In January 2010, Jeff Miller, 26, set the Guinness’ world record for the most hours of non-stop TV viewing in one sitting. He did it while participating in ESPN’s Ultimate Couch Potato competition at Chicago’s ESPN Zone. It was actually his third consecutive Ultimate Couch Potato title, which he won by watching TV sports programming for 72 straight, sleepless hours.
The contestants had to stay awake the whole time and were allowed only three bathroom breaks in a 24-hour period, along with five-minute stretches every hour. ESPN controlled the remote from the time the four contestants first reclined on New Year's Day, and 72 hours later Miller sat alone.
According to the Chicago Tribune, “His superior sluggishness earned him a new recliner, a $1,000 gift card toward the purchase of a television, money for one year for his cable/satellite bills, $1,000 in ESPN Zone credit, and the Ultimate Couch Potato trophy, adorned with an actual spud just like the trophies he won in 2008 and 2009.”
ESPN's Brian Hanover commented, “Most people have no idea what it takes to win. They don't understand the endurance it takes to stay awake and control bodily issues. Jeff is uniquely qualified. He's an expert.” (Chris McNamara, “Chicago man breaks Guinness World Record for competitive sitting, wins third straight title,” Chicago Tribune, 1-5-10; www.PreachingToday.com)
I’m afraid some Christians are also experts in being “couch potatoes” when it comes to their own spiritual growth. Somehow, they’ve gotten into their heads that all they have to do is sit around and automatically they’ll become more like Christ, and shine ever brighter in a society that is getting darker every day. But that’s not how it works.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Philippians 2, Philippians 2, where we find how to become more like Christ and shine ever brighter in a darkening world.
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling… (ESV)
There you have it. If you want to become more like Christ, then you have to do some spiritual exercise; you have to exert some effort; you have to…
WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION.
Notice, it doesn’t say, “Work FOR your salvation.” NO. It says, “Work OUT your salvation.” You see, salvation is a gift from God, freely given to any sinner who asks. It’s not something you work for. It’s a gift you simply accept from the Lord. But when you accept that gift, God expects you to do something with it, He expects you to work with it, to make it operational in your daily life.
In other words, we are to work out, in our daily lives, what God has worked in us through His Holy Spirit. Specifically, in this context, God wants us to work out, in our actions, the humble, servant attitude of Christ (vs.5), which leads to the unity of the Body of Christ (vs.2).
You see, when God saved us, He saved us from things like pride and dissension. The question is: How do we work out that salvation in our daily lives? How do we get what’s on the inside to show on the outside? How do we get the love and peace that God planted in our hearts to grow and blossom in our behavior for others to enjoy?
Well, surprisingly, that process starts with fear. It starts with a respect for God. It starts with a reverential awe for Christ, who died on the cross and is now in the place of all authority. Verse 12 says…
WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING
Now, this is not a cowering, cowardly fear. It’s a captivating fear. It’s not a paralyzing fear, but an exhilarating fear, one that energizes you to be your best!
In the first Spider-Man movie, Peter Parker, a high school geek, develops superpowers after being bitten by a genetically altered spider. He is in love with Mary Jane, a next-door neighbor, who falls for Spider Man, but not for the geeky Peter Parker. That’s because she doesn’t know that the man in the Spider Man suit is really Peter Parker.
After Spider Man rescues Mary Jane from some thugs, Peter and she talk about her mysterious rescuer. In the course of their conversation, Mary Jane is impressed when Peter tells her he “knows” Spider Man. Peter also tells her they talk about her, and she presses him to know what they say about her.
Peter, searches for the right words: “I said, um, ‘Spider-Man,’ I said, ‘the great thing about M.J. is when you look in her eyes, and she looks back in yours, everything feels not quite normal, because you feel strong – and weak at the same time. You feel excited, and at the same time terrified. The truth is you don't know the way you feel, except you know the kind of man you want to be. It's as if you've reached the unreachable, and you weren't ready for it.’” (Spider-Man, Columbia Pictures, 2002, written by Alvin Sargent, directed by Sam Raimi, 01:30:25)
It’s hard to describe what it means to fear God, but that comes as close to it as I’ve ever heard. Fearing God is like falling in love. When we get close to Christ, when we look in the eyes of Jesus, we feel weak, but he makes us strong; we are terrified, and at the same time more exhilarated than we’ve ever been in our lives; and in Him, we see the person we want to become.
When we fear God, we are motivated to be the best we can be. We obey God, and we cooperate with him in the work He is trying to do in our lives. Verse 12 says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…”
Philippians 2:13 …for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (ESV)
The only reason we can work OUT our salvation, is because God works IN us to make us willing and able to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Literally, God energizes us, like the batteries which energize the Energizer bunny. God gives us not only the desire, but also the power to please Him. The working out of our salvation is a cooperative effort between us and the Holy Spirit.
Pastor John Ortberg put it this way: “Spiritual transformation is a long-term endeavor. It involves both God and us. I liken it to crossing an ocean.
Some people try, day after day, to be good, to become spiritually mature. That's like taking a rowboat across the ocean. It's exhausting and usually unsuccessful.
“Others have given up trying and throw themselves entirely on ‘relying on God's grace.’ They're like drifters on a raft. They do nothing but hang on and hope God gets them there.
“Neither trying nor drifting are effective in bringing about spiritual transformation. A better image is the sailboat, which if it moves at all, it's a gift of the wind. We can't control the wind, but a good sailor discerns where the wind is blowing and adjusts the sails accordingly.
“Working with the Holy Spirit, which Jesus likened to the wind in John 3, means we have a part in discerning the winds, in knowing the direction we need to go, and in training our sails to catch the breezes that God provides. That's true transformation. (John Ortberg, “True and False Transformation,” Leadership, Summer 2002, p.104)
And that’s the way we work out our salvation. That’s the way we get what’s on the inside to show on the outside. We train our sails to catch the breezes that God provides. We discipline ourselves to cooperate with God’s Spirit in the work HE is doing in our lives.
Don’t oppose the Lord in that work. Instead, work with Him to work out your salvation, and do it with fear. Do it with a reverential awe for Christ, that will energize you to be all that God wants you to be. If you want to become more like Christ, shining as lights in a dark world, then you must work out your salvation with fear. More than that, you must…
WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH LIGHT.
Exercise your deliverance with the truth of God’s Word. Live out your redemption in the light of God’s Truth.
Philippians 2:14-16 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (ESV)
Do you want to be pure in a dirty world? Do you want to shine like lights in a dark word? Do you want to be truly helpful in a world of hurt and disappointment?
Then don’t complain. Don’t protest. Don’t curse the darkness.
Recently, researchers for Gallup measured peoples’ interest in moving out of state by asking, “Regardless of whether you will move, if you had the opportunity, would you like to move to another state, or would you rather remain in your current state?” They found that on average, in all 50 states, 33 percent of the people want to move to another state. That’s one in three people who want to move to another state, with a couple of the states (Connecticut and Illinois) where half of the people want to move.
But does that mean these unhappy residents will take the initiative to pack up and move? Probably not. “In the same poll, Gallup asked state residents how likely it is they will move in the next 12 months. On average across all 50 states, [only] six percent of state residents say it is extremely or very likely they will move in the next year, eight percent say it is somewhat likely, 14 percent not too likely, and 73 percent not likely at all.”
In other words, it appears that many people would rather complain about their lot in life than actually take action to improve it. (Lydia Saad, “Half in Illinois and Connecticut Want to Move Elsewhere,” Gallup Economy, 4-30-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
It’s like Kathleen Parker once said in the Orlando Sentinel, “It is so much easier to fix blame than to fix problems.” (Quoted in The Speaker's Digest, Oct./Nov./Dec. 1992). But that doesn’t do anybody any good. So don’t curse the darkness. Instead…
Shine a light. Or as vs.16 puts it, “Hold fast to the word of life.”
The Apostle Paul must have had his devotions in Deuteronomy 32 the morning he wrote this, because a lot of the imagery he uses comes straight out of that chapter. In Deuteronomy 32, Moses is getting ready to die. But before he does, he gives a prophetic word about the generations of Jews to come. He warns them that they will reject the Lord, their Rock, and turn to idols. And in true prophetic fashion he describes it as if it has already happened. He says, “They have dealt corruptly with Him (i.e., with the Lord); they are no longer His children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5).
Then he admonishes the current generation to “take to heart his words” and to teach their children “to be careful to do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 32:46). For this law, he says, “is no empty word for you, but your very life”. (Deuteronomy 32:47). In other words, God’s law is the Word of Life!
Do you want to be pure? Do you want to shine as stars in the midst of a warped and crooked generation? Then hold fast to this word of life. In other words, obey God’s Law. Keep God’s Word perfectly.
There is only one problem: The Jews couldn’t do it, and neither can we. In our own strength, we cannot hold fast to the Word of Life; we cannot obey God’s Law perfectly. The Bible makes it very clear (Romans 3:23): All of us have sinned, and fall far short of God’s standard.
That’s why, when you get to the New Testament, JESUS is called “the Word of Life.” The Apostle John, in 1 John 1 says, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” (1 John 1:1-2). He is talking about Jesus! JESUS is the Word of Life.
So if we want to be pure, if we want to shine as stars in the midst of a warped and crooked generation, then all we have to do is cling to Him. All we have to do is Grab a hold of Jesus, and hold fast to the One who promised never to let us go.
Then, when we’ve got a hold of Jesus, we can hold forth the Word of Life, as well. We can offer Him to others.
When it says, “Hold fast to the word of life” (vs.16), it also means hold it forth. In the secular Greek, the word was actually used in the context of offering wine to a guest at a banquet. Well here, we are instructed to offer Christ to our generation. So don’t curse the darkness – Don’t grumble and complain. Instead, shine a light – Hold forth the Word of Life. Offer Christ to a world in darkness.
Patrick Greene of San Antonio, Texas, has had a long history of disliking and combating Christians. He is an outspoken atheist, who at one time threatened to sue Henderson County about the yearly manger display at the courthouse. “My wife and I had never had a Christian do anything nice for us,” Greene said when a local newspaper reporter interviewed him.
But all of that changed in March of 2012 when the 63-year-old Greene learned that he needed surgery for a detached retina. Greene didn't have money to pay for the surgery, and he had to give up his cab driving job. When Jessica Crye, a member of Sand Springs Baptist Church, heard about Greene's situation, she told her pastor, Eric Graham, who then called Greene. Greene said, “If you really want to contribute something, we need groceries.”
Greene thought that if anything, he'd see $50, or at most $100. But a few days later, the church sent a check for $400. More checks soon followed. The flabbergasted Greene said, “I thought I was in the Twilight Zone. These people are acting like what the Bible says a Christian does.”
Soon after that, Greene stopped trying to remove the manger display. Instead, he decided to add his own contribution – a star for the top of the Nativity scene. However, Greene added, “You people can figure out how to plug it in.” (Rich Flowers, “Atheist 'flabbergasted' by Christians' assistance,” Athens Review, 3-20-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
That church didn’t complain about the darkness. Instead, they chose to shine a light; they chose to offer the Word of life, and it began to make a difference in that man’s life. To be sure, with the increasing secularization of our society, we have a lot to protest and complain about. But we can do far more good if we choose to shine the light of Christ instead.
Is that what you want? Do you want to shine as lights in a dark world? Then work out your salvation with fear. Work out your salvation with the light of Christ. And finally…
WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION WITH JOY.
Choose to rejoice even when it’s difficult. Be glad even when everybody else has reason to grumble and complain.
Philippians 2:17-18 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. (ESV)
Paul chooses joy even though his life may be ending, and he invites us to choose joy as well, to rejoice with him, no matter what our circumstances are.
On December 18, 1666, Hugh McKail, a 26-year-old Scottish Presbyterian pastor, was brought to trial in Edinburgh for opposing the king’s efforts to control the Presbyterian church. At the trial, he was given four days to live and then marched back to the prison.
There was a crowd of people on the street, and many were weeping that one so young and brave should have only four days to live. But there were no tears in McKail’s eyes. “Trust in God!” he cried to the crowd as he marched past. “Trust in God.” And then he saw a friend standing on the edge of the crowd and shouted to him, “Good news; wonderful good news! I am within four days of enjoying the sight of Jesus, my Savior!” (James S. Stewart, "The Rending of the Veil," Preaching Today, Tape No. 57; www.PreachingToday.com)
Then on December 22, 1666, four days later, when McKail stood on the scaffold about to be hanged, he cried out, “Farewell, father and mother, friends and relations! Farewell, the world and all delights! Farewell meat and drink! Farewell, sun, moon and stars! Welcome, God and Father! Welcome, sweet Lord Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant! Welcome, blessed Spirit of grace, God of all consolation! Welcome glory! Welcome eternal life! Welcome death!”
His final speech made such an impression that the king’s soldiers began playing their drums loudly whenever a Scottish Presbyterian was about to be hanged to drown out his last words. (Dan Graves, MSL, “Hugh McKail Hanged after Torture”, www.christianity.com/church/churchhistory/timeline/1601-1700/hugh-mckail-hanged-after-torture-11630145.html)
McKail chose to rejoice instead of wallow in self-pity. As a result, he glowed as a light in a dark place.
How about you and me? Do you want to shine as a light in a dark place? Then work out your salvation with fear; work out your salvation with the light of Christ; and work out your salvation with joy. Out of an awesome respect for Christ, choose to praise God rather than protest your situation.
Frank Harrington tells the story of a little girl, who came home from Sunday School one day, where she had learned the verse: “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to our Father who is in heaven.” She recited the verse to her mother and then asked what it meant.
Her mom said, “Well, it means that when you are good and kind and thoughtful and obedient, you are letting Christ's light shine in your life before all who know you.”
Well, the very next Sunday in Sunday school, the little girl got in a fight with another student and created such an uproar that the Sunday school teacher had to go and get the little girl’s mother. When her mother got to the classroom, she said, “Sweetie, don't you remember about letting your light shine for the Lord before men?”
The girl blurted out, “Mom, I have blowed myself out.” (W. Frank Harrington, “The Love That Brought Him,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 51; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, in these days when you’re tempted to murmur and complain about the darkness, please, whatever you do, don’t blow yourself out. “Shine as lights in the world,” offering Christ to a world in desperate need of Him.
