Shine as Lights to the World
Philippians 2:12-16
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is not to be mistaken as working for your own salvation. This important principle builds on grace – it doesn’t replace grace. The tone in this passage is to work out the salvation you already have been given. The word salvation comes from the Greek word “soteria”, which means, salvation in the present tense, that which concludes the soul’s safety. One definition of this word is “the sum of the benefits and blessings redeemed from all earthly ills.” To work out our salvation with fear and trembling is to take caution and show good stewardship of the gift of salvation that Christ has given to us purchased by His own blood.
The offering of salvation to us comes from an entirely different word. For example, look at Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” The word saved comes from the word, sozo, which means to rescue from danger or destruction or to heal, restore and save from perishing. Salvation is a free gift through faith, received by trusting completely in the work Jesus Christ has already done through His life, death and resurrection. The principle taught here in scripture is that the gift is free and cannot be earned, but that does not mean it came without a cost. It was laid to our account without charge, but it came at a heavy cost by the suffering of Jesus Christ on our behalf. To take lightly the price He paid is a sin. That gift must be received by faith and then valued with honor. This gift of salvation through grace was not provided as a license to sin, but as total justification so that we are no longer in bondage to sin, but our free to serve Christ without being driven blindly by our desires. I believe the purpose of this passage is to set our focus on the day of Christ when we will be judged on the stewardship of our lives. There are three principles of instruction in this passage that we should follow: 1-Obey and work, 2-live an empowered life, and 3-have a Christ-like attitude.
1. Obey and work with fear and trembling. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 8:10 that “we are God’s workmanship in Christ Jesus, created for good works that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” You are called for a purpose. God has created a plan for each person regardless of ability or stature. There is a common misconception among the church today that we are not be held accountable for our deeds. Some even sit behind the falsehood that “God will inspire them if God wants them to work”. If that were true, there would be no need for commands. Why would the Bible stress throughout scripture the need for us to work and labor for Christ? We are commanded to work and to take this salvation and use it for God’s glory. Obedience is an act of faith. The Bible tells us that our righteousness is credited to us because of our faith, and if we have faith we will act upon it. James chapter 2 tells us that faith without works is dead. If we have received grace by faith, we should act on that grace. Look at Romans 6:
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
If we have faith in God, we will obey. Sin is disbelief but obedience is acting upon God’s commands because we believe His word – both the promises and the commands. We are commanded to be good stewards of the gift God has given us. There is an appointed Day that we will all stand before Christ and give an account for everything we have done whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). This warning is repeated throughout the scripture. Our purpose is eagerly long for that day, not to fear it. Look at the following two passages:
1 Corinthians 1:
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
It is through faith in God and His purpose for my life that I can labor and work out my salvation. Fear and trembling stresses the critical nature of my decision, but joy and fulfillment are the blessings I experience as I act upon God’s commands. When I believe God I will act upon that belief. I believe God’s abundant blessings that He promises to pour out in my life as I obey and remain faithful and I also believe God’s warnings that I will be held in account of my life. Both are equally important. If I only act out of fear, I rob myself of joy and the pleasure of following God’s commands. If I am only motivated out of self-gain, I loose perspective and am easily drawn away when temptation competes for my desires. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Your purpose is not to wait for heaven, but to work with heaven in your sights. All the disciples and apostles worked with a passion for Christ. The church is loosing momentum today for several reasons. A missing work ethic is one of the problems. When someone works toward a common goal, they take ownership along side other believers in reaching that goal. When someone does not labor, heaven looses its impact in their lives.
2. Live an empowered life. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”. The Christian life is not the easy life. It is the most challenging and difficult lifestyle you can choose. Jesus even stated, “Seek to enter the narrow gate…for narrow is the gate and difficult is the path that leads to life and there are few who find it”. God will always call you to go beyond your limitations and to step outside the comfort zone of your abilities. God will always call you to rise above your faults. You do not have to power to rise above your deep-rooted character flaws by your own determination. Only by God’s empowerment can you live holy and become what God has called you to be. This road is narrow and difficult but it is also the most fulfilling and rewarding life. Without giving up yourself, you can’t reap the blessings. The easy way out is always to leave God’s design, but to do so is to by-pass God’s plan and will make your lifestyle a barrier to God’s blessings. Righteousness comes from God and is invested in our lives when we surrender by faith and trust God with our life. Wisdom comes from God. Strength comes from God. Every good thing and every righteous path is offered to us by God. Each good and spiritual quality is imparted to us by God through faith and obedience. If I don’t believe God is on my side, I won’t trust Him. If I don’t trust Him, I will not be willing to sacrifice and I will also give in to the temptation to sin because I feel like I am missing out and don’t believe that God can fulfill me. The first step to living an empowered life is to rest my hope fully upon God. If my idea of God is a harsh judge, I won’t trust Him. If my God is too weak to control my way, I also won’t trust Him. I must acknowledge that God has a right to my life and I must trust in His word. Look at Psalm 36:7-9
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
God wants to give you His abundance and His designed pleasures. You won’t miss anything when you surrender. When I recognize the loving kindness of God, I will put my trust under the authority He has over my life. When I submit to this authority, I will be abundantly satisfied. It is not my role to satisfy myself. I can’t satisfy my own desires. I can only submit to my desires, or allow Jesus to control them. Christians who allow desire to lead them fall back into bondage and are controlled by their own desires. We give in to temptation when we believe that only we can fulfill our desires. Our pride takes over and we think we have the power and God does not. We enter into sin believing we are in control and quickly we become the slave. You cannot master your desires. They will always drive you, you can’t drive them. You can submit to God and He will crucify your flesh, but you can’t bring your flesh under control by your own power. Only God can truly satisfy your desires and God gladly gives pleasure to those who are in His will. We also can’t look to pleasure to be our fulfillment. God is our fulfillment. When God is our focus and our desire, we will always be satisfied. This requires that we trust Him. So to allow God to work effectively in our life, trust is necessary.
Our purpose in life is not to find pleasure. Our purpose is to do the will of God. Pleasure is only for a moment, but God’s purpose is eternal. It is God who works in me for His will and His good pleasure so that I can have the power to live with an eternal goal and an eternal perspective. 1 John 4:4 says, “you are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world”. The secret to overcoming is to rely on His power. When I go by my own strength, I will always fall short. I must depend fully upon Him and abide in His will. Look at John 15:
7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
9 " As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
To live an empowered life, I must abide in Christ, have His word in my heart and ask with the purpose of glorifying God. Here is where the eternal perspective is so important. If my heart is in heaven, I will have a heavenly focus and will ask with an eternal perspective in mind. If my heart is on the world, I will ask out of a desire to selfishly fulfill my worldly desires. My purpose is to ask what I desire so that I will bear much fruit and glorify God. If my goal is greed, I still love the world. If my heart is in the world, I am investing in what we know will pass away. What I do for God will last for all eternity. What I fail to do for God also effects all eternity as well. I am empowered by obedience and prayer.
3. Have a Christ-like attitude. Evidence of this is found in verse 14, “do all things without murmuring and disputing”. Secret murmuring and outward disputing comes from the same attitude. Submit joyfully to God. 1 Corinthians 9 tells us “for if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then?” Scripture also makes it clear that we are commanded to serve whether joyfully or against our will. God blesses us out of His lovingkindness, not out of obligation. It is a gift, not a payment. Our service is expected and the work alone is not what gains our reward. It is our response from the heart that measures our reward. To obey God is a command not a suggestion. To disobey is to sin and the labor is expected. Jesus paid our debt to sin and that, we can never repay. Therefore it is impossible for God to be indebted to us. Our labor does not put God in debt. It is through God’s lovingkindness that are blessed. Our service is a command, but our attitude is rewarded. Our attitude of service is what God honors. Look at Colossians 3:
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
If we indeed have faith, we will serve joyfully. When we see God’s plan and believe in the work God is doing in our life, obedience will be a delight. The Bible tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. We should give everything to God out of joy. The attitude of our giving is a reflection of where we are spiritually. If I am clinging to the world, the things of the world will have my trust. If I trust God with every area of my life, I can trust Him with my possessions as well. It is hard to give God what I love more than Him. It is easy to say that God is number one, but if I neglect His call to give, what is really number one? Can I really trust God with my money? Or do I have to wait until I see if there are any left overs?
The same is true for service. If I joyfully serve, I have a reward. If I reluctantly serve I am only doing what is required. If I refuse to give or to serve, I am walking in disobedience. 1 John 2:4 says clearly that if we say we know Him and refuse to keep His commands, we are living a lie. Even out of reluctance, obedience is expected. 1 John 2:6 says that if we say we abide in Him, we ought – or literally translated, we are in debt to walk just as He walked. Obedience is not given as an option, our attitude is. If we trust and surrender to God’s plan, we will have no problem obeying joyfully. When I am fully convinced that God is in control, I can rest knowing that He holds my tomorrow. I will surrender to Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” If I believe that God sustains me, I can trust Him with every area of my life. My money belongs to Him and I surrender ownership. I can do this because His plan is wiser than my plan and I believe the promises that He will meet all my needs. I am willing to server joyfully even if there is a cost because I know His plan is right. I will be willing to put off self-gratification because I believe that God will give me drink from His river of pleasures and fulfill me within His will. I can rest without the burden of my needs because He will satisfy me with the abundance of His house. Until I understand that God desires my good and surrender by faith, I will be bound by my own limited control.
If you do these things, God will bless your efforts. It begins with the word. If we don’t know the word, we can’t stand by it. Our grounding is through “holding fast to the word of life”. We must know God’s word and cling to it. It is through God’s revealed word that we gain that eternal perspective. We must stand blameless and harmless so that we can be a light in this generation. To be blameless is to live a pure life without need for rebuke or chastisement. To be harmless literally means to be unmixed with impurities. Harmless comes from the word akeraisos. The word picture here is to compare our lives with a refined metal like silver. To be mixed weakens silver and decreases its value. We are called to remain pure and not to allow ourselves to be mixed with the world.
It is God’s desire to bless every area of your life. If you live outside of God’s plan, your lifestyle will become a wall of separation that prevents God from making you holy, pure, righteous and fulfilled. God has promised that His purpose for your life shall fill you till you overflow, but you can’t experience God’s will until you let go of your own. God wants to do this, are you standing in the way?
Empowerment comes from Christ. He has paved the way and He has given us all good things so that we can live the abundant life victoriously. The strength comes from God, but the effort comes from me. He will not drag us into His will. If I believe, I will act. I have the promises that God will equip me. He promised that when I commit my works to Him, He will establish my thoughts; when I submit, He gives me the power to resist; when I draw near to Him, He will draw near to me. These are promises of God that are claimed, not by speaking, but by acting. I can believe these promises until eternity, but until I have faith – believe enough to act upon them – I can’t claim them. They are given to me by obeying God’s commands. Hold fast to the word so that you may rejoice in the day of Christ.
*** This sermon can be downloaded as a Word document by following the link at http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/Phil/philippians.htm ***
