Unity in Christ

Walking out our own Salvation

Walking out our Faith in Christ. Philippians 2:12-18

Paul was brought to Rome to appear before Caesar, because he appealed to Caesar after being in prison for 2 years in Caesarea, Paul was a Roman citizen.

While Paul was in Rome for 2 years, he was able to rent his own quarters, but he had to be chained to a guard 24 hours a day. What he counted as a great opportunity to share the Gospel with the elite roman soldiers protecting Caesar, many came to know Christ.

This was his first imprisonment in Rome,

Scholars believe he was released from his first arrest after 2 years, then arrested again and this time sent to Mamertine dungeon where he was eventually beheaded in 68 AD.

Walk out your salvation.

1 By Grace

Php 2:12 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,

Don’t’ only obey in the presence of those you honor and respect, but much more in their absence, when no one is looking,

Just to make clear, Paul is not contradicting himself, he is not saying work for your salvation but work out your salvation, the word here in Greek is Katergazomai what means, work fully or work out your own salvation. Walk it out.

Remember that we are saved by grace, so walking out your salvation is not by doing more or trying harder.

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus.

Eph 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Eph 2:9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

There is no one on earth able to claim that their salvation was granted because of anything they had done.

Is a gift from our Heavenly Father

How can we do it ?

Php 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

It is God working in us that gives us the will and desire to obey Him.

He will give us the will and the ability to fulfill our purpose.

when we think about doing something good, like blessing our neighbor or a friend at church, is God who put that desire in your heart.

Anytime I hear a young man or young woman telling me that God is asking them to become a missionary, or go into the ministry, I pay attention, and encourage them, because satan does not put this call or desire in our hearts.

2Pe 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

So We have no excuse to walk in sin, God has given us everything to walk in victory,

unfortunately, we don’t always walk in victory, our will is contrary to God’s will, and our Heavenly father allows us to go against his will,

I wish He didn’t, wouldn’t be great if I never disobey him again or go against His will,

but He is not going to change that, He gave us a free will.

But He also allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin our disobedience,

Walk out with fear and trembling.

Yes recognizing that we cannot do it on our own we need the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, come before the Lord on your knees humbly and ask Him to help you. Is by faith.

2 Without grumbling and arguing.

Php 2:14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,

Php 2:15 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

Grumbling, the action or fact of complaining in a bad-tempered way:

Jas 5:9 Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

Don’t grumble Jesus is watching.

Arguing To engage in a quarrel; dispute:

Some of us can develop a habit of grumbling and arguing, The message we send out is that we are dissatisfied with the way our Father in Heaven takes care of us.

We are preaching to the world our frustration with God and the life he gave us, I’m complaining about the ways God cares for me, believe me that is not the kind of preaching you want to do.

What are you telling others about your Heavenly Father?

fights and quarrels

Jas 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

Jas 4:2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Jas 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Who started this argument? my evil heart, always takes two people to get into an argument and usually when asked we blame each other. James is very clear we get into fights and quarrels because of our evil heart. We are selfish.

3 Holding fast to the word of life.

Php 2:16 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.

Hold fast was a word commonly used by the apostle Paul

What does it mean?

hold your position and hold your gaze.

To read the word of God and study it is wonderful, but not magical,

Paul is talking about something deeper, remember the Pharisees, they read the word, they studied it, memorized it, and Jesus rebuked them.

The apostle Paul prayed for the believers.

Eph 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Eph 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

Paul prayed this prayer because just reading the bible or studying the bible is not enough, we need the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, our hearts need to be enlightened.

There are many who knows the bible well, go to church, some are liberal scholars who know the word from beginning to the end and yet they go through their lives unchanged, they have no revelation and their understand is distorted. The word of God must change our lives, Knowledge without revelation will lead you into deception.

The bible is the infinitely precious and infallible word of God. But if the living God does not open our hearts, we can read it a hundred hours a week and never the see the glory of what it says or the One who gave it.

John Piper

Every Sunday we pray for revelation, because we need a supernatural touch from our Heavenly father to open our eyes, and give us the grace to be transformed as we obey Him.

Php 2:17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith [for preaching the message of salvation], still I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

Php 2:18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

While Paul was in Rome the church in Philippi took an generous offering for him and send it through a man name Epaphroditus who on the way became extremely sick and almost died, but now that he was better Paul sent him back with this letter as a thank you for the generous gift, and for them to see that Epaphroditus was ok.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

Php 2:19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.

Php 2:20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.

Php 2:21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Php 2:22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

Php 2:23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.

Php 2:24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

Php 2:25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.

Php 2:26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.

Php 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

Php 2:28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.

Php 2:29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,

Php 2:30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.

Walk out your own Salvation.

By Grace

Without grumbling and arguing

holding fast to the word of life

making Jesus the lord of our lives

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Joh 3:16

To receive Him we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, asking Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner Healso took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.