INTRODUCTION
Paul began chapter 2 calling for the church to have an attitude of humility and cooperation standing together during a time of persecution.
Last week, Paul explained that our development, our mindset, our attitude in life, should model that as of Christ Jesus Himself. Today, he teaches that if we portray a spirit of humility then Christ will shine through our lives. We (as John said) must “decrease” so that He can “increase”.
We must be like that of a “DRINK OFFERING”.
A life that is so consumed by Christ that others do NOT SEE OURSELF, BUT INSTEAD they see JESUS CHRIST!
Continuing from showing the attitude and example of Christ, he now begins by saying in VS 12 ‘THEREFORE’ - ON ACCOUNT OF THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS…
TEXT: PHILIPPIANS 2:12-18
VERSES 12 & 13
12-1) ‘work out your salvation’
The phrase “work out” means -
- Carry out to the goal – to cultivate – to fully complete the assignment
Salvation talks about the work of Christ - to achieve Christlikeness
SO it becomes: CARRY OUT THE GOAL OF BECOMING CHRISTLIKE
12-2) ‘fear & trembling’
Not a ‘terror’ but a ‘caution’. A ‘caution’ that says: Think before you talk, Pray before you act, Seek before you step.
A ‘caution’ that considers ‘whether or not’ one’s actions will please or displease – NOT ANOTHER – but GOD!
[SCR] – 1 PETER 1.17
1 Peter 1:17 (NIV)
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
A ‘reverent’ fear that exercises caution in showing disrespect to God by the manner in which we live.
The thought is completed in VS 13 showing the other side of the relationship
13-1) ‘God who works in you’
Vs. 12 described our ‘work to become like Christ’. Now he describes God’s working in our life…
13-2) ‘to will and to act’
Lit – ‘the willing and the doing’. The ‘willing’ which is always being done by God in a way that He WANTS AND DESIRES to works in our lives to bring glory to Him Name.
DON’T MISS THE WORD “WORK” – on both sides:
The GRK meaning for ‘WORK’ is ‘worketh’ & gives us our word ‘ENERGETIC’
God, through His Spirit, ‘energizes’ ‘US’ (12a) giving us the desire, the intent, the energy to become like Christ as ‘HE’ (13) works in us to carry out His good and perfect will (purpose) we’ve talked about in Ephesians 2.10!
[SCR] READ HEBREWS 13.21
God WORKS by ‘equipping’ us and building up ‘energy’ for OUR WORK which is ‘doing His will’. Paul shows that both work at the same thing – to make us more Christlike!
TRANSITION
And in doing this work, through this relationship, we are to ‘shine like the stars in the universe’…
VERSES 14 – 16
14-1) ‘EVERYTHING – w/out complaining or arguing’
The words here seem obvious and on ONE side – it is.
a) ‘grumblings’ and deals with our actions & attitudes toward each other.
b) ‘arguing’ describes an ‘inward murmuring’ dealing with our attitude towards GOD. Listen to the AMPLIFIED:
Philippians 2:14 (AMP)
14 Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves],
- When we grumble towards another – that thought is easy to understand.
- But when we complain, doubt, and fuss from within, we are actually doing so to God Himself.
Don’t want to…, I can’t…, I’m not good enough…, Too tired… etc.
INSTEAD (15)
15-1) ‘shine like stars in the universe’
One key thought. ‘BE A LIGHT!’ When you go outside at night, you see that stars in the sky. When GOD LOOKS DOWN on this dark world, He sees THOSE WHO ARE HIS OWN as little LIGHTS DOWN HERE.
‘w/out fault’: But a light that doesn’t go light and dim and light and dim BUT one that just as Christ showed through His life and death, shines all the time.
ILLUSTRATION: Have you ever noticed what often happens when a light burns out? Many times when a light is turned on for the last time it produces a sudden burst of light until the element burns into darkness. A sudden explosion of light is followed by the search for a new lightbulb.
None of us would want to light our homes with flash bulbs. We want a steady consistent light that will make the room comfortable to be in. Our lives are to have that same kind of consistency.
Jesus said that our lives should be as lights for the world to see.
As ‘children of God’ Paul says “shine like STARS IN THE UNIVERSE”. Live in a way that shows no fault.
This little light of mine – I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine – I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine – I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
____, what’s He done for YOU? Isn’t that worth some excitement? Not subdued, somber, poor little defeated children. CHILDREN OF THE KING! Let it SHINE! HE’S WORTH IT!
16-1) ‘hold out the word of life’
You be strong – you hold out – you live Christ – in order that I may boast… that I did not run in vain. He throws in a thought from within.
ILLUSTRATION OF SELF!
Every pastor, if they are sincere in their calling to a particular church, looks at his congregation as his children. Don’t take me wrong, I know this is GOD’S CHURCH.
But a pastor gauges his job on the attitudes, growings, groanings, and commitments of his flock. You see, while this is GOD’s church, your GROWTH AND MATURITY ARE MY CARE AND MY CHARGE.
Listen to Acts 20:28 – I’ve put both the NIV and the MSG on the [SCR]
Acts 20:28 (NIV)
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Acts 20:28 (MSG)
28 "Now it’s up to you. Be on your toes—both for yourselves and your congregation of sheep. The Holy Spirit has put you in charge of these people—God’s people they are—to guard and protect them. God himself thought they were worth dying for.
One pastor said:
Our job as a pastor is to set the table. We can’t make them eat.
I guess maybe that’s true, but I believe the RESULTS of what is digested and applied is what a sincere pastor gauges the success of the race he has run!
Paul now closes this section with what I have learned may be two of the most wonderful verses in the entire Bible.
VERSES 17-18
To understand what he is saying, we must travel back a bit!
In Gen. 35.14 [SCR], Jacob “poured out a drunk offering on it” and then topped it off with oil. Following this act, in Lev. & Num. the different types of sacrifice and offerings were spelled out and on top of some of the “burnt offerings” and some of the “meal offerings”, there would be this additional “drink offering” on top of it.
BUT what was most unusual about it was that it had NO significant purpose in that it had nothing to do with redemption or sin. In fact, it had nothing to do with the offering itself.
It would simply go up in steam and DISAPPEAR.
PAUL knows that Christ made the supreme sacrifice and is saying “I want my life to be poured out like a drink offering”. To be SO CONSUMED BY CHRIST so that all one SEES IS CHRIST and in VS 18 he says you too should glad and rejoice.
JOHN THE BAPTIST had the same attitude in talking about the coming of Christ
John 3:30 (NIV)
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
Paul, just before he died in writing his charge to Timothy, said in
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)
6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
SUMMARY
Do WE have the attitude and the mind of Christ? Do you want to be as a drink offering? Are you willing to decrease in order for Him to increase?
What a Passage! What an example! BUT will THIS EXAMPLE CHANGE YOU?
WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE MEAN TO US? WHAT WILL IT CAUSE YOU TO DO WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE?
ILLUSTRATION: BY LIFE OR BY DEATH
John Piper, in his book, “Future Grace”, reprinted a letter by Carl Lundquist, former president of Bethel College and Seminary. In 1988, the doctors told him he had a rare form of cancer which invaded the skin over his entire body and ended his life three years later. He wrote this letter the day after he heard the news of his cancer:
That day in the hospital room, I picked up my Bible when the doctor had left. I turned to the joy verses of Philippians, thinking one might stand out. But what leaped from the pages was Paul’s testimony in chapter one, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
I discovered that a verse I had lived by in good health also was a verse that I could live by in ill health. To live - Christ, to die - gain. But by life or by death, it’s all right either way ... So I simply trust that [God] in His own way will carry out for me His will which I know alone is good and acceptable and perfect. By life or by death. Hallelujah!
12) ‘work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.’
[DON’T READ – PUT ON SCREEN]
Jn 3.30 “He must increase but I must decrease!”
