A good pastor deals with the subject of salvation for two reasons:
(1) He knows it is a possibility that many are deceived about their salvation.
The Lord Himself dealt with this deception in Matthew 7:22-23, we read, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
This will be the saddest day that MANY have ever lived. They attended church, gave to the church, thought they were saved, but they will hear those awful words, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The Lord said they went through life CLAIMING THEY KNEW HIM, and when they stand before Him at the Great White Throne Judgment, He is going to declare, “I never knew you.”
A good pastor never assumes that everyone in the congregation who makes a profession of faith knows the Lord.
(2) A saved person should have some evidence of their salvation.
Paul made it clear that salvation is by grace alone. He wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9 and said, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Illus: Paul says Salvation is a gift. If you have to do anything to get something it can no longer be a gift. It becomes a “Tradeoff” and ceases to be a gift. It might be a bad “Tradeoff”, but still it is exactly that!
Illus: During Christmas we give gifts, but in actuality we do not! We trade gifts of equal value. The gift I give you had better be equal to the gift you give me or I am in hot water!
But salvation is a gift. There is not one thing we can do to earn it. When it concerns our salvation, we do not have one thing to boast about. The Lord Jesus did it ALL, and He receives all the glory! We did the SINNING and He did the SAVING!
Once a person has been delivered from their sins by the grace of God, THIS SALVATION BEGINS TO MANIFEST ITSELF!
Salvation is not stagnant! It reveals itself. There is some evidence that a person has been born-again. Such as:
• We have gone from DEATH unto LIFE
• We have passed from DARKNESS to LIGHT
• We are no longer the OLD CREATURE we are now NEW CREATURES in Christ
Salvation comes with evidence.
With this in mind, let me share with you some things that Paul is concerned about. Paul is in prison and he recognizes that this may be the last time he will ever communicate with the church in Philippi.
He is very aware that they might hear the devastating news that he has been beheaded. In a previous verse he told them:
• WHEN YOU HEAR THIS NEWS DO NOT LET IT SHAKE YOUR FAITH
• WHEN YOU HEAR THIS NEWS DO NOT LET IT MAKE YOU QUIT SERVING THE LORD
Sometime folks will be confronted with devastating events in their life and they will say, “Here I am trying to serve the Lord, and look at all the bad things happening to me. I quit, I do not plan to go back to church, read my Bible, or pray. I’ve had it!”
Paul did not want them to react in this manner, so he is preparing them. This is something good pastors do, they prepare people for things they know that could be devastating.
Illus: Some pastors might work in a church for 30 or 40 years and do a great work for the Lord. But then when it comes time for retirement, they walk away from the church and the church goes into a nose dive. Many times they are not able to come out of it. It would be much better if the pastor had used some wisdom and prepared the people for his retirement. Maybe even bring another pastor in before he retires and give the people a chance to get used to him. After he retires he can serve as interim pastor and it might be they would like him to assume the helm.
Paul knows that when they hear that he has been beheaded, the news will be devastating, so he tries to prepare them as a good minister of the Lord so that they will continue to SERVE THE LORD.
If we really know the Lord -
I. WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING
Look at verse 12, we read, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.”
Some who do not believe in salvation by grace, try to use this verse by saying that God and man work together for our salvation. This is not what this verse of scripture is teaching.
The Lord did the SAVING we did the SINNING. Ephesians 2:9, tells us that man has no part in acquiring salvation. God’s Word says, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If man had a part in acquiring salvation, man would have as much right to receive glory and praise as the Lord Jesus Christ will have. The fact is, the Lord did all the saving and He is not going to share His glory with mortal man.
These are Christians in Philippi that Paul is writing to. They are not trying to earn their salvation, they have already been saved by the grace of God. If you go back and read chapter one, Paul said he thanked God for these precious Saints of God.
Now Paul is telling them that if they hear of Paul’s death, they are to KEEP SERVING THE LORD.
There are several observations I would like to make concerning works, such as:
A. SOME WORK IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS (v. 12)
Paul said they had worked in his PRESENCE, he wanted them to also work in his ABSENCE.
There are some in the church who will work if someone is LOOKING. If no one is looking they won’t work. Paul did not want these Christians to be this way. He knew he wouldn’t be around much longer, but he wanted them to continue to serve the Lord.
He talks about such workers in Colossian 3:22, when he says, “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.”
Paul recognized that SOME WILL WORK IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS. This is one kind of works that you find in the church.
B. SOME WORK IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHERS (V. 12)
Again, Paul knew he might not be around much longer and he wanted to let them know that we who are truly saved will keep obeying God’s Word even if no one sees us.
Paul commended these Christians because they worked in HIS PRESENCE, but if he is beheaded he will not be around, and he said they should continue to work in HIS ABSENCE.
This type of Christian is motivated by love and fear of the Lord. This is why he said in verse 12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.”
A good Christian is motivated to SERVE for two reason.
1) HIS LOVE FOR THE LORD
2) HIS FEAR OF THE LORD
Some parents can tell their child to do something and the child will walk away as if they never heard them. Other parents can tell a child to do something and the child knows they had better do it.
Illus: When I was growing up, sometimes my sister would yell to me and my brother and say, “Come in and eat your supper,” and we would not pay any attention to her. But when she said, “Momma said, come in and eat your supper now,” we knew it was time to quit our playing and start obeying. We knew Mom loved us, but she was no one to play around with.
Love is a strong motivation, but so is fear. Some folks have the idea that ALL FEAR is bad. No, there are some fears that are good. God built within us certain fears for our own good.
For example,
• We need to fear lightening, it is not something we should play around with
• We should fear heights
• We should fear water
• We should fear electricity
There are many things in life that we should fear. We would be in bad shape if we did not have any fear of these things.
These two things, love and fear, will motivate us to produce the right kind of works even when no one is looking.
WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, but also-
II. WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH UNDERSTANDING
Look at verse 13, we read, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
How can we serve God in the midst of conflict? Verse 13 tells us that we need to understand that we can face the conflict of life and be victorious, because it is God that works in us and makes this possible.
Illus: Sometimes you can talk with folks about getting saved and they will say, “I would like to but I can not live it!” They are right, they can not live it within themselves. This is why the Bible says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
It is because Paul knew this that he says later in Philippians 4:19, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
We do not live this Christian life in OUR STRENGTH, WE LIVE IT IN HIS STRENGTH. We are no match for the devil and his cohorts, but with the strength of Christ WORKING WITHIN, we can be conquerors.
Paul is concerned that when he is no longer here, these Christians might allow the news of his death to be a reason to cease serving the Lord.
He has talked about us WORKING, but now He is talking about God WORKING.
The word “Worketh” here is the Greek word “Energon” which means energize.
Illus: We all have seen the battery advertisement on television where the little Pink rabbit just keeps going and going. When others have stopped it just keeps going and going!
This is what happens to those who truly know Him, He energizes us to keep us going and going!
God does not just save us and throw us out on the streets.
Illus: That would be like a mother having a baby, and as soon as it is born she throws the baby out on the streets to raise himself.
After God saves us, He begins to WORK in us. What does He begin to work on? Look at what the scripture says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
We are not alone in our efforts to serve God. “God …worketh in you…”
Even if these Christians hear that the apostle Paul had been beheaded, he wants to teach them to KEEP THEIR FAITH and KEEP WORKING FOR THE LORD WITH LOVE AND FEAR.
Then he wants to teach us WHAT MUST WE DO TO PLEASE THE LORD.
III. WE ARE TO SERVE GOD WITHOUT MURMURING
Look at Philippians 2:14-16 “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
When people are discouraged they are prone to murmur. Paul knew that if they heard that he had been beheaded, this might cause this congregation to murmur.
Nothing makes the Lord’s work look as bad in this crooked and perverse world as a group of Christians claiming to know the Lord, yet they are continually trying to find fault with everything and everyone.
Look at verse 15, he says that we who claim to know the Lord, “…shine as lights in the world.”
• Did you know that the darker a room might be the brighter a light shines
• Darkness can not overcome light, light always overcomes darkness
The LIGHT of those who claim to know the Lord Jesus should SHINE NO MATTER WHAT WE FACE.
Paul wanted these Believers to continue letting their light for the Lord shine, even if they heard the devastating news that he had been beheaded.
Sometime the news we are confronted with can be devastating, but we who know the Lord can not allow circumstances to control our lives.
Illus: Several years ago, a Baptist Church was building a new place of worship. They had all the walls up and the roof on when a storm came and blew it down. The pastor said that when this happened it was devastating. But the people did not lose faith, and they kept working for the Lord. The insurance company paid for their loss and they got a better church than the one they had to start with.
This is the way that Paul felt they should live the Christian life IN AND OUT OF HIS PRESENCE. Anything other than this would be a big disappointment for Paul.
Look at verse 16, he said, “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”
God is always ready to help those who are willing to let Him help them. SO WHY COMPLAIN??
Paul wants them to know that he was not murmuring about what was about to happen to him, he was rejoicing.
Paul reminds them in verses 17-18 that he is staring death in the face. Paul saw his death, not as something to murmur about, but, as a sacrifice unto the Lord.
Look at verses 17-18, we read, “Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.”
These two verses are precious. Look at the word “Sacrifice.”
That word today does not mean what it meant then. Here Paul is thinking in terms of the sacrifice that was offered upon the altar that Jews were familiar with.
They could not just sacrifice any lamb, it had to be one without blemish. It had to be the best of the flock. With that in mind, Paul is saying, “If I should be so fortunate to have the special privilege of being a sacrifice of your faith, I am joyful.”
He is saying that if they hear that he has been beheaded, he wants them to rejoice with him that God has chosen him to be such a sacrifice.
Conclusion:
Paul knew that he would not be around much longer, and this might be the last time he would ever be able to communicate with them. He lets them know that if they have been truly saved by the grace of God, there should be some evidence of this salvation.
If they truly know the Lord, their love for the Lord and their fear of Him should motivate them to live a godly life even when he is no longer there among them.
I. WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING
II. WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITH UNDERSTANDING
III. WE ARE TO SERVE THE LORD WITHOUT MURMURING
