Living in Light of the Gospel
Text: Philippians 2:12-18
Core Idea: In light of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross, we’re now called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in all aspects of our lives – specifically by doing all things without grumbling and arguing. Then let’s do just that knowing that God is already working in us to make this possible.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. It is delightful to see you. Well, we are going through the Book of Philippians – reflecting on what it means to press on with joy in all circumstances. And last week, Paul described for us what a life of humility looks like by pointing us to Jesus Christ who, being in very nature God (meaning He’s the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Giver of life and meaning to all things that have been created, the holy One, the all-powerful One, the all-knowing One, the One who is perfect in every possible way, the One who had everything) – this God did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage – but made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a slave because He valued us above Himself, because He was looking out for our interests more than His own. In other words, Jesus Christ was modeling for us this life of self-forgetfulness that produces other-centeredness. Then considering that Jesus Christ poured Himself out for us so that we can have everything, how can any of us continue to demand our rights and privileges from others? Now, as much as this is convicting and moving, if Paul ended his illustration here, it would’ve been a very burdensome call to all of us because we’re not by nature humble people. Left to ourselves, no matter how hard we try, we will never choose the path of humility. Knowing this, Paul pointed us to the cross where Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and make it possible for us to actually live the life that we were created to live – to passionately love God and humbly serve others. All that to say, Jesus Christ is the model, the power, and the motivation for a life of humility. Then how should we respond to this glorious truth? Well, that’s exactly what Paul will address in our passage today. So, please turn to Philippians 2:12-18. Let me read this for us.
12 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, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 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. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage.
· OUR RESPONSIBILITY
· GOD’S RESPONSIBILITY
· PRACTICAL APPLICATION
1) OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Verse 12, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” I wonder if some of you had to do a double take on this because that’s not what you expected Paul to say. In fact, I wonder if some of you were even asking, “Does this mean that I’m still not completely saved? Is there more work to be done? Why does Paul say that I need to work out my salvation? What does that even mean?” If this is you, I invite you to read it again carefully because that’s not what he actually says. He doesn’t say, “Since Christ did most of the work for you, continue to work for your salvation so that you can finish the rest.” Nor does he say, “Yes, Christ made it possible for you to be saved, but now it’s up to you to keep it – work hard because if you don’t, you might lose it.” And he certainly doesn’t say, “Since Christ did everything, just let go and let God. You can now relax because He will do all the work for you. You don’t have to do a thing – just enjoy the ride.” No, this is not an exhortation for them to earn salvation through their labor or passively just watch God do everything – instead, he calls them to work out their salvation. To put it differently, he calls them to work hard to live in light of this gracious gift of salvation, to live in light of our new position and identity, to live not as prisoners enslaved to sin but as children of God loved by the heavenly Father. Christians obey not to be saved but because we’re saved. This is what Christians call sanctification – a process of being reshaped into the very image of Christ that has been marred by our sin. Yes, God certainly accepts us as who we are (we don’t have to be somebody for God to save us), but when He saves us, He won’t leave us as is – He’ll begin to mold us to become more like His Son because He loves us, because He wants to make us into a people fit for His Kingdom. And the thing is that when He begins to work in us, we are moved to work as well because we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ who loved us and died for us. Charles Spurgeon said, “The assistance of divine grace is not given to us to put aside our own efforts, but to excite them. The direct effect of the influence of grace upon the heart is to make a man active – and the more divine grace he has, the more energetic he becomes.”
Brothers and sisters, sanctification is not a noble pursuit, not a higher pursuit, not an optional pursuit – it’s the pursuit of every Christian. Why? Because this is fundamentally what happens at the core of who you are when salvation begins. We just can’t stay the same. We begin to put in the work to change. Yes, it may be gradual but there is a growing difference in the way we live our lives – in the way we speak, in the way we perceive and react to certain circumstances, in the way we interact with others, in the way we use our money and time, in the way we work and study, and so on. Think about it – we’ve been born again. We’re a new creation in Jesus Christ. How can we remain the same when Christ has given us a new heart, a new perspective, and a new ambition? Impossible. In fact, let me put it this way – if you’re truly in Christ, it would be unnatural for you to be doing absolutely nothing in your pursuit of holiness. Something’s not right. Let that sink in. Now, if you feel convicted by this, please know that I’m not trying to guilt trip you – no, I’m trying to wake you up. I’m praying that this truth will break you out of your slumber so that you’ll begin to joyfully, intentionally, daily work out your salvation.
Of course, I understand that this is not easy knowing that we live in a world that values instant gratification. Andrew Davis writes, “We have been trained toward impatience by our lightning-quick information age.” Isn’t that alarming? This world trains us to be impatient. In contrast, sanctification is a slow process by God’s design. It requires us to die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ daily – not only in the big and special moments of our lives but also in the mundane parts of our lives, not only when others are looking but even when no one is watching. No wonder our pursuit of holiness is frustrating. No wonder we give up too quickly. But listen to the way Eugene Peterson defines sanctification, “A long obedience in the same direction.” Sanctification is not an event – it’s a journey. It’s about enduring, persevering, staying on course regardless of the challenges and difficulties we face. Then, brothers and sisters, this kind of long obedience in the same direction is what we need to recover in our journey with God – not looking to our left or right but pressing on to win the prize that has been prepared for us in Christ Jesus. Yes, this won’t come to us quick and easy. It’ll take time and effort – it’ll require from us radical devotion to His will. But let’s engage in this work knowing that this is God’s will for our lives. That’s literally what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” This is how the reign of sin will progressively weaken in our hearts and the reign of Christ will take greater control over us.
Then let me ask you, “How will you work to be more like Christ this week? How will you work out of the gospel realities? How will you speak to your spouse and children in light of the gospel truths? What will it mean for you to work and study in light of the gospel truths? How can you help others in this church to stay on course – not to deviate but to pursue holiness in all that they do?” Be intentional and detailed in the way you apply this truth. Don’t let this truth be lost the moment you walk out of this building. Cherish it in your hearts. Contemplate how the gospel can impact every aspect of your life and every relationship you have. Then commit yourself to live out of these gospel truths. It’s not too late. Make God’s purpose for you your daily life purpose today. In fact, be vigorous in your effort because sin is still living in us – doing its ugly work. So, don’t let your guard down but continue to work out your salvation by obeying His Word knowing that He knows what’s best for us. This work of growing in godliness is not a burden to bear but a good gift to celebrate. With each step of growth, the idols of our hearts will tumble down and our love for God will multiply. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, “I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” Friends, I pray that this will be your testimony as well – that you’ll confidently say that you’ve worked harder than others because of God’s grace that came to you. May this be true in your lives.
Now, if we’re honest – no matter how I put it, this call to work out our salvation feels daunting. In fact, some of us may be discouraged even before we start – feeling defeated; saying, “I can’t do this.” Well, if you think that this is all on you (your willpower, your determination, your devotion), then you’re right – you can’t do this. You might be able to do this for some time because guilt can be a strong motivator. But it won’t last because we’re sinful and broken – which is why what Paul says next is incredibly comforting. Yes, it’s important to remember that we are called to work out our salvation but it’s even more important to remember that our work is possible only because God is working in our lives – which leads to our next point.
2) GOD’S RESPONSIBILITY
Verse 12, “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.” Paul understands that sanctification is a call to obedience and a call to run after everything that is ours in Jesus Christ – in other words, it requires us to work. But at the same time, he also wants us to know that the burden of sanctification doesn’t ultimately rest on our shoulders but on the infinitely capable shoulders of our God because it is God who enables us to obey. Paul’s logic is not “You shouldn’t work because God works,” or “Only if you work, God will work,” but “You should work because God works in you.” Verse 13 provides the reason and the power for verse 12. We can work because God works in us. All that to say, God is the main actor in making sanctification possible. Just as God was the One who brought us to be born again, it is God who’s making us holy right now. This is similar to what we read in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Notice that Paul didn’t say, “I’m confident that you’ll get your act together, take your salvation seriously, and obey as you have been commanded.” No, when it came to their sanctification, Paul looked to one place for confidence – the same God who chose, called, and justified them. Despite the uncertainties that lay ahead of them, despite the fierce opposition they faced, despite the pain and suffering they were going through, despite how many spiritual defeats they may experience along the way, Paul was still confident of their future not because they had a strong determination but because he knew that our God is a God who always completes what He begins.
Then here’s why this is incredibly important to remember. Yes, we’re called to obey – but here’s the problem. Because sin still resides in us, we tend to have fickle, wandering, and unfaithful hearts. Because sin still resides in us, there are times when worldly things look more attractive than they should. Because sin still resides in us, there are moments when we question God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love. This is why God didn’t just forgive us and adopt us – He continues to work within us. Then from this verse, let me share three things that God does to help in our sanctification. First, He empowers us to act. He encourages us, disciplines us, inspires us, and guides us to work out our salvation in our lives. So, if you were moved to obey God this past week, it was because He was working in you to make that possible. If you were able to value others above yourself this past week, it was because God enabled you to do so. He makes our obedience possible. But that’s not all – second, He empowers us to will. God doesn’t just cause us to obey – He actually gives us a heart that desires to obey. So, if this message is convicting you to respond in obedience, it’s because He is working in you right now. He’s opening your hearts to desire what He desires. And if that wasn’t enough, third, He also makes our efforts fruitful. He will work to make sure that His good purpose is fulfilled in us – which means that our work will never be in vain. It doesn’t mean that you’ll witness all these fruits right away – no, just as it’s nearly impossible for us to observe plants grow in one sitting, we may not be able to recognize it right away. But this verse promises us that because God is working in us, through us, with us, our efforts won’t be wasted – our work will bear much fruit in our lives. Jerry Bridges said, “The pursuit of holiness is a joint venture between God and the Christian, but no one can attain any degree of holiness without God working in his life.” Friends, we all need the help of God’s saving grace today as much as we needed it the first day we believed. We’re completely dependent on our Savior to work out our salvation. Then let me just address those who may be confused because you’re not growing as fast as others, those who may be exhausted because you feel burdened by another call to work, those who may be discouraged and lost because you’re just going through a dark season and are unsure if God is really working in your life or not. Let Paul’s words assure you that our God is at work in you right now even if you can’t see it. He is relentlessly and intentionally working for your good. So, trust Him and wait.
3) PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Paul called the Philippian church to work out their salvation. Then what does it look like for them to do this practically? Of course, Paul could’ve said many things considering that this command is applicable to all aspects of our lives but having heard what’s been happening in the church from Epaphroditus, he invites them to start by doing this in verse 14 – “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” Paul shares that they ought to work out their salvation by first aiming to do all things without grumbling and arguing because it’s most likely that these two specific sins have been troubling the Philippian church. This was not a random command. No, Paul was applying the Word to their context – going from general (work out your salvation) to specific (do everything without grumbling or arguing) because this was urgent (most likely, this was breaking their unity). And even though this command was first given to the Philippian church, this undoubtedly is something that we need to hear today because this problem unfortunately isn’t unique to this church – it’s something that many of us struggle with especially because complaining is the common language of our culture. A few years ago, an online magazine did a survey to find out the things that people in North America complain about the most – and this was the result. (1) Slow, but free Wi-Fi. (2) Lengthy waits in drive-throughs. (3) 40-hour jobs. (4) Weather. (5) Flying in the airplane. (6) The toilet seat being left up. (7) Facebook statuses. (8) People’s typos and grammatical errors. (9) Someone liking them too much. (10) Mondays. (11) Spoilers online. (12) Waking up in the morning. (13) Handling things that they’re supposed to handle. (14) People complaining. Well, how many of them do you complain about? Of course, there are countless other things that we complain about (many of them actually being blessings from God), but this reveals that all of us are complainers. This is the disposition of our hearts – we’re just not content. And the scariest thing about this is that we could be doing all the right things but do so with grumbling. You could be serving the people of God, practicing hospitality, sharing the gospel, giving generously, interceding for others, working hard while you’re complaining – and this displeases the Lord. Brothers and sisters, let this verse remind you that God is not indifferent to our grumbling (He doesn’t take our complaining lightly) because grumbling is an expression of our ingratitude toward God who has been so kind, so merciful, and so gracious toward us. In fact, it’s an expression of arrogance. Now, I’m not in any way implying that we can’t take our struggles to God. We definitely should – the Book of Psalms is filled with prayers like that. But there’s a difference between complaining and lamenting, grumbling and crying out in desperation. Thomas Watson writes, “[Grumbling] is the rising up of oneself against God. It sets oneself against God, as if I am wiser than He.” That’s what we’re doing when we complain – we think we know what’s better for us. No wonder Paul calls us to repent.
Now, as much as this command is applicable to us individually, as I said before, Paul’s primary concern was the fact that grumbling and arguing were evident in the church – it was a communal problem. Now, we’re not sure what they were grumbling about because Paul doesn’t tell us. But it was serious enough that he had to address it right away because it was weakening the unity of the church, because it was hindering them from living a life worthy of the gospel, because it was holding them back from faithfully advancing the gospel as they should. These sins seemed small but the impact they were making on this community was far greater than they could’ve ever imagined. And if the Philippians needed to give attention to this, then we must best pay attention as well because, at some point, this is something that we may also be tempted to do as we continue to do life together here at Lighthouse. I shared this before, but I feel that, in some ways, our church is still in its honeymoon stage. We’re only two years old – but it’s incredible how much joy and love you have for this community. Many of you serve sacrificially but also gladly and willingly. Many of you give generously but also cheerfully. Many of you enjoy doing life with one another – and you continue to want to spend more time with each other. And I am truly grateful to see this. Of course, I don’t want to in any way dampen this spirit, but I do want to inform you that this probably won’t last forever. I pray that it doesn’t subside prematurely, but the reality is that it won’t last forever because we live in a fallen world and because we’re broken and sinful people. As a result, we will one day grow familiar with our church life. And when things grow familiar, daily life and its burden will take over us. The mundaneness of life will blind us from seeing the specialness of what we have here. And inevitably, you will be disappointed. Gradually our expectations of this church and how we view this church can suddenly change – leaving us dissatisfied and our hearts will be tempted to complain about all the deficiencies in this church. It could start with something really small – “Why is this place so cold? Why do we have to bring our indoor shoes? Why can’t we bring drinks to the service?” But it could lead to something more significant – “Why is the church doing things this way and not the other way around? Why isn’t the church providing this for us? Doesn’t the leadership know that this is what we need the most right now? Why am I being asked to do this and that?” In fact, your disappointments can be directed at specific people in the church – for example, me. It could be about my preaching style, my leadership style, and even my personality. It’s not my intent to disappoint you through my preaching – but I will inevitably do so because I’m flawed and because my giftings are limited. The more you get to know me, the more you see me make mistakes or make decisions that may be different from what you had envisioned, you may undoubtedly be disappointed with me. And of course, you’ll be disappointed with others in the church who don’t appear to be serving you with the care that you desired from them. And if that wasn’t enough, sin in our lives will become more evident as we do life together. As we get comfortable with each other, as we take everything we have here for granted, we’ll be tempted to give in to our sins. Do you see what a small sin like complaining can do to our community? Then let me ask you, “When you are tempted to grumble, what will you do? When things become too familiar, when you feel like your joy is diminishing, when your discontentment and disappointment are growing, how will you respond? Will you downplay this sin or remember this verse? Will you give up or fight for this community?” Brothers and sisters, if we want to press on with joy, if we want to live a life worthy of the gospel, if we want to faithfully shine the light of Christ to those around us, we must work out our salvation by guarding our hearts against grumbling. Then to help you do that well, I invite you to reflect on all that Paul said in this chapter. Remember that we’ve been united with Christ, comforted by the love of God, and blessed by the community of the Spirit – which is why we can be one in heart, mind, and purpose. Remember that we’re called to value others above ourselves because that’s what Christ did for us. Remember that Christ empowers us to think of ourselves less and look to the needs of others. All that to say, immerse yourself in the gospel truths so that you won’t grumble when you’re disappointed, so that even if you’re already complaining, you’ll quickly repent and choose to humbly love this community. Friends, let’s not lose sight of Christ for He alone will make it possible for us to do everything without grumbling or arguing.
Now, before we end, let me quickly address the implications of obeying this command. Verse 15, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Paul tells us that we are to obey this command because it will keep us holy and those who oppose us will have nothing bad to say about us. Do you know what this means? It means that if you’re a Christian, people are watching you – watching how you speak, how you treat others, how you spend your time and money, how you live your life. They’re evaluating you to see if your life truly reflects what you believe. Then the incentive to obey this command isn’t just a personal one (our desire to love God and love the church) – it’s also for the purpose of being a more effective and compelling witness to the world. When we stop complaining, we’ll stand out because we live in a world of complainers. We live in a world that’s dissatisfied with basically everything. Then Paul tells us that simply by obeying this command, we’ll shine like stars that light up the dark sky. Isn’t that amazing? Last week, someone asked me how I was doing, and I responded, “I’m really happy these days. Sure, things can be hard, and I’m exhausted at times but I’m thankful.” And that person said, “It felt weird hearing you say that because I haven’t heard anyone say something like that recently.” Just by being thankful, we can make a difference. All that to say, let your speech be peppered with expressions of humble gratitude – and observe how the world around you responds. This is what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, in light of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross, we’re now called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in all aspects of our lives but specifically by doing all things without grumbling but holding firmly to the Word of life. This is how we shine in this dark world. Then let’s do just that knowing that God is already working in us to make this possible. Our work will not be in vain.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Read verse 12. There is a significant difference between “working for your salvation” and “working out your salvation.” Why is this an important distinction to make? What does it mean for you to work out your salvation in your context?
2) Read verse 13. Underneath our work is God’s work. How does this bring comfort to your life as a Christian? How does this inspire us to continue in our work?
3) What are the things that you often complain about? Why? How do grumbling and complaining impact you, weaken the unity of the church, and damage your witness?
4) We are all tempted to complain and grumble. How can we maintain a joyful attitude in the face of the problems of life?