robbery to be equal for he was with God in the beginning and shared the heavenly glory with him, he’s heart was with the father and he’s mind set was the same as Gods. We also can see here that it says being in the form of God that Jesus had existed from eternity or from the very beginning. When mankind around the world needed a redeemer Christ was willing to leave the comfort of heaven and all the glory that surrounded it and to give the ultimate price for the redemption of sin. Even through Jesus Christ knew that he would be spit on and beaten and even crucified he still loved us more then himself. Christ knew that he would only suffer a short time here on earth, but he also knew the cost was worth it all and that soon he would be back with his father in glory.

7-8 But made himself of no reputation whish means he emptied himself or gave up all he had and became as a servant and served to the needs of mankind with was the need of a savior. Read John 13: 4

9 We see a great change in these next verses then from the previous verses. In the previous verses Christ humbled himself and took on the form of a servant not seeking a reputation for himself. But now we see through obedience what God has done, God highly exalted him, and gave Christ the name which is above every other name. Christ Bent his knees and became as a servant to man, now God has declared that every knee shall bow be him. The lesson that Paul trying to get across to the Philippians was you in order for them to go up they must first come down to the level of servant. God rewarded Christ by raising him from the dead on the third day and opening up Heaven and receiving him back to his right hand.

10. God was very pleased with the work that Christ had completed and determined that every knee should bow to him in heaven, on Earth and under the earth, This in no way means that every one will be saved. But those that where unwillingly to bow before him because of there own self righteousness, Self honor will one day bow before him and see him for who he truly is and they will see his glory and his grace, but they will be subject in the day of his judgment.

11 Jesus Christ descended from Glory or Heaven to Bethlehem took on the form of man and became flesh on to Gethsemane and on to Calvary. God will acknowledge him and his Lordship to all mankind. We all shall stand before him and confess that he is the son of God and those that have not received will see at that time what a great mistake they have made and will weep before our savior. Once we have lived out our life here on this earth and stand before Christ and God the father we can not erase or hide anything about our life. Unless you confess here on earth in this present life that Jesus Christ is the son of God and believe that god sent him for the remission of our sins, it is only then that God will erase or past as far as the east is from the west. Paul was also saying that the cure for all things and matters of the church at Philippi was to put on the mind of Christ in everything that comes before them. God is able to revel the truth in all matters.

12 The Philippians had always obeyed when Paul was in there presents, now much more in his absents and should work out there own salvation with fear and trembling. Paul was not say that they could work there way to salvation but to work it out between there self and God and to fear him. God has placed within us the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ and are saved form our sin and the we should let the Holy Spirit Lead and guide us in all matters. Paul has given them the remedy for all these squabbles and fighting’s between the believers and now they need to apply them to there life’s and let God work out the differences and solutions between the brethrens.

13 It is God who will work it out between all the brethren for his will and his good pleasure for us to do his will and not ours. God also will supply the power and the means to do so.

14 we are to do all things that God calls on us to do with complaining and grumbling and questioning God why, for God knows best. When we don’t do what God ask of us it only leads to more disaster or more problems between the brethren.

15 Paul is telling the Philippians that by doing these things that they can stand blameless before God and also the world and that they will be a light unto the world. Think about the darkness that Randal was talking about in the coal minds and how a small light shines so bright. Christians are the light for this dark and per-versed world then and even today more so.

16 Not withholding the word of life which is the word of God, it is our responsibility to tell others the good news so that in the day of his return our work will not be in vain. Do all things through the leadership of Christ and not of your own will? Paul and Timothy both had set forth the example that Jesus Christ was, lowly in mind and became a servant unto mankind. Some thing will we are only human and yes we are but Gods word also says we can do all things through Christ Jesus.

17 the pagans and the Jews had a common practice of pouring out a drink offering as it was being offered. Paul was offering into them his faith in Jesus Christ and offered himself as the drink offering and would be happy to be poured out in his call of duty on the sacrifice and service of there faith which means they both were laying down they lives for the gospel and regards it as a great sacrifice.

18 Its all for the same cause and the same reason that we do these things and that we joy together and that we praise God together           

19 Paul told the Philippians that he was hopeful to send Timothy by later on for Timothy had the same Spirit and the same mind as Paul to preach the gospel even if it meant dying for the cause and he had hopes that Timothy would find them in the same state of mind when he would send him. The bible says there will be many to fall by the wayside and we easily happen to any of us if we don’t read and study Gods word and keep our eyes fix upon him.

20 Paul was saying that there was not another man there that loved them and cared about them they way he did. We all are different and no one can love you like the other person can. Each Christians love for there brethren varies in different ways and we all make up the body of Christ. It takes many different people with many different talents, cares and love to reach out to the world and to let the world know that there is hope, a better way and that Jesus Christ loves them and cares.

21 We all do seek out our own things don’t we? Paul in this statement shows how we all are different by walking in our own footsteps and not the footsteps of Christ. We are sometimes become more interested in what’s on TV or going to a ball game or a race or some other event and sometimes we let it interfere with Gods work. No matter where we are and what we are doing we should keep the mind of Christ that we might reach out to someone in need. Sometimes we become so engulfed by our own needs and our on cares and by the worldly surroundings and worldly events that we sometimes forget who we are and what we should be doing. 

 22 Paul was telling the Philippians that Timothy was a true Apostle by the faith he had and by the life he had lived. Timothy walked the walk of a true Apostle and had proven his true character and his true worth, like a true son that serves with his father Timothy had served with Paul and his works of preaching the gospel. We need to look upon our on life from time to time and see if we truly are in Gods will or if we are really doing what God has ask us to do.

23-24 Because Timothy had proven himself Paul could trust him to go to the Philippians and give them a update on what was going on in Paul’s life at that time and things were going with him and that he hope soon that he himself could return and be with them once again. Paul was in prison at this time and had appealed to Caesar to be released and hoped soon that the appeal was successful and that soon he would be freed. E can learn from these two verses that no matter what might have us bound down we can stand above it and go on for the Lord. I’m sure that not only was Paul writing to the Churches, while he was in prison, that he was also preaching to those that where captives also.

25 Epaphroditus was another Apostle that also had been with Paul and his Ministry and had proven to be faithful and trust worthy and also had the mind of Christ. He was a brother to Paul, companion, fellow soldier and a messenger.

26 Epaphroditus had been on a journey with Paul that covered about seven hundred miles and during that trip he became sick and almost died during this journey. Epaphroditus was afraid that the Philippians would here about it and blame them self’s for sending him with Paul on this trip and he did not want this to happen. A lot of us sometimes don’t even think about others during our times of trails. Self peaty takes control and all we think about is our self and what our needs are. If we could only truly grasp the verse Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. This should be the will of every Christian today; we would be much better off if we obeyed this one verse and seek the things that pertain to God and the up building of his kingdom.

27 Epaphroditus had truly been sick and was near to death but because of his faithfulness towards God and his service God had mercy upon him and he received healing from God. We see that sickness came upon him as he was with Paul spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see that just because we get sick or ill it is not always because of the result of sin. Here was a man that was sick and near death for doing the Faithful work for the Lord and savor Jesus Christ. Second of all we see that God sometime does not heal instantly, sometimes he heals us over time or gradually. We also can see that healing is an act of mercy from God and not just something that we can demand from him or thinking we have a right to be healed. Paul counted it a great mercy from God that Epaphroditus had been healed because he already had great sorrow because he was already prison and the death of Epaphroditus would have even sorrowed him more.

28 Paul also sent him back to Philippi because he knew they would be glad to have there brother back with them and this along would lessen his sorrows and that he too could rejoice also.

29 Paul told them to receive him with open arms and rejoice with him and to esteem him which means to hold him in high regard or respect. We need to hold or preachers and pastors in high regard today for the work they do for the Lord and show them the respect.

30 Because of the love that Epaphroditus had for Christ and he fellow men he became close to death not regarding his own life but for the service with he was called upon to do.  

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