Work Out Your Own Salvation
March 23, 2003
Phil 2:12, 13
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.
1. Work Out
A. Your Own Salvation
a. I am going to stay on this subject just a little longer…there is much that you and I need to learn about God
b. And one of those things is, that God gave us a will…a will that He Himself will not violate
c. He has given us a destiny – but it is up to you and I to fulfill that destiny
d. He is with us every step of the way, He is there to hold, take us by the hand and guide us…but He will also let us go when we decide to pull our hand away
e. ‘Work out your own salvation…’ – there are things in your life that only you can give up
B. Coming To The Realization
a. Somewhere in our walk with God we need to come to the realization that we are responsible for some things in this life…work out salvation…Why?
b. First, because God commands it…there is no other command more frequently repeated in Scripture
c. Than the command to make to ourselves a new heart; to strive to enter in at the strait gate; to break off from sin, and to repent.
d. It is a duty because it is our own personal interest that is at stake. No one else has, or can have, as much interest in our salvation as we have.
e. Our earthly friends cannot save us. No effort of theirs can deliver us from eternal death without our own exertion.
f. It is a duty, because the salvation of the soul will not take care of itself without an effort on our part.
i. It is a duty, because there is no reason to expect the divine interposition without our own effort.
ii. No such interposition is promised to any man, and why should he expect it?
iii. In the case of all who have been saved, they have made an effort-- and why should we expect that God will favor us more than he did them?
C. God Will Help
a. God will guide you and I, God will lead…the Bible says…
Ps 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
b. But we will come to times in our lives, where we are going to have to make decisions based on our relationship with God
c. God, as a Father, will give us opportunities…will open doors…He wants the best for you and I – but in return, He wants our heart, our love, our worship
d. Listen, your salvation is based on relationship to Himànot to me, not to this church or any church, or any religion
e. It is solely based on a relationship with God, your hunger for God, your desire to know Him
James 4:8
8 And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you.
D. No Excitement – Lack of Relationship
a. Beloved, when we lose joy in salvation, it is because we’ve allowed sin to creep back into our lives
b. You’ve stopped praying, you’ve stopped reading, you’ve stopped contending
c. The old music comes back…the eyes are shifting again, sin is crouching at your door
d. And it is right here that we will attempt to make excuses as to why we are not doing so good
e. We will blame people – no one follows up on me – can I tell you something, friendship is a two way street
f. It has to go both ways…but you’re the pastor
2. Jesus, the Pastor
A. Allowed Men To Make Decisions
a. I want to take a moment and look at the First, true Pastor, Pastor Jesus
b. The One that loves and cares and died for our sins …what an example
c. He has crowds following Him
John 6:54, 66
54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
d. I want you to notice something…Jesus didn’t go and chase them back…they had to make up their own decision – do you love Jesus more than you do self-will
e. Do I love Jesus more than self-pity, bitterness, pride, arrogance
f. Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “Look, there is a price that you have to pay to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven…not just anyone is allowed in.”
i. ‘Small is the gate and narrow the way and only a few find it.’
ii. This is the price – and they turned away and walked with Him no more
iii. They didn’t want commitment, they didn’t want sacrifice, they wanted a welfare Jesus that would continue to feed them and baby them
John 6:26
26 Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.
B. Jesus, You Make Me Feel Good
a. Jesus, so good…there is none like you, no one else can feed me quit like you do…
b. Ok, eat my flesh, drink my blood, commitment, forsake sin and self…too much, see ya
c. And, Listen, He did not run after them – they made their decision and He allowed them to live with it
d. Oh, that was just hard people…ok, how about getting closer to home
Matt 26:23
23 He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.
e. The last supper – Jesus telling His disciples about His betrayal…and points out who it is
Matt 26:25
25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?" He said to him, "You have said it."
f. Then He goes on…He doesn’t stop and say, Judas, why are you struggling, why is life so hard, what’s wrong mijo? Que Tenes?
i. Up to the last minute, Jesus called Him friend, but Judas had already made up his mind
ii. Your mind (will) is made up…and if Jesus, God in the flesh, could not convince this man to serve God – what makes you think that Pastor, or brother/sister so and so can
C. Adam and Eve
a. He gave Adam and Eve everything imaginable in the Garden, and yet it was not enough
b. God, you gave me everything…but that…and I want it
c. The will is such a strong thing…listen to this
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
d. This doesn’t mean that God does all the work will we just sit around and wait
e. The word rendered "worketh"-- [energoon] (grk 1754)-- working-- is from a verb meaning to work, to be active to produce effect-- and is that from which we have derived the word "energetic."
f. The meaning is, that God "produces a certain effect in us;" he exerts such an influence over us as to lead to a certain result in our minds-- to wit, "to will and to do."
i. He will put desires in us…but it is up to you and I to carry them out
ii. It is up to you and I to press in to the higher calling, to renew our minds and allow God’s Spirit to guide us
D. Why is it so Important?
a. As Pastor Green put it last night…the conscience can be seared
1 Tim 4:1-2
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
Rom 1:26-27(NIV)
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
b. Given over – there minds were made up…they no longer feared God
c. They no longer obeyed God…and God gave them over to their lusts…till they couldn’t get enough of it
d. Your spirit dying…to the point that it is unrecoverable
3. Turning Back
Ps 51:10-12
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
A. Renewing
Phil 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
a. We need an attitude…a Christian attitude
b. Where we would defy the devil…we would mock the devil and sin, “I’m not going to fall for that.”
c. And make up our minds…I’m serving Jesus àAnd there is NO turning back!
Rom 8:35, 39
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 8:35-36(TLB)
35 Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us?
36 No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day-- we are like sheep awaiting slaughter;
