Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Philippians

Philippians 2:19-30 07/20/03

Intro: If your physical appearance was based on your spiritual condition, what would your body look like? The problem is we are more concerned about our physical appearance than we are our spiritual condition.

Talk to just about anyone and they will mention something about exercise. Either they are actively ‘working out’ in the gym, or they used to work out but….you fill in the blank..we all do (bum knee, bad back, children, work, commute). People even use exercise and going to the gym as a pick up line …oh, have you been working out? But for many of us, exercise is a conversation we want to avoid.

I wish I could find a way for someone else to work out and then transfer the benefits to my body. Wouldn’t that be great? But, the reality is, no one can exercise or work out for us, it’s something we must do ourselves, if we want to get the benefits.

Trans: So, what can we do? We get to the gym, we begin to exercise our faith in Christ, we begin to work out our salvation as Paul puts it in vs 12.

Phil 2:12  ‘The Call to Work Out’

The waist of my pants and the collar of my shirts have been calling me to work out for some time now. But I refused to respond to their call, until I was no longer able to wear many of my clothes. That was a call to work out that I had to obey or go into debt buying new, larger clothes.

God, through the pen of the apostle Paul is also calling the Christian to work out, but not in the way you might think. In fact, this text has caused great trouble in theological circles because it seems to say that we contribute in some way to our salvation, as if we needed to work to earn our way to heaven. However, Paul is not saying ‘work for our salvation’ but ‘work our salvation out’, there is a big difference.

The Greek word translated ‘work out’ originally meant to continue to work on something until it’s completion. So, to work out your salvation  actually means that we continue that which has already been started. In other words, since salvation is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9) then we must be good stewards of that gift.

But it is very important to remember the context. Paul is writing to the church. He is not writing to an individual. In fact, he is writing against an individual kind of faith that seeks it’s own good while ignoring others. The ‘your’ in ‘work out your salvation’ in the Greek is plural. So he is saying ‘in community, continue the process of working out your salvation among yourselves.’ And this is an imperative in the Greek. That means it is not a request, but a command…not just from Paul but from God Himself.

Paul is encouraging Christians to keep their salvation in shape expending real effort by working out together. So that what we say as a community of saints, will be displayed in our life as a community of saints. This is important to the integrity of God’s Church as Paul tells us to do it with fear and trembling. This is not terror, but awe and respect. In other words, Paul is saying working out our salvation, together is a serious call, one we had better obey.

Trans: You may be thinking, I have tried working out but I get tired and eventually stop. You know what has been proven to help? A Personal trainer.

Phil 2:13  ‘The Need for a Personal Trainer’

A personal trainer in the gym motivates you by helping you in your work out. He can’t do it for you, but he can show you how and encourage you as you do it.

God is like a personal trainer in that he shows us, in the Bible, how to live as a Christian and as a Christian in community. He is also like a personal trainer in that he encourages us through the Holy Spirit and others to continue working out our salvation, as we grow closer to Christ.

BUT, God goes further than a personal trainer. A personal trainer can not work out for us, but God can work out, IN us, when we are yielded to him. In what ways does God work out in us?

 To Will: God helps us in our desire and motivation to do his will.
 To Do/Act: God works in us to actually do his will.

     What is it that keeps you faithful to your wife or husband?
     What is it that keeps you obeying your parents?
     What is it that keeps you honest on the job or in school?
     What is it that keeps you a regular part of this community?

Not what, actually, but who? Vs 13 ‘for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.’

Have you thanked God recently for working out his will in your life?

ILL: Oswald Chamber in My Utmost for His Highest said ‘God not only expects me to do his will, but he is in me to do it.’

The Christian life, individually and in community is not an easy life. It is the most challenging and difficult of lifestyles. But realize that God himself, through the presence and power of his Holy Spirit desires to work out in you, in his time, and in his way.
Trans: Well, we are called to work out and we have God as our own personal trainer. What is included in our work out routine?

Phil 2:14-16   ‘The Work Out’

Here, Paul is adding to what he has already told us in the book is to be in our work out routine. Paul says that to our daily work out routine we are to do everything without complaining or arguing.

Talk about a hard work out…man, it hurts just thinking of it. Why? Because we like to complain and argue…some more than others. Well, you say, I got a bad deal, I shouldn’t have been treated that way, I should have been appreciated, I deserve better. Really? The cross says you don’t deserve anything but death! But the cross also says that in Christ, you and I have received far more than we deserve. So stop complaining and arguing.

Listen complaining is not just a bad habit, it’s sin. Complaining is equated with the sin of rebellion in Scripture..see Ps. 78:17-18. God commands that we stop complaining, in everything. Let’s make it personal.

Question: What does everything mean?

Everything means everything…in your home life, in your workplace, in your school, even and especially in the church. It is perhaps here that we complain the most. But, does everything means everything? YES!

Does that mean we can’t have legitimate concerns? No. But it means we must learn to express those concerns
     -in the right way,
     -in the right time,
     -for the right reasons
  and
     -to the right person.

Why is Paul so strong about this? Because by not complaining and arguing in community, we will be seen as true children of God in a world that so desires to experience love, acceptance and peace. CBC has the potential to shine as stars in a dark world when we hold out the word of life, the gospel of peace, the hope of salvation, with love and integrity. Then people will be drawn to Christ like moths to the  light.

Phil. 2:17-18   ‘The Result: Joy’

Paul ends by saying look, I know things look pretty bad for me but I’m OK. In fact, I am better than OK, I am rejoicing…do the same. There may not be perfect community in your church family in Philippi, but keep working out, don’t give up..I promise you will see results.

Conclusion

The problem is we want to see instant results. That is why we order the thigh master or ab cruncher or whatever the exercise fad is popular at the moment. We want results without the work out.  John Wesley knew better.

ILL: From the Diary of John Wesley
    Sunday, A.M., May 5 – Preached in St. Anne’s. Was asked not to come back anymore.
    Sunday, P.M., May 5 – Preached in St. John’s. Deacons said "Get out and stay out."
    Sunday, A.M., May 12 – Preached in St. Jude’s. Can’t go back there, either.
    Sunday, A.M., May 19 –Preached in another church. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
    Sunday, P.M., May 19 –Preached on street. Kicked off street.
    Sunday, A.M., May 26 –Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
    Sunday, A.M., June 2 –Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
    Sunday, P.M., June 2 –Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.

John Wesley had perseverance in working out his salvation because he was totally sold out to the end result, the salvation of many.

Look, I want to fit back into my clothes. I want to be in better health. I want people to ask me ‘Oh, have you been working out?’ So, I must be totally sold out to that. Then I must do whatever I need to do to achieve that end. Paul is encouraging us to be totally sold out to experiencing and displaying the oneness that Jesus prayed for us in the garden before his death. So, we must be willing to work out our salvation, as individual Christians and as a community of saints.

Someone once said the Christian life is not a life of ups and downs but rather a life of ins and outs. God works in and we work out.

What is the end result of this work out? For the individual…Christlikeness, and for this community…oneness. For Paul there was no price too high to pay to achieve either.

Paul is calling us, the church, you and I, to be totally sold out on being a community of God’s people who work out their salvation by displaying God’s love and extending God’s grace and forgiveness to all.