Technicolor Joy: Philippians 2:14-18
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
7-09-2023
Wow!
Have you ever been in a cave? I remember as a teenager going to a cave system in Kentucky. We were deep in the cave and the guide told us they would turn off the lights. It was the darkest darkness I’ve ever experienced. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
People started to laugh nervously and then ask for the light to be turned back on. The guide had a flashlight and we all gathered around her. In the dark, we are naturally drawn to the light.
Work Out What God Works In
Last week, we looked at verses 12-13 and the idea of sanctification - the process of growing more and more like Jesus.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil 2:12-13)
First, notice that it does not say, “work for, or at, or toward” your salvation.
Paul is consistently clear that we can not earn our salvation by any amount of good deeds:
He wrote to the Ephesians Christians:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
So what does he mean by “work out?”
This is one Greek word that means “working to full completion or maintaining constant energy and effort to finish a task.”
Spiritual growth isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. It’s an everyday process where we read, study, meditate, memorize, and apply Scripture.
Spiritual growth is not automatic. We are not passive. We don’t “let go and let God.”
We work diligently and consistently toward holiness.
But we don’t do that in our own strength. It is God who works in us.
Paul wrote:
To this end, I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. (Col 1:29)
When we are in an airport, I love walking on the moving sidewalks. I’m walking but the sidewalk is moving so I’m able to walk way faster than I could on my own.
We work out what God works in and that creates joy!
I’d encourage you to go back and watch last week’s sermon on FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, or our website.
Turn to Philippians 2.
Prayer
The Command
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing…”
What if I told you that there was a virus going around that is really dangerous? This virus can cause high cholesterol, obesity, heart attacks, and strokes. This virus can actually cause your brain to shrink and sap your physical energy. It can cause anxiety and depression. And it is very, very contagious.
This virus is complaining. All of us have it to one degree or another. And, like secondhand smoke, it affects everyone around us. Research has shown that the average person complains between 15 and 30 times a day.
Paul is going to challenge the Philippians to be different from the world. Are you surprised that he begins with grumbling and complaining? Those are what we might call “acceptable sins,” right? Surely, it’s not that big a deal.
But Paul writes that grumbling and arguing and complaining are joy killers, unity-busters, and have no place in a believer's life.
A young man joined a monastery and the rule was that you get to say two words every ten years. After the first ten years, he said, “Bed hard.” Ten years passed, and then he said, “Food bad.” Ten more years went by and he said, “I quit!” The head monk said, “Good. All you’ve done is complain since you got here!”
According to surveys, Americans complain about bad customer service, the weather (too hot/too cold/too windy), people that cut in line, traffic, their job, their boss, the toilet seat being left up, Mondays, Nickelback, the government, slow internet, barking dogs, loud neighbors, the price of gas, slow drivers, kids these days, people who are late, people who are on their phones and not paying attention, and the fact that Barry Manilow doesn’t perform in Illinois enough.
I saw a post on Facebook that said, “Stop complaining. There are people who live in Illinois.”
Richard Kaufman lists four types of complainers.
Whiners - it’s not fair
Martyr - no one appreciates me
Cynic - Nothing ever goes right for me
Perfectionist - is that the best you can do
At one time or another, we all have fallen into these patterns.
He also lists reasons why people complain.
Get attention
Remove responsibly
Inspire envy (humble brag)
Power
Excuse poor performance
Paul writes to do ALL things without complaining - In our homes, at our jobs, in our churches, at school, at the gym, and at the grocery store.
The word “grumbling” is an onomatopoeia - it sounds like what it means. It means to mutter under your breath.
The word “arguing” (some translations may say “disputing”) means quarreling, fighting, strife, or picking fights.
Paul is alluding to the Israelites who grumbled and whined in the desert.
Moses led them out of Egypt and out of slavery. They saw God do miracle after miracle. And yet, when they were trapped at the Red Sea they grumbled against Moses - did you bring us out of Egypt so we could die here?
God parted the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry land. Then there was no water and they grumbled again. God miraculously gave them water from a rock.
Then they started to complain about the lack of food. They went so far as to talk about all the food they missed in Egypt - when they were slaves!
God fed them manna in the wilderness.
It should have taken them two weeks to get to the Promised Land but every time they grumbled and complained God, like my junior high basketball coach, said, “Give me one more lap around the desert!”
That entire generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, died in the desert because of their grumbling.
God made it clear to Moses that they were not grumbling against Moses but against God Himself.
This is a serious sin.
Paul wrote to Timothy:
?"Therefore I want men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.” (I Tim 2:8)
Paul wrote to Titus:
“But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.” (Titus 3:9-11)
Grumbling and complaining is, at its very root, pride. We think that we deserve better.
Video: The No Complaining Rule (YouTube)
There are companies that have a “no complaining” rule.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have complaints.
When I started as a youth pastor, I walked into Pastor Brian’s office with a clipboard and a list of complaints.
Brian said, “Before we begin, I want to ask two questions. First, is that a list of complaints? And, you wouldn’t bring a list of complaints to me without proposing possible solutions, right?
I stared at my list and said, “I’ll be back.” I returned with a much shorter list and for each complaint, I had a possible solution.
The church at Philippi was facing opposition from the pagan culture and they were experiencing conflict from within. Two women were in conflict and the church was taking sides.
There was complaining, grumbling, and arguing among them which can destroy the unity of any church.
And you miss out on the joy of seeing God work.
On our last free pool day, Chenoa Pool set an all-time record for attendance. Multiple people came up to me and thanked me. People emailed me and contacted me on Facebook and sent me pictures of their kids in the pool. It was a huge win for us and went a long way toward being known as a church that loves and serves our community.
And yet, there were people on Facebook complaining about it. Those people didn’t choose to be there or participate in any way. They just sat on the social media sidelines and threw rocks at us.
They missed out on JOY! When we complain and grumble we are allowing our joy to be stolen from us.
So what should we do if we discover that we have this virus?
Maxine will tell you that the secret is to look for the “silver lining” and be grateful.
If you don’t like your job, be thankful you have a job.
If your health is not good, be thankful that you aren’t as bad as some others.
If your kids are acting up, be thankful that God gave you those kids.
Buck Parsons writes,
“When you feel like complaining, start naming all the things you don’t deserve, including the breath to be able to complain.”
This past week, ESPN laid off several well-known on-air personalities. Some of them took to Twitter to rant and complain.
But Ashley Brewer tweeted,
“I am so grateful for my time at ESPN and the opportunity to host Sportscenter. I learned and grew so much as a broadcaster and person. I will really miss all of the wonderful friends I made along the way. I know God has a plan for my life and I look forward to what’s next.”
It’s been shown that if you do something for twenty-one days it can become a habit. As you leave, there are rubber bands on the table. If this is an area of challenge for you, then take a rubber band and place it on your right wrist for the next 21 days.
Every time you catch yourself complaining or grumbling or arguing, move the rubber band to your left wrist. Let’s try three weeks of no grumbling, arguing, or complaining and see what God does.
Four Reasons Why
A. Our Christian Walk
“…so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”
Paul’s command to not grumble or argue is followed up with four reasons why this is so important.
The world around us grumbles, fights, bickers, and complains constantly. But we should look and sound different than the lost world.
Paul describes how they will stand out if they heed his command.
blameless - this means that there is no moral defect. This doesn’t mean perfection.
pure - this was used to describe metal that didn’t have any impurities or water which didn’t have any contamination.
Our ultimate example is always Jesus who
“…was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep, before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
Children of God - this is one of the ways that we show that we are God’s children. Remember, everyone is a creation of God but not everyone is a child of God. This is our identity.
John wrote:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13)
without fault - this can mean “above reproach”. It’s the idea that even if some tried to dig up dirt on us, they couldn’t.
Daniel was elevated to a position of authority in Babylon and this made some of the leaders that got passed over angry and jealous.
“At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally, these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:4-5)
Paul called them to live as children of the King in a warped and crooked generation. He’s quoting from the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 where Moses describes the Israelites:
“They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people?” (Duet 32:5-6)
Philippi was a pagan city that worshipped many gods. They considered Caesar a deity and once a year they had to offer incense to him and declare that Caesar was Lord. When the Christians refused, they were often thrown to the lions.
We find ourselves living in our own modern-day Babylon. We live in a culture that is crooked, warped, depraved, and perverse. They call evil good and good evil. But that shouldn’t surprise us.
Remember, cows don’t lay eggs. Without the Holy Spirit, lost humans do what lost humans have always done.
That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the warped and crooked generation of churches that exist right now.
In a recent report by the Barna Group, he highlights some of the results concerning the church:
Church attendance has dropped significantly in the last 6 years.
Bible reading has declined as well.
For the first time, less than 70% of Americans consider themselves Christians
Only 55% of people who claim to be Christians believe that people are born sinners and believe that salvation is only found in Jesus.
Only 40% of people who claim to be Christians believe that all human life is sacred
50% of people who claim to be Christians believe that abortion is acceptable
The local church, when healthy and teaching the Gospel, is the hope of the world. But my fear is that many churches are compromising their beliefs to the point that they aren’t “salty” anymore.
Some churches could be accused of bad advertising. When I first became a Christian, I covered my car with Christian bumper stickers. Maxine refused to drive my car!
B. Our Christian Witness
“Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.”
Being blameless, pure, without fault, but not perfect and not weird, will lead to us standing out.
Artificial light from cities has created a permanent “skyglow” at night. 80% of Americans live in places where they can no longer see the Milky Way or The Big Dipper.
A few years ago, I went with two friends to hike in Wyoming. We hiked for nine hours up until we reached the tree line. As far as we knew, we were the only humans for miles.
And the sky was spectacular! Without light pollution on a perfect night, humans can see almost 5,000 stars. And I think I could see every one of those stars. I could have probably read a book it was so bright.
Why did the fireworks not start until 9:20 pm on July 4th? Because the darker the night the brighter the fireworks are.
Because…the darker the night, the brighter the stars shine.
We’ve got to stop complaining about how bad the world is. In Paul’s day, Nero would take Christians and strap them to poles, cover them in pitch, and set them on fire to light his orgies. Thankfully, we aren’t there…yet.
L.R. Knost writes:
“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness in the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go love intentionally, extravagantly, and unconditionally. The broken world waits in darkness for that light that is in you.”
Light brings hope but it also exposes the darkness.
John wrote:
“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 1:19-21)
Jesus declared Himself to be the Light of the World (John 8) and called us the light of the world:
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt 5:14-16)
The Christian group, The Newsboys, had a song in the 1990s called “Shine.”
“Shine.
Make 'em wonder whatcha got.
Make 'em wish that they were not
On the outside looking bored.
Shine.
Let it shine before all men.
Let em see good works and then
Let em glorify the Lord.”
How do we do that? By “holding firmly to the word of life.”
This can mean that we “hold fast” to the Word of Life and it can mean that we “hold forth” the Word of Life.
What is the Word of Life? It’s the Gospel.
A quote from Francis of Assisi has become popular in our Christian culture,
“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.”
While it is true that our actions need to line up with what we believe and that our lives may be the only Bible people ever read, that notion is incomplete.
We must live it and speak it. We must share it with others.
Paul wrote to the Romans:
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Rom 10:14-15, 17)
Malcolm Muggeridge, the distinguished social commentator abandoned agnosticism and came to faith in Christ. He wrote these words nearly 40 years ago and they are still as true today:
“Let us then as Christians rejoice that we see around us on every hand the decay of the institutions and instruments of power, see intimations of empires falling to pieces, money in total disarray, dictators and parliamentarians alike nonplussed by the confusion and conflicts which encompass them.
For it is precisely when every earthly hope has been explored and found wanting, when every possibility of help from earthly sources has been sought and not forthcoming, when every recourse this world offers, moral as well as material, has been explored to no effect, when in the shivering cold the last twig has been thrown into the fire and in the gathering darkness every glimmer of light has finally flickered out, it is then that Christ’s hand reaches out sure and firm.
Then Christ’s Words bring inexpressible comfort, then His light shines brightest, abolishing the darkness forever.”
C. Our Christian Leaders
“…and then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”
A few years ago, I ate lunch with a former student who graduated from our student ministry. As we ate our sandwiches, he looked up and said something I’ll never forget. He said with a sigh, “I bet you are really disappointed with how some of us turned out.”
I couldn’t hide my reaction. I spent thirteen years as a student pastor and I am disappointed that some of the students that we poured our lives into have turned away from Christ. It hurts my heart.
Pastors are human too and want to feel like our efforts are making a difference.
My high school chemistry teacher was Mr. Prather. He was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. One class, after most of us bombed a test, he began to cry and say that he felt like he failed us.
Several students began to cry as well, (not me, of course), and we promised him that we would try harder on the next test.
The Philippian Christians love Paul and want to please him and Jesus.
Paul wants these Philippians, whom he loves dearly, to shine like stars so that when Christ returns, he can boast, not in his work, but in the goodness of God that is working in these believers.
D. Our Christian Sacrifice
“But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”
Paul knows that his life is hanging in the balance. His trial before Caesar could end in his release or his execution. If it ends in his martyrdom, he’s more than okay with that.
In the Old Testament, when the priest would offer a sacrifice they would often pour wine, honey, water, or perfume over the burning altar as a “drink offering.” This would produce a pleasing aroma to God.
In his last letter, written to Timothy, when he knows that his death is imminent, he writes,
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.” (I Tim 4:6)
What will be Paul’s response? JOY! He will get to see Jesus!
And the Philippian’s response? JOY! They will follow Paul’s example and rejoice in his sufferings.
Let me end with a strange question - how many of you drink Coke products? How many of you are Pepsi people?
Coke’s stated goal is that every person on earth will taste Coke. As of 2023, 97% of the world’s population has heard of Coke, 72% have seen a Coke product, and 51% have tasted Coke. The company has only been around for about one hundred years.
The Gospel has been going forward for two thousand years! Over 3 billion people, in 7,000 people groups, have not tasted the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Instead of cursing the darkness, it’s time for us to shine!
Ending Video: Shine (Gaither Vocal Band)
