Paul has been exhorting this small church to think in a Christian way towards one another and towards life in general. Now he gives them a real-life example in one of his closest friends, Timothy. In Timothy we learn how exactly we can live a life of selflessness.

After the resurrection comes a "now what?" Paul delivers the "now what?" in no uncertain terms. If Jesus is Lord, then that means we obey him, and it shows in how we as a community move through the world. The glorious thing is that as we step forward in obedience, it turns out God is present and working in us the entire time.

We arrive at the beating heart, not just of Philippians, but of the gospel itself. We see a mini-biography of the second person of the Trinity - God from eternity past, Lord to eternity future - and right in the middle is Jesus's condescension to humanity - one of humility, obedience, and trust in the Father. It's no wonder he is now the King of kings and Lord of lords forever and ever.

We're diving back into Philippians, where Paul is encouraging his friends to have a singular focus on "the one thing." What is this thing? (The Gospel!) And what does it look like to be singularly focused on it? (Together with Love, Unity, and Humility!)

Our final Psalm of lament is a doozy. How are you supposed to pray when it feels like it's God who is against you? Heman the Ezrahite has a thing or two to teach us about desperate faith in the midst of unthinkable circumstances.

What if your sin should be the cause of your lament? David, after his twin-sins of adultery and murder, illustrates a robust lament over his sin. This can serve as a template for us when we need to lament over our own sin.

How do we lament when it's our mental health that is causing us trouble? Do the Psalms provide any recourse for us when we are depressed or anxious? The Psalmists of Israel blaze a trail that we can follow: going to God even in the midst of mental and emotional turmoil.

How do we lament when our own bodies turn on us? Whether it's disease or aging, eventually mortality catches up to every human being. This is a good reason to lament to God. The Psalmist uses his current affliction to reflect on the eternity of God, and this leads to comfort and peace since we know there is a future Kingdom awaiting us.

In our first installment learning about lament in the Psalms, we encounter enemies. How are we to navigate our lives when others are the cause of our trouble? How do the Psalms teach us to pray? And how does that square with Jesus's command to love our enemies?

Paul begins the exhortation section of his letter to the Philippians with his primary point: we need to live as citizens of the new kingdom. He will unpack this for the rest of letter, but for now he leaves us with three how-tos for being dual citizens of earth and heaven: we act in unity, without fear, and through suffering.