(Guy Glass, SC.com) One of golf’s immortal moments came when a Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, “There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.”
Those who have seen me play golf could see how much I can relate to this story.
How many here work out/exercise on a regular basis?
(Wade Hughes, SC.com) Too often, “The only exercise we get is jumping to conclusions, running down friends, sidestepping responsibility, pushing our luck.”
1 Tim. 4:8 says, BODILY EXERCISE PROFITS A LITTLE. That’s why I only exercise a little.
The truth is, we all know that physical exercise is very important to our health.
But spiritual exercise is even more crucial to our spiritual health.
•In fact, without it, we could already be dead.
Today, we’re going to learn about not just the benefits of exercise, but the necessity of it.
I’m not talking about physical exercise. Obviously, I’m no expert in that field.
•We’re talking about spiritual exercise and God has a few things to say about that.
Turn with me to Phil. 2:12-18. Review. Paul has just shared the Gospel of Christ.
•Now he reminds the Philippians that bowing the knee is just the beginning.
Prayer
12THEREFORE (in light of what Christ did for us), MY DEAR FRIENDS (my beloved), AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS OBEYED—NOT ONLY IN MY PRESENCE, BUT NOW MUCH MORE IN MY ABSENCE—
I like how Paul puts this. In fact, this whole passage is about obedience.
Notice that the Philippians had obeyed even more when he wasn’t with them.
Illus. Do we tend to work harder when the boss is around or away?
•Of course, the truth is, our real Boss is always around!
CONTINUE TO WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING,
PAUL’S COMMAND: WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION. v. 12
Before we look at what Paul means, let’s look at what he doesn’t mean.
Paul is not saying work for your salvation. Our good works cannot save us.
Eph. 2:8-9 FOR IT IS BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED, THROUGH FAITH—AND THIS NOT FROM YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD—9NOT BY WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.
Nowhere does Paul advocate working for/earning our salvation. It’s impossible.
•However, he does command us to work out our salvation.
Eph. 2:10 FOR WE ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS TO DO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED IN ADVANCE FOR US TO DO.
Jas. 2:26 AS THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, SO FAITH WITHOUT DEEDS IS DEAD.
What’s the difference between working for our salvation and working out our salvation?
Faith without works is dead. You cannot have real faith if it’s not a working faith.
If you’re not exercising your faith, you have a dead faith.
All throughout Scripture we see this point emphasized.
The difference between the wise man/foolish man (Mt. 7) is which one obeyed.
The difference between the sheep/goats (Mt. 25) is which ones practiced their faith.
The good seed that the farmer sowed (Mt. 13) was the seed that produced fruit.
Saying we believe in Jesus isn’t enough. We must back up our faith by our good works.
•The proof’s in the pudding. Our good works prove (not produce) our good faith.
CONTINUE TO WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION. Keep up the good work.
•Work it out until it’s completed.
Phil. 1:6 HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS.
By the way, this brings out another point to this verse.
What’s the significance of “WORK OUT” being in the middle voice?
WORK OUT is found in the middle voice, which means we both do it and we’re helped in doing it. It takes two.
•The truth is, like our salvation, we can’t even do good works on our own.
This leads to the next main point. But before we go there, we can’t miss the rest of v. 12.
WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING. This isn’t an option. It’s not take it or leave it.
This is serious business. God is a holy God. You can’t play games with Him.
If you really want to know if you’re saved, look at how you’re working it out.
We’re saved by faith. We prove our faith by our works. Faith without works is dead.
And the irony is, we can’t even do good works without God’s help.
HOW CAN WE WORK IT OUT? v. 13
13FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKS (NAS – is at work) IN YOU TO WILL AND TO ACT (be at work) ACCORDING TO HIS GOOD PURPOSE (His pleasure, His desire).
Just in case someone questioned v. 12, Paul refutes a works salvation.
•And he does it by explaining why he uses the middle voice in his command.
He says, “work out your salvation, but in reality, it’s God working through you.”
We can only work it out when God works through us.
The only way we can follow Christ’s example is by allowing Him to work in/thru us.
(Wiersbe) – “God works in us before He works through us.”
Paul explains this better in his letter to the Romans.
Rom. 7:21-24 SO I FIND THIS LAW AT WORK: WHEN I WANT TO DO GOOD, EVIL IS RIGHT THERE WITH ME. 22FOR IN MY INNER BEING I DELIGHT IN GOD’S LAW; 23BUT I SEE ANOTHER LAW AT WORK IN THE MEMBERS OF MY BODY, WAGING WAR AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND AND MAKING ME A PRISONER OF THE LAW OF SIN AT WORK WITHIN MY MEMBERS. 24WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM! WHO WILL RESCUE ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH? 25THANKS BE TO GOD—THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!
We can’t exercise our faith unless God, our Personal Trainer, is there working thru us.
Can we do good works apart from God in us?
HOW SHOULD WE WORK IT OUT? v. 14
Paul has already shown us many ways to work out our salvation.
•Love, unity, mercy, humility. Many other exercises are found throughout God’s Word.
What are some ways we can work out our salvation?
Here Paul gives us 2 more ways.
1. No complaining.
2. No arguing.
14DO EVERYTHING WITHOUT COMPLAINING OR ARGUING,
•“without secret murmuring, grumbling and disputing.”
We’re never guilty of that, are we?
Actually, Paul is referring here to the rebellion of Israel in the wilderness.
Nine different times in Scripture, it says the people grumbled against Moses/God.
“We want to go back to Egypt. We’re hungry/thirsty/afraid. We’re not happy.”
Today, it’s, “I don’t like that program/that song/decoration/color/plan.” I’m not happy.”
Paul has already warned us before about complaining and arguing.
In Phil. 1:15-17, he warns against envy, rivalry, selfish ambition.
In Phil. 2:3 he warns again against selfish ambition and vain conceit.
•Apparently, grumbling and complaining is an age old problem.
We all know what happens when we begin to complain or argue selfishly.
•It ends up destroying lives, churches, and breaking God’s heart again and again.
God commands us to work out our salvation by allowing God to work through us.
•Two great examples of this are not complaining or arguing.
On the flip side, what happens when we do complain or argue, especially in the Church?
•It’s a clear sign that God is not working through us and it could be a sign that we have a dead faith!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE WORK IT OUT? vv. 15-16 (3 ways)
1. We become pure in a corrupt world.
15SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME BLAMELESS AND PURE,
Oddly, these are different words than Paul used in 1:10, but they have similar meaning.
Here, they give the idea of being uncontaminated, unadulterated, unmixed in this crooked and depraved/distorted/corrupted/perverse world.
Again, we see a reference here to the nation of Israel in the wilderness.
Dt. 32:5 (Moses’ song) THEY HAVE ACTED CORRUPTLY TOWARD HIM; TO THEIR SHAME THEY ARE NO LONGER HIS CHILDREN, BUT A WARPED AND CROOKED GENERATION.
As children of God, we need to stand out against this crooked world, not be part of it.
When we work out our salvation (when God works through us), we become BLAMELESS AND PURE, CHILDREN OF GOD WITHOUT FAULT (blemish) IN A CROOKED AND DEPRAVED GENERATION,
Paul is not saying that by working out our salvation we might become children of God.
He says by working out our salvation we might become blameless/pure children of God.
2. We become lights in a dark world.
IN WHICH YOU SHINE LIKE STARS (luminaries) IN THE UNIVERSE
Mt. 5:14-15 “YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A CITY ON A HILL CANNOT BE HIDDEN. 15NEITHER DO PEOPLE LIGHT A LAMP AND PUT IT UNDER A BOWL. INSTEAD THEY PUT IT ON ITS STAND, AND IT GIVES LIGHT TO EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE. 16IN THE SAME WAY, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS AND PRAISE YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.
Newsboys - "SHINE Make ’em wonder what you got, Make ’em wish that they were not on the outside looking bored, SHINE let it shine before all men, let ’em see good works and then, let ’em glorify the Lord."
(Stephen Fournier, SC.com) - "If you’re in a car traveling the speed of light and you turn on your headlights, does it do any good? If you’re a Christian and you only act like a Christian around other Christians, if you only let the light of Jesus shine around others who are shining does it do any good? NO!!
If we continually behave like selfish, divisive, arrogant unbelievers, not only will we NOT work out our salvation; worse yet, we will turn off/turn away other potential believers.
(John Stensrud, SC.com) We must think of unbelievers as stargazers. They are looking at the heavens with the hope of seeing bright beautiful stars… But when Christians can’t get along, the stars of the universe are obscured by the dark cloud cover of discord.
When we work out our salvation, we shine like the stars and bring real light to the world.
How bright is our light?
3. We bring life to a dead world.
16AS YOU HOLD OUT THE WORD OF LIFE— There are 3 potential meanings here.
•Holding forth, holding onto and holding out. I believe all three could work.
Holding forth gives the idea of holding out a drink to a guest at a banquet.
When we work out our salvation, we hold forth living water to those in need.
•We also hold onto Christ, the Word of Life. We are nothing without Him.
•We also hold out the Word of Life to others who need hope and help.
When we let God work His salvation thru us, we become pure in a corrupt world, light in a dark world, and we bring life to a dead world. Think of the impact that could have!
Working out their salvation doesn’t just affect the Philippians. It affects Paul, too.
HOW IS PAUL WORKING IT OUT? v. 16-18
IN ORDER THAT I MAY BOAST ON THE DAY OF CHRIST THAT I DID NOT RUN OR LABOR FOR NOTHING.
Hold it. I thought Paul was preaching humility. How can he boast?
•Isn’t boasting wrong? Not if our boasting is in the Lord.
1 Cor. 1:31 THEREFORE, AS IT IS WRITTEN: “LET HIM WHO BOASTS BOAST IN THE LORD.
2 Cor. 11:30 IF I MUST BOAST, I WILL BOAST OF THE THINGS THAT SHOW MY WEAKNESS.
Paul is not boasting here of all the great things he’s done.
He’s simply boasting in the fruit of his labor; the fruit that God produced thru him.
He’s proud of the fact that his hard labor for Christ was not in vain.
Illus. “Thank You” by Ray Boltz. How would you feel if the song were sung to you?
Paul is reflecting here on being a recipient of that song.
In fact, Paul again demonstrates his humility in v. 17.
17BUT EVEN IF I AM BEING POURED OUT LIKE A DRINK OFFERING ON THE SACRIFICE AND SERVICE (ministry) COMING FROM YOUR FAITH, (your working out your salvation)
In those days, drink offerings were often poured over a sacrifice. (Thielman 141)
The point is, He is a living sacrifice to God.
Paul considers himself and his ministry as being poured out in an act of worship to God.
There’s something else interesting here. Our service/ministry is also an offering to God.
Paul was being poured out on their service. Together, they were an offering to God.
Because of their partnership in ministry as an offering to God, Paul says,
I AM GLAD AND REJOICE (and share) WITH ALL OF YOU. 18SO YOU TOO SHOULD BE GLAD AND REJOICE (share your joy) WITH ME.
Paul is working out his salvation by laboring intensely as an offering to God.
•We should too. The question is, are we?
•Are we working it out? Are we exercising our spiritual muscles? How?
Am I working out my salvation? How?
If we were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict us?
Physical exercise profits a little, but spiritual exercise is crucial to our spiritual health and well-being. Without it, we’re dead. Faith without works is dead.
(Zingers) We’re pardoned from sin, but we’re not excused from service.
If we’re not working out our salvation, it’s quite possible we have no salvation.
We need to chew on this with fear and trembling. It’s a matter of life and death.
But when we do regularly exercise our faith, when we let God work thru us, it can have tremendous, life-changing, world-changing results!
The Bottom Line: Working out with God is the key to spiritual health.
So how’s your exercise regimen? How’s your spiritual health?
It’s time for us all to work it out, in His strength.
Prayer Hymn I Give All to You
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
