The Regular Guys Bible Study

Philippians 2:1-11

Ken Strickland Season 10 Episode 3

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We pick back up after a long break and dig into Philippians 2:1-11, asking what real unity and humility should look like when we say we follow Jesus. We talk through comfort in Christ, serving without ego, and why the authority of Jesus should shape how we live with other people. 
• linking “therefore” back to suffering for Christ and what that implies for daily life 
• unpacking encouragement in Christ, comfort from his love, and fellowship in the Spirit 
• defining tenderness and compassion as practical care for people around us 
• exploring what “like-minded” means without pretending disagreement never happens 
• asking how we are doing personally and how churches handle unity 
• confronting selfish ambition, vain conceit, pride, and image management 
• comparing “serving others” to real actions rather than empty symbols 
• walking through Jesus’ humility in Philippians 2:6-8 as the model 
• wrestling with “every knee will bow” and treating Jesus as Lord with authority 
Read your Bible. If you haven't read Philippians chapter two, at least read through verse 18 before you come back.


Welcome Back And Life Updates

SPEAKER_01

You are listening to the Regular Guys Bible Study Podcast, the Bible study for regular guys by regular guys. We are your hosts, Ken and Steve, and we are just regular guys studying the Bible together.

SPEAKER_00

Not theologians.

SPEAKER_01

Alright, Steve, it's been like a month, I think.

SPEAKER_00

A lot of things have happened in that month. Yeah, we've had a lot of things. Pushing us out.

SPEAKER_01

A lot of things going on. Family health issues, work, travel, um, just stuff.

SPEAKER_00

Game night.

SPEAKER_01

We haven't actually we haven't had a game night, have we?

SPEAKER_00

No, that was the first one. Oh, it was the first one.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, the first one was on purpose for game night. And then ever since then, has just been like thing after thing. Thing after thing. All right. So for those of you who haven't given up on us, we appreciate it. Thank you for listening. Um, but more importantly than listening, read your Bible. Um and today we are gonna be doing Philippians chapter two. Um probably just, well, we'll see how far we get. We probably not very far. But um uh uh so if you haven't read Philippians chapter two, at least read through read through verse 18 before you come back. Uh so do that and then come back and we'll talk about it. Um Steve, you know what? I'm extremely tired. I'm like emotionally-day, too. I'm emotionally tired though, and I'm I'm physically tired from work doing yard work yesterday, but I'm really emotionally tired.

SPEAKER_00

And there's a lot of like haze in the air right now. I don't think the air quality's helping us any.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it was really weird looking today. It's like uh is that allen or or just one guy at work claims it's smog, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's Mexico burning the fields right now? Could be that. Although I didn't smell it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I don't know. But it's uh really weird looking outside. Um I do have a swimming pool now, though, Steve. It's a little cold.

SPEAKER_00

Bet the water's cold.

SPEAKER_01

It is, but um I've I've been in it a few times. Well, quite a few times.

SPEAKER_00

Because I missed I missed the invite for the pool party.

SPEAKER_01

No, you didn't. I I didn't send one. Um you know, I will have a pool party, but it needs to be warmer. Sure. Um we can't use our heater yet. Uh we probably have another two weeks before we can use our heater.

SPEAKER_00

You are not gonna use a heater in Austin, Texas in the middle of summer.

SPEAKER_01

Not in the middle of summer.

SPEAKER_00

We are almost in the middle of summer.

Reading Philippians 2:1-11

SPEAKER_01

I know, but my wife really, I mean, when she says the pool is the perfect temperature, she means you get in and you boil. It's kind of like um making making uh crabs, boiling crabs. So all right. Well, let's why don't we get started, Steve? Um Philippians 2. Philippians 2. Uh oh no, I'm yawning. Sorry about that, guys. Um IV or ESV. NIV is what I've been reading. That's where I've I've read all, but I've I'm taking all my notes in NIV.

SPEAKER_00

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interest of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that is, the name of Jesus, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

SPEAKER_01

Alright. Um you were sounding a little flimmy there, by the way.

SPEAKER_00

I you know, I walked the dogs before this, and I feel flimmy after being in that air.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, maybe it is. Well, that could be pollen or whatever. All right, anyway. Yeah. Um, can you summarize what you just read?

SPEAKER_00

Um he basically wants them to be in agreement with one another and love one another, um and to serve one another.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, that's a really good summary. That's different than what I was gonna say. But that is that is a good summary, I think. So I was gonna say something on the line of um if you really believe all this stuff you say you believe, then love each other, treat each other well, treat each other better than yourself. Even Jesus didn't act like some big big wig.

SPEAKER_03

And he was God.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so we took we had completely different takes on that, but it was really the same thing. Interesting.

SPEAKER_00

Then they wouldn't be completely different, would they?

SPEAKER_01

Well, they're not completely different in meaning. We just approached it completely different. Uh I think that's cool. All right.

SPEAKER_00

What's it there for?

SPEAKER_01

Well, it starts off with therefore. What do we do when it says therefore? We ask ourselves, what's it there?

SPEAKER_00

What's it there for?

Therefore And Suffering For Christ

SPEAKER_01

All right. Well, if we look back at chapter one, uh, I'm gonna read the last two verses of chapter one.

SPEAKER_00

For it has Are you sure you can read that much?

SPEAKER_01

You know, it is the least I can do, which is the most I will do. Very nice. The most I will do is the least I can do. All right, for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. Since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. All right. So we are called to suffer for Christ. Therefore. I talked to about uh to multiple people about this. I don't know if I actually talked to you about this, but um our pastor when he spoke on Philippians, he says that um these ifs in the first verse um can be translated as sense. Um which I agree with. However, I really like the if the usage of if. Um so he's saying that therefore, since you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, since any comfort from his love, um you you have this weird look on your face like you don't remember that.

SPEAKER_00

Trying to read uh the ESV version to see what it uses.

SPEAKER_01

It uses if. It does use if. Um, but he's saying that the the Greek word in for if there can be translated as sense. Um and I understand that, but um the way he's wording it is like if you really believe what you say you're believing, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, saying like you say you do, but if you really do, and if you have, if you say you have comfort, and you say you really do have comfort from his love, and if any common sharing in the spirit, and if any tenderness and compassion. So you claim these things, if they're really true, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and one of mind.

SPEAKER_00

So that's how I do read more like if.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. But it is like an if, like I think it's an if like um since you say this is true, if you really if you really believe what you say.

SPEAKER_03

Right, right, right.

Comfort Love And Shared Spirit

SPEAKER_01

Um I so I just wanted to bring that up, but all right. Uh let's see. If I I have some questions about verse one.

SPEAKER_00

All right.

SPEAKER_01

Comfort in his love. So these are things that he's saying uh the Philippians believe, and we should believe as well. If we have any comfort from his love, what do we what does that mean? Do we have comfort from his love, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

I think we do. I mean, at least in the sense of we know where we're going when we die. I mean, that gives me some peace.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think we have comfort from the uh the love he has in um showing us mercy and forgiving our sins. That's there's a lot of comfort in that. All right. What is this one? If um, what is common sharing in the spirit? If any common sharing in the spirit?

SPEAKER_00

That is an interesting question, because I don't know the answer.

SPEAKER_01

Is that the only reason that's an interesting question? All right, let me see what um NLT says there, by the way. Uh okay, any comfort from his love. Any fellowship together in the spirit?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's kind of how I was gonna take it as well, as fellowship.

SPEAKER_01

All right, so any um any uh uh community with brothers and sisters in Christ.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um tenderness and compassion.

SPEAKER_00

I think that is being there for each other when we need to be there to provide them support or sympathy or encouragement.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. If or or you could just say if we care about the people around us. Um and and that goes right in to what he says. Um uh uh uh then make my joy complete by being like-minded. Care about people, then be like-minded, have the same love. All right, so these this is two, and now have the same questions, okay?

SPEAKER_03

What does it mean to be like-minded?

SPEAKER_00

I think it I don't think it means like following along with one another without having disagreements and conversations, but to reach a point of um compromise that everyone can agree with.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I agree. Um, you know, you all you won't always have the same thoughts on how you should approach something. Um, we do this at work all the time, right? We have a um a design review, and two people might have different thoughts on how it should be done. And that's okay. Um, you talk about them and then you exit there with a direction, right? One and in one mind. You don't um if it wasn't the one you were hoping for, that's okay. You are all together striving in the same direction.

SPEAKER_03

Um having the same love. I think that's loving each other. What is it? I think it's just loving each other. Having the same love. Um I think it all kind of goes together, to be honest with you. What all goes together?

SPEAKER_00

Being of like mind, same love and spirit. It's it's all just being in agreement with one another.

SPEAKER_01

And then one in spirit and one in mind. So you're saying that these are all the same?

SPEAKER_00

Well, not exactly the same, but the same sort of gist.

SPEAKER_03

Well, it's definitely the same gist.

Like Minded Church Unity Check

SPEAKER_01

Um it's you know, uh love each other, care about each other, um uh be at peace with each other. So, two questions about these things. Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00

Well, are you still on one and two?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03

How am I doing on these things?

SPEAKER_01

Oh and how are you doing? I haven't seen you in a month. No, oh the question is though, ask yourself. I'm not saying I'm not saying you tell me how I'm doing. What I'm saying is we need to ask ourselves. Ask ourselves how am I doing on these things? And then number two, it is how does the church in general do on these things?

SPEAKER_00

Depends on what you mean by the church. Because if you mean all the split denominations across the world, I'm gonna have to say not very well.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. Yeah, I would say the church in general, well, okay, it depends on how we define the church. I would say churches.

SPEAKER_00

Um the church So each each one on their own?

SPEAKER_01

No, I would say the problem with saying the church and then just including all the denominations and all the churches. Um uh the church is the body of Christ. And I think I don't want to get confused with uh non-believers. You know what I'm saying? There's lots of people.

SPEAKER_00

Well, yeah, the church, the church is filled with people that don't yet or haven't yet accepted Christ.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

And so the church is there for.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, the church, what do you call it? The church is the body of Christ.

SPEAKER_00

Right. Okay, the church building is there to reach out and make the body of Christ grow.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so I guess so. Let me gosh, this is a tough question. So let's just narrow it down to the church you attend, the church group that you attend. How does your church do in general on these things?

SPEAKER_00

You know, uh, so we both belong to essentially the same church, and it's very large.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

And I feel like I'm so removed from a lot of the politics and decision making that I don't feel equipped to answer that question.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I know that we do a lot of outreach, we do a lot of um missionary work, we do a lot of things, but I also know that there's there's gotta be inner turmoil between, you know, family X and family Y and disagreements and there's definitely disagreements between people in the body.

SPEAKER_01

Um I will say this. I know some uh staff members, and and they've been on staff of other churches, and they say that this man, they say this is night and day different, different set our church in a good way. Good way or a bad way that everybody just loves each other, like the staff. They all it's like there's no bickering and infighting in inside the inside leadership, which is good, but I think all right, so it's really hard for us. Uh maybe that's not a fair question to answer, how is the church doing? But I think it is fair to say um to to say it's important to ask ourselves, how are we doing on these things? And I think it's maybe more of a introspective question that you know maybe uh think about and answer to yourself.

SPEAKER_00

Yep.

SPEAKER_01

All right, that's it.

SPEAKER_00

But I think on that note, verse three is something that we can very much analyze ourselves on, which is do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

SPEAKER_01

Ah, yep.

SPEAKER_00

Which to me kind of can be whittled down to pride and ego and maybe greed for the selfish ambition.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's true. Vain conceit. Vain conceit. What is that? What does that mean?

SPEAKER_03

Let me look. Let's see, to be conceited.

SPEAKER_01

Uh uh, don't okay. Uh I'm gonna tell you what NLT says because that one I use kind of as a definition. Don't be selfish, don't try to impress others. I think it's like impressing others is vain conceived. Be humble, thinking of others is better than yourself. Um, you know, so yeah, I think that whole verse. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00

We are that whole verse I think we can apply to ourselves directly.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, definitely. Um and I'm doing pretty good on that. I think everybody's better than me.

SPEAKER_00

Are you trying to impress me?

unknown

Darn it!

SPEAKER_01

It's a it's a vicious circle. Um it is. Um yeah, I I uh I I've got to say that I sometimes do that well, and sometimes I don't do that well.

SPEAKER_00

I will say that you know, moving, following through to verse four, we're not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. I've often felt like I'm much better suited as a behind the scenes helper than a in front of the crowd leader.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um same here. Even though we're doing this podcast, um I think I can only do it because there's not a live audience.

SPEAKER_00

It's like it's like you and Well, there's not really anybody listening to it either.

SPEAKER_01

Hey now, that's not true. Just over the la I will say over the last month, it was really high at the beginning and it just kind of petered out. Well, I'm hoping hoping we haven't lost our audience.

SPEAKER_00

Um They're gonna be so excited to see that a new episode has been pushed yay!

SPEAKER_03

The regular guy Bible's daddy, yay! All right.

SPEAKER_00

Our fan club.

SPEAKER_01

Uh-huh. Uh-huh. All right. What else do you got, Steve? I got notes all over. I got a note at four. At six.

SPEAKER_00

I think also with value others, I think we can trace that back to uh Christ telling us to love thy neighbor as yourself.

SPEAKER_03

Go ahead. What do you have next?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, I agree. Oh, I see. This is about three and four. It just it just went down at as four. No, I just put a note that I think if I were to per put a percentage on how much I look at others' interest and how much I look at my own interest, I think I'm winning.

SPEAKER_00

So um meaning you look at your own interest more than others.

SPEAKER_01

I think I look at my own more. Um I don't, you know, I think I could just being overly critical of myself. Um I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

We can always do more, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's the thing. Always do more. Um and you know, there's the parable of the sheep and the goats. And one thing the thing that stands out to me about the parable of the sheep and the goats, um is um the sheep. He says, You, you know, you fed me when I was in prison, you you helped me when I knocked at your door. Um the sheep did not remember doing that. It's you know, it's like, I don't remember doing that. Or, you know, I would have remembered you.

SPEAKER_00

Um, and so um but even to the least of these done for me.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And so I think, you know, I think we need to be over. It's better to be over overly critical of our uh of what we do for others than overly positive and patting ourselves on the back.

SPEAKER_00

But at the same time, I know you and I both do a lot of this stuff, but we don't sit there and make a list of these are the things I've done so that I can have a checkbox when I get to heaven.

SPEAKER_01

I think that would be a problem.

SPEAKER_00

Well, that would be a problem, right? I mean, so we're not gonna remember doing these things. It's just part of who we are.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I hope.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I hope so. All right. What else do you got, Steve?

SPEAKER_00

Um I don't really have another thing till ten, so wow.

SPEAKER_01

Okay.

Jesus Chose The Servant Path

SPEAKER_00

Well, I have like little summaries for six through eight and nine through eleven, but I'm sure you have a lot more to bring up.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I just have one that's uh I think uh let me read six through eight, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found an appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Alright. Let me just um I need to say something about this comment that I wrote. I wrote this comment a month ago, and I have not read it since. All right, so right now, I'm just gonna read it, and you know, it's so long that I think I probably dictated it.

SPEAKER_00

So there's gonna be mistakes.

SPEAKER_01

Who knows what it says? All right, this is what I wrote. Um, all right. Uses these three verses to say how we should relate to each other, but also to talk about who Jesus was. Jesus was God and flesh, yet he gave himself for us and other scripture in the gospel. What?

SPEAKER_00

So you know what I wrote for those three verses?

SPEAKER_01

I'm not done yet, by the way. Hold on.

SPEAKER_00

Oh.

Feet Washing Debate And Real Service

SPEAKER_01

There's there's example of Jesus washing uh defeat, defeat of the disciples. There's examples, there's an example of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. I really hate it. Okay, this, okay. I I got on a soapbox here is what I did. I really hate it when people do the feet, the washing the feet thing with each other, because that's not really the thing. Um that's not the thing we need. It's only a symbol when we do that. But when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, I'm not reading my notes anymore because they just it didn't make sense. But when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, it's because they were dirty. Right?

SPEAKER_00

And he was showing them that he was the servant.

SPEAKER_01

And he was showing he was the servant. Now, our feet aren't dirty like that. I mean, even uh Peter said, um, you know, first he said, Oh, you you'll never wash my feet. And he said something like, uh, well, then you can't be my child. Or what did he say? Um, then you have no part with me, or something like that.

SPEAKER_00

And then he said, Well, wash my whole wash my whole body then.

SPEAKER_01

And he goes, only your feet are dirty. Um You know, I I only need to wash your feet because they're dirty. Um so the I don't know, it's just it's it means nothing to me when people do this um feet washing thing. Um I would much rather we do something that really matters to people.

SPEAKER_03

Like, I don't know, wash people's windshield. Like wash their car.

SPEAKER_00

I think there was more to the feet than that. Symbolic of washing them free of sin and what he was gonna do dying on the cross.

SPEAKER_01

Maybe I don't I but I would say I would think if it's washing of sin. That okay, well, the the feet are the only thing dirty. So if sin is the dirt, then he's washing the sin away. But the main thing is, I think the main thing is he's saying, do as I do, serve people, not wash other people's feet. He's saying serve other people. Um, put yourself as a servant for others. And if you want to do something and wash somebody's window, uh their car, like their car windows, right?

SPEAKER_00

And then ask for change at their at their upset if you do that.

SPEAKER_01

Um that's just a little I get what you're saying. That's just a little thing that you're but you really kind of got off on a tangent there. I know. That's what I do, Steve.

SPEAKER_00

So what I wrote for six through eight was so I had wrote a little summary for one through four and a little summary for six through eight. A little summary for nine through eleven.

SPEAKER_01

Had written.

SPEAKER_00

Had written? I don't know what I said. So, you know, one through four was Paul telling them how to be and uh what basically how to work together. And then six through eight is him showing them how Christ showed that behavior.

SPEAKER_03

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

And then nine through eleven, he's showing Christ's reward, which our reward isn't nearly as grand, but we aren't deserving of anything, so I I'm not sure how that ties into what he's saying to them, other than how great God is.

SPEAKER_03

Not sure what to say to that, see.

SPEAKER_01

Other than I really like your little your little sections there.

SPEAKER_00

My my little tidbits of summary.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, they're the little tidbits of summary are good. They bring focus to the sections.

SPEAKER_03

I don't quite follow how the Christ's reward fits into what he's telling them. Um I I mean that's a good point.

Every Knee Bows Jesus Has Authority

SPEAKER_01

Um I think he's just saying who got who Jesus is there. But it does say therefore God exalted him to the highest place.

SPEAKER_03

Um you too shall be exalted. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I think he's saying we will be rewarded for um for you know conducting our lives as a servant here on earth.

SPEAKER_03

Alright. I'll go with that.

SPEAKER_01

Um I'm I'm reading my other note because I've only got one more for this section. All right. Well, I have a note on ten.

SPEAKER_00

Me too.

SPEAKER_01

Um and I say we often talk about Jesus' love for us, but we don't, or at least I don't, think about his authority enough. Um every tongue confess, every knee will bow. Um and this is someone with complete authority, and I'm and often I don't treat Jesus as someone with complete authority. I think of him only as the loving savior. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So I mean, trying to I think it's important to think of him as a loving savior, but also a powerful control.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So that's what I wrote for that.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I just add a little question next to under the earth, and uh to me, that's referring to the very end of time when all the living and the dead will bow a knee, whether they believed in him or not.

SPEAKER_01

Huh. Yeah, that makes sense. Um that's a good point. Under the earth, is that the dead, the living and the dead?

SPEAKER_03

Yep.

Where We Stop And What’s Next

SPEAKER_01

Alright. Uh let's see. It looks like that's all I've got. My next notes.

SPEAKER_00

So we're at what? About 30 something minutes?

SPEAKER_01

Uh yeah, 35 minutes.

SPEAKER_00

So it's probably gonna be too long to go into the next section.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I say we just end it here. Um, I think though next time we'll do the rest of 12. So we'll do uh probably. I mean the rest of chapter two, which is gonna be 12 to 18. Uh, that's the first section, and then 19 to 30.

SPEAKER_00

30.

SPEAKER_01

So, but I think we should be able to do both of those sections without any issue. The the second section is um pretty, I think it'll go pretty quick.

SPEAKER_03

Sounds good. All right.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that's all I got, Steve. All right. Um are we gonna be able to do it again next week? Or no? As far as I know. But no, oh no, well, Monday is game day. It's the first Monday. Yeah. So uh could we do this Sunday night? Let's I'd like to try to figure out a way to not skip. All right.

SPEAKER_00

I agree because I'm tired of reading the same chapter.

SPEAKER_01

I know it. All right. Thank you for joining us. Uh we will see you again. Actually, we don't ever see you. We will uh we will let you hear us again. The regular Gun is title study is a chasm LLC production, all rights reserved.