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In every area of life, examples matter. Athletes study great athletes. Students imitate great teachers. Children imitate their parents. Whether we realize it or not, we are always following someone. That is why Paul begins this passage with a call to imitation. the Christian life is often caught before…

Mature Conduct In the Christian life, one of the easiest traps to fall into is thinking we have already arrived. Some believers think maturity means they have reached a point where they no longer need correction. Others think maturity means they already understand everything important about the Christian…

Introduction Sometimes we assume that the apostle Paul lived on a completely different spiritual level than the rest of us. We imagine him as a kind of spiritual giant who had already figured everything out. If anyone had “arrived,” surely it was Paul. But in Philippians 3 , Paul shatters that assumption.…

Introduction: A Command and a Warning As Paul turns into chapter 3 of Philippians, he writes, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” That word “finally” does not mean he is finished. It signals a shift. He is moving from the example of Christ’s humility in chapter 2 to a serious warning in chapter…

Down Into the Pit The scene that we were just in was about how Joseph is betrayed by all the brothers, including Abraham's other sons, but especially Judah, that snake, and his really self-oriented betrayal of his brother. He's after a quick 20 shekels. We're gonna pick up in verse 29 and shift back…

Introduction Mother’s Day can stir up many emotions. For some, it is a day of gratitude and celebration. For others, it carries grief, loss, longing, or complicated memories. Some are exhausted in the middle of parenting. Some are praying for children who have wandered. Some are grieving children they…

A Man in the Field 12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied. 14 Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers…

Joseph’s Dream Today is the story about his dreams, his robe, the brothers becoming angry like Cain, doing something to their brother that will result in a robe deception, and that's the arc of the chapter. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph , when seventeen years of age, was…

Introduction: From Theology to People Paul has just taken us to the heights of Christ’s humility. We have seen the Son who emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death. Now Paul shifts from theology to personnel. At first glance, verses 19 to 30 can feel like…