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.
3. IT IS WHAT GOES ON IN THE HUMAN HEART WHEN WE WANT TO ARGUE OR DISPUTE WITH GOD ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING RATHER THAN DOING WHAT GOD WANTS US TO BE DOING
4. A WAY OF RATIONALIZING OURSELVES OUT OF SERVING THE LORD
5. GOD DOES NOT WANT US ARGUING WITH HIM, BUT LISTENING TO HIM.
6. WE NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HABIT OF ARGUING WITH GOD.
LUKE 14:15-20 WHEN ONE OF THOSE WHO WERE RECLINING AT THE TABLE WITH HIM HEARD THIS, HE SAID TO HIM, "BLESSED IS EVERYONE WHO WILL EAT BREAD IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!" 16 BUT HE SAID TO HIM, "A MAN WAS GIVING A BIG DINNER, AND HE INVITED MANY; 17 AND AT THE DINNER HOUR HE SENT HIS SLAVE TO SAY TO THOSE WHO HAD BEEN INVITED, 'COME; FOR EVERYTHING IS READY NOW.' 18 "BUT THEY ALL ALIKE BEGAN TO MAKE EXCUSES. THE FIRST ONE SAID TO HIM, 'I HAVE BOUGHT A PIECE OF LAND AND I NEED TO GO OUT AND LOOK AT IT; PLEASE CONSIDER ME EXCUSED.' 19 "ANOTHER ONE SAID, 'I HAVE BOUGHT FIVE YOKE OF OXEN, AND I AM GOING TO TRY THEM OUT; PLEASE CONSIDER ME EXCUSED.' 20 "ANOTHER ONE SAID, 'I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE, AND FOR THAT REASON I CANNOT COME.'
GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR US TO AVOID BEING COMPLAINERS. IT ALLOWS US TO BE POSITIVE ILLUSTRATIONS OF GOD’S CHILDREN
IV. THE POSITIVE RESULT OF NOT BEING A COMPLAINERS (COMPLAINING IS THE PRECURSOR TO OTHER ACTIVITY. IT IS THE START OF A DOWNWARD SPIRAL).
a. WE SHOW OURSELVES TO BE BLAMELESS AND INNOCENT
i. WE SHOW THAT WE ARE PURE AND UNMIXED
ii. AFTER A WHILE, IF WE CONTINUE TO GRUMBLE AND DISPUTE, IT WILL AFFECT WHAT WE DO.
iii. THIS SPEAKS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
EPHESIANS 1:4 JUST AS HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, THAT WE WOULD BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS BEFORE HIM. IN LOVE
iv. STRIFE AND CONTENTION ARE NEVER ATTRACTIVE TO THE WORLD
v. WE MUST REFINE UR PERSONAL TESTIMONY BEFORE WE CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN THE WORLD
b. WE SHOW OURSELVES TO BE ABOVE REPROACH
i. TO BE WITHOUT BLEMISH OR DEFECT
ii. IT TAKES AWAY THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLACE BLAME ON US BECAUSE OF OUR ACTIONS.
DANIEL 6:5 THEN THESE MEN SAID, "WE WILL NOT FIND ANY GROUND OF ACCUSATION AGAINST THIS DANIEL UNLESS WE FIND IT AGAINST HIM WITH REGARD TO THE LAW OF HIS GOD."
c. IT ALLOWS US TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN A NEGATIVE WORLD
i. WE CAN LIVE DIFFERENTLY IN OUR ENVIRONMENT
ii. CONTRAST – LIKE WE MENTIONED EARLIER
iii. COMPLAINING ALWAYS HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT
d. IT PERMITS US TO SHINE LIKE LIGHTS IN OUR WORLD
i. WHICH IS GODS GOAL FOR US
ROMANS 12:1-2 THEREFORE I URGE YOU, BRETHREN, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE, ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR SPIRITUAL SERVICE OF WORSHIP. 2 AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT.
e. IT VALIDATES THE WORK OF OTHERS IN YOUR LIFE
i. PAUL WANTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE RESULT OF HIS WORK IN THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS
ii. HE DID NOT WANT TO SEE THAT ALL HE DID WAS FOR NOTHING.
FOR A CANDLE TO BURN, IT MUST CONSUME THE WAX AROUND THE WICK. TO LIVE A LIFE FOR CHRIST, WE MUST ALSO GIVE OF OURSELVES.
VERSE 16 SAYS TO “HOLD FAST TO THE WORD OF LIFE”
APPLY IT
OBSERVE IT
GIVE ATTENTION TO IT
TODAY GOD SAYS RESPOND TO THE REDEMPTION GOD HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE BY NOT COMPLAINING.
