The Conduct Of A Follower Of Christ -- Real Christian Life Series

THE CONDUCT OF A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST

REAL CHRISTIAN LIFE

PHILIPPIANS 2:12-16 SO THEN, MY BELOVED, JUST AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS OBEYED, NOT AS IN MY PRESENCE ONLY, BUT NOW MUCH MORE IN MY ABSENCE, WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING; 13 FOR IT IS GOD WHO IS AT WORK IN YOU, BOTH TO WILL AND TO WORK FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE. 14 DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT GRUMBLING OR DISPUTING; 15 SO THAT YOU WILL PROVE YOURSELVES TO BE BLAMELESS AND INNOCENT, CHILDREN OF GOD ABOVE REPROACH IN THE MIDST OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE GENERATION, AMONG WHOM YOU APPEAR AS LIGHTS IN THE WORLD, 16 HOLDING FAST THE WORD OF LIFE, SO THAT IN THE DAY OF CHRIST I WILL HAVE REASON TO GLORY BECAUSE I DID NOT RUN IN VAIN NOR TOIL IN VAIN.

INTRODUCTION: THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS WAS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. WE TOOK A BREAK FOR A CHRISTMAS SERIES, AND THEN ANOTHER SHORT HIATUS AS WE LOOKED AT FAITH. NOW AS WE RETURN BACK ONCE AGAIN TO THIS WONDERFUL BOOK ON CONTENTMENT AND LOVE, I NEED TO KIND OF GET OUR MINDS SHIFTED BACK INTO THINKING ABOUT LIVING A JOYFUL LIFE.

TRANSITION: SO, LETS KIND OF TAKE ONE STEP BACK THIS MORNING AND THEN TWO STEPS FORWARD.

PROPOSITION: PAUL LAYS OUT FOR US THE STEPS NECESSARY FOR WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION, AND WE SHOULD TAKE NOTICE.

I. A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION

a. NOT SPEAKING IN TERMS OF REDEMPTION, BUT OF SANCTIFICATION

b. THE WORK OF OUR SALVATION IS OUR RESPONSE TO THE WORK OF SALVATION IN OUR LIVE

i. RESPONSE

ii. NOT REQUIREMENT

c. REDEMPTION AND SALVATION

i. IT IS IN THE PAST

ii. IT IS COMPLETED

iii. WE WERE JUSTIFIED

iv. OUR FREE WILL WAS RESTORED – WE NOW HAVE THE CHOICE TO FOLLOW CHRIST WHICH WE DID NOT BEFORE WE WERE SAVED.

1. SLAVED BEFORE SAVED.

d. SALVATION AFTER REDEMPTION – THE “WORK”

i. PRESENT TENSE SANCTIFICATION

ii. DAILY BECOMING MORE LIKE CHRIST AND LESS LIKE WHAT HE FREED US FROM

iii. TAKES WORK BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SEPARATED FROM OUR SIN NATURE, BUT OUR SIN NATURE HAS NOT BEEN ERADICATED!

iv. THIS IS A LIFELONG PROCESS

e. SANCTIFICATION AT THE END

i. WE WILL ALL MEET THE LORD

1. SOME BY DEATH

2. SOME BY RAPTURE

ii. WE WILL ALL FACE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

1. NOT JUDGMENT IN PUNISHMENT

2. JUDGMENT (THINK REWARD) FOR SERVICE

iii. THE EVALUATION OF THE RESPONSE TO UR SALVATION NOT ANY ACTIVITY TO ACQUIRE SALVATION.

NOW, THE FOLLOWING VERSES INSTRUCT US IN HOW TO RESPOND OR WORK OUT OUR SALVATION

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THINKING IN THE PRESENT

PHILIPPIANS 2:14 DO ALL THINGS WITHOUT GRUMBLING OR DISPUTING;

a. THE WORD “DO”

i. IN GREEK LANGUAGE THE IMPORTANT STUFF IS PUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE.

ii. IT IS WHAT THE WRITER WANTS US TO FOCUS ON

iii. NOW, SINCE THE AUTHOR OF SCRIPTURE IS GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHAT DO YOU THINK HE WANTS US TO FOCUS ON – THAT’S RIGHT, DO!

THE EMPHASIS IS. “THIS IS WHAT WE DO.”

iv. IN “DO”ING, WE ARE

1. SUBMITTING TO GOD’S DESIRE

2. WE ARE RESPONDING TO OUR SALVATION

b. “ALL THINGS”

i. EVERY ACTION IN THE PRESENT TENSE IS ACTIVITY DIRECTED TO RESPONDING TO GOD’S REDEMPTIVE ACTIVITY IN OUR LIVES.

ii. WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE PRESCRIPTION FOR ACTUALLY DOING ALL THINGS!

REAL CHRISTIAN LIFE IS LEARNED IN THE WORLD NOT AFTER IT. WE CANNOT WAIT TO HEAVEN TO LEARN OUR CHRISTIANITY. GOD PUT IS IN THE WORLD AND TRANSFORMED US SO THAT WE ARE NOT OF THE WORLD TO ALLOW US TO BECOME AS MUCH LIKE CHRIST BEFORE WE LEAVE THE WORLD!

c. DOING OUR HOMEWORK

i. WE LIVE IN A CROOKED AND PERVERSE GENERATION – HENCE A CROOKED AND PERVERSE WORLD

ii. WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF DARKNESS AND WE WERE CREATED TO BE THE CONTRAST TO IT

III. THE IMPORTANCE OF DOING IN THE PRESENT

a. WE ARE TO STOP COMPLAINING

i. PART OF COMPLAINING IS GRUMBLING

1. GRUMBLING REFERS TO HAVING A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE

2. IT IS THE INTERNAL PART OF WHAT COMES OUT AS COMPLAINING

3. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WORD USED FO THE MURMURING OF ISRAEL

4. MURMURING IS A SIGN, IF YOU WILL, OF DISTRUST WITH LEADERS

5. ULTIMATELY IT IS INDICATIVE OF A DISTRUST OF GOD

F.A. NOBLE WROTE, “MURMURING CHRISTIANS ARE SELDOM OF ANY USE TO THE CAUSE OF CHRIST.”

MURMURING ULTIMATELY LEADS TO THE SECOND PART OF COMPLAINING, ….

ii. THE SECOND PART OF COMPLAINING IS DISPUTING

1. THIS IS A WORD THAT SPEAKS OF ONE WHO WOULD SETTLE THEIR DISPUTE IN COURT

2. IT IS A WORD THAT MEANS TO ARGUE.