Do Everything Without Grumbling Or Arguing Series

Doing Everything without Grumbling or Arguing

Philippians 2:12-18

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

Is there a right and wrong way to respond to the difficult times of life? The Bible has many warnings that our lives as Christians will be far from easy. While the sun and rain of blessings fall on both the righteous and unrighteous (Matthew 5:45), so does the chance that bad things will happen (Ecclesiastes 9:11), especially to believers who are promised to be persecuted for the Lord’s name’s sake (John 15:18-20)! While we don’t get to choose many of the negative circumstances we go through, we certainly can choose our reaction. Often when people go through bad times one of their coping mechanisms is to vividly explain their negative feelings about their dire circumstances to other people. While there are many reasons why people do this often it is too illicit either sympathy or to hear stories of worse circumstances that make one’s own trials seem trivial! This is called complaining and while it often has great therapeutic value, is it right in God’s sight? Is not being truthful about how difficult your life has become better than avoiding answering the question, how are you, with either platitudes or outright lies? And what is wrong with vividly describing one’s tribulations if in doing so it helps others cope with their difficulties? But while comforting one another is certainly not a bad thing is there a point that it cannot on0ly be harmful but sinful? For instance, does not a “complaining spirit” affect one’s witness to the world that Christ is sovereign? How is one to convince the world of the unspeakable grace and joy of the Gospel message when one appears to be so miserable? In today’s passage Apostle Paul instructed the Philippians to do everything without grumbling or arguing. As you read the reasons why Paul gave such a command, please examine your own life and verse by verse ask yourself, am I satisfied with the blessings I have received from God, especially considering I am but one mile away from going to my eternal home?

Working out One’s Salvation

After having just read the beautiful hymn of Christ’s humble “obedience to death, even death on a cross” (2:8), Paul did not leave the Philippians “to ponder” what a worthy response might be but instead boldly commanded his dear friends, “as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (2:12). While this verse is “much debated” among many scholars, I believe the confusion is due to the phrase “work out your salvation” having two simultaneous dimensions to its interpretation! First, each believer at the foot of the cross has the responsibility to grow in their spiritual maturity. While the “work of atonement” or “saving work” was done by Christ and is finished, the work of becoming more like Christ is ongoing. When Paul says we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling he is not saying that we are to “grovel before the Lord like a slave before his Master,” nor are we to be terrified of our Father who art in heaven, but merely that we should live in reverence of Him, fully submissive to His will.

While God disciplining those He loves is part of our motivation to seek to be holy as He is holy, I believe Paul is saying the other motivation is live a life worthy of the Gospel so that one does not disappoint the Lord by “failing to live up to the privileges and enjoy the divine benefits” of what Christ purchased for us upon the cross!

Second, to “work out one’s salvation” for Paul also has a corporate dimension. Until the day comes when the entire universe bows to the Lord (2:10-11), the church at Philippi are to follow the example of Christ by imitating the others focused humble servanthood and obedience of the Lamb who chose to give His life a ransom for the many. In the presence of the Lord whom they will one day “give an account for their conduct,” they are to “rebuild social harmony” and unity by not only fleeing from selfishness and vain conceit (2:3) but also by valuing others above themselves and looking out for their interests (2:4). While working out one’s salvation is beyond “human” ability, Paul encouraged the Philippians by telling them it is possible to be holy because “God works in you to will and act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (2:13). “The Psalmist says of our dependency on God, “Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain” (Ps 127:1). God not only places in our hearts the desire to be grow in our own spiritual maturity and seek church unity but also gives us “the spiritual strength to carry it through.” Since God will not override our free-will, our role is to choose to obey His will that He places in our hearts and put the effort into accomplishing what His divine strength has already enabled! The truth is that both God and the believer contribute to working out our salvation with fear and trembling!