*****philippians 2:14-15

Philippians 2:14–15

14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.

There are some results that are evident in the life of a person that knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Paul declared the results of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian’s lives are to reflect the reality of their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. My objective is to challenge the people of God to live as obedient, faithful, and useful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. What difference has Jesus made in your life? Does your life reflect the grace of God and the Person of the Lord Jesus to others? Are you shining as lights in a dark world?

This passage reveals some results of knowing Jesus. Knowing Jesus:

I. Results in sincere work (12–13)

“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;”for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Paul tells the Philippians that because Jesus humbled Himself, left heaven, came to earth, suffered and bled and died on the cross they obeyed the gospel and they are to continue to obey the Lord.

Paul is appealing to the Philippians to be sincere and genuine in their faith

Paul was present and he is challenging them to continue to obey in his absence

They must work out ‘their own salvation’ … apart from the assistance of Paul.” Paul tells the church what they are to do in light of what the Lord Jesus has done

The Bible is telling us to know Jesus, is to love Jesus and to love Jesus is to serve Jesus. We are to be working out what the Lord has worked in us. It takes discipline to be godly! It should be the mission of every Christian to work out our salvation

In verse 13 Paul tells the Philippians that it is God who works in you. This speaks of divine enablement. It is God who calls us to accomplish this mission and it is God that gives us the means to accomplish this mission. Sanctification is the will of God for every believer. God wants every believer to become more like Jesus every day. We have an awesome responsibility in living for Jesus; we have an awesome resource for living for Jesus. It is God that works in us

He works in us to will and do for His good pleasure.

II. Results in a separated walk (14–15)

A. The instruction about our walk (14)

“Do all things without complaining and disputing,”

Paul teaches the Philippians about the genuine work of the child of God and the godly walk of a child of God. Christians will work out what God works in which results in a holy, sanctified and separated walk. The lives of Christians living out their faith in Jesus will reflect:

◾ the love and light of Jesus:

◾ the power and passion of Jesus:

◾ the focus and forgiveness of Jesus;

◾ the care and consideration of Jesus:

◾ the grace and glory of Jesus:

◾ the faithfulness and fruitfulness of Jesus:

◾ and the position and praise of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul instructs the church about their walk in this world. This is direct and plain preaching by the apostle. We are to do all things without complaining or disputing.

“Paul knew that before the Christians in Philippi could make an impact on their city, they had to straighten out the problems in their own assembly. They could not be grumbling and complaining among themselves and at the same time be attracting people to Christ.” In light of verse 13 we learn that it is God that works in His people to will and do His good pleasure. Circumstances and situations that catch us off guard and overwhelm us, do not catch God off guard and overwhelm Him.

￫He allows us to face trials to make us;

￫He allows us to face the fires of life to mold us;

￫He allows us to face hardships to humble us;

￫He allows us to go through all that we go through in life for a purpose.

And Because God is at work in us, we are to serve Him with all of our hearts. Our walk in this world, is to be free from complaining and disputing.

John MacArthur wrote, “Every circumstance of life, is to be accepted willingly and joyfully, without murmuring, complaint, or disappointment, much less resentment. There is no exception. There should never be either emotional grumbling or intellectual disputing. It is always sinful for believers to complain about anything the Lord calls them to do or about any circumstance which He sovereignly allows.”

All things: this is including all the forms of declension; all, any, every, the whole all (manner of, means), whatsoever, whole, whosoever.

Without: separately or apart from (often as preposition) beside, by itself, without.

We are to put space between ourselves and complaining and disputing. We are not to be tied up, hindered by, or caught up in complaining about anything. Christians are saved by God’s grace and have heaven as our eternal home.

Complaining: grumbling:- grudging, murmuring. This word gives a picture of mumbling so low that words cannot be distinguished.

This grumbling Paul mentions deals with all things.

◾ Don’t grumble about your job!

◾ Don’t grumble about your finances!

◾ Don’t grumble about the church!

◾ Don’t grumble because things didn’t go your way!

◾ Don’t grumble about anything!

A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter only two words every five years, and those two words had to be spoken in the presence of the leader. One of the monks, when given his opportunity to speak, said, ‘Bad food!’ Five years later, his time came again to speak and he said, “Bed hard!” After 15 years at his third opportunity to speak the monk said, “I quit!” The leader said, “Well, you might as well quit. All you’ve done since you got here is complain!” Sometimes that is all some people do is complain because of their ungrateful spirit.

Complaining is sin! Those who complain have a negative and pessimistic attitude that is contagious. You can’t make some folks happy.

◾ They will complain because it is too cold!

◾ They will complain because it is to hot!

◾ They will complain because so and so didn’t speak to them!

◾ They will complain because someone got their seat! They will complain because the preacher is too long and the choir is too loud and the service is not what it used to be!

What do people complain about? They complain about pastors, programs, how services are conducted, certain people in office, and issues before the church. If the members in your church are always complaining and arguing, the church lacks the unifying power of Jesus Christ.

Stop arguing with other Christians or complaining about people and conditions within the church and let the world see the Lord Jesus Christ.

See. this was the problem with The children of Israel , they murmured against Moses after the Lord had delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh. After they had made it safely across the Red Sea they begin to complain. They complained about the food, about the water, about their circumstances. Their murmurings were contagious and because of their lack of faith everyone over 20 years of age died out in the wilderness.

Murmuring is sin and it is a serious matter before Holy God. Complaining about one another in the church will destroy the fellowship, witness, and work of the body of Christ.

It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750’s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipp’s navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the “saints.” Do you use up your time and energy shooting at the “saints?”

Are you unusable to the King because of your complaining about anything, everything, anybody, and everybody?

￫It is impossible for us to have a strong witness in the world, when we complain about everything to the world.

See, “Murmuring Christians are seldom of any use in the cause of Christ.” As we serve our Lord together we are called to serve in unity in purpose and in practice.

We are not to complain about one another or destroy the testimony of another by what we say. We are instructed to do all things without complaining.

Disputing: debate, dispute, doubtful (-ing), imagination, reasoning, thought.

This word is where we get our English word for dialogue. The word means “useless, ill-natured questions, arguing, debating, and doubting.”

We are to do all things without disputing.

• As Christian’s receive the mind of Christ,

• remember the mission of Christ,

• and respond to the majesty of Christ

• they will truly seek to do all things without complaining and disputing.

Jesus carried a rugged cross of a steep hill where they nailed Him to that cross to suffer and die for you and me and we are to respond to what Jesus has done by not complaining or disputing.

We don’t need to complain or dispute about what the Lord has called us to do, but we need to report for duty and joyfully serve the Lord. He has all authority, but when we complain and dispute we are rebelling against His authority. When we complain and dispute about the music, the message, and our mission we bring reproach on the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Don’t allow yourself to have an argumentative spirit, it only divides. Don’t specialize in causing friction, it only disrupts the family.

Don’t sow seeds of discontent, it only discredits the name of Jesus.”

Paul instructs the Philippians about their walk. We are instructed to do all things without complaining or disputing.

In verse 14 we see that the Bible speaks about the instruction about our walk.

In verse 15 we see that the Bible speaks about:

B. The intent of our walk (15a)

“that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

In verse 15 Paul tells the church about the results of their obeying the instruction. Those who have a separated walk, have a purpose for living. Our purpose is to please the Lord Jesus, in all things. Paul reveals the intent of the Christian’s walk or life. Every born again Christian, ought to want to honor, obey, and be faithful to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord tells us in His word, that we are to do all things without complaining and disputing.

When we do that, we find God working in us and through us for His glory.

When God is at work in us and through us, we become blameless and harmless.

Blameless: faultless, unblamable, without defect, or blemish.

As we live out our faith without complaining or disputing, no one can bring a charge against us. As God works in us, we by faith are to work out the salvation that He has worked in.

Harmless: This word pictures something that is not diluted or mixed which would detract from the substance.

Knowing Jesus, results in a separated walk! Our lives are to be lived faithfully for Jesus. Our allegiance is to be clear and our living, should never be mixed with ungodliness. We are to be blameless or harmless! Our lives should never detract from the message we proclaim.

You know, A tragedy of our times is that most professing Christians, do not live much differently than non-Christians.

They look the same, talk the same, do the same things. Everything is the same except that the professing Christian goes to church. Perhaps the greatest tool Satan uses is professing Christians whose lives deny their profession.”

When we live inconsistent lives, we do harm to those who are watching us. Paul admonishes the Philippians to obey the word so that they may be blameless and harmless children of God.

◾ Paul tells the Philippians about the result of their obeying, and now he tells them, the reason for their obeying.

The Philippians were children of God and we are too.

The intent of our lives, as children of God, should always seek to honor the Lord through faithful and focused obedience.

As we faithfully obey, we become blameless and harmless children of God without fault.

Christians are to intentionally, on purpose, live blameless, harmless lives empowered by the Holy Spirit of God for the glory of the Son of God.

We can and should live separated lives in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

We are to live differently before and among the lost and dying world. We are not to isolate ourselves from the world, but through our surrender to Jesus we are to insulate our lives from the world.

We are to affect the world and not let the world infect us.

Paul calls the 1st century world a crooked and perverse generation. How much more do we live in a wicked, crooked, perverse, and ungodly generation.

Paul tells the Philippians that the world is morally and spiritually corrupt. They are crooked and they need outside help to be straight.

We too are living in a crooked and perverse generation.

This word speaks of that which is permanently disfigured and distorted. This perverse and crooked generation, needs the Lord Jesus to straighten them out.

Look around at society today, watch the news and the shows on television today and it will not take long to see that we live in a crooked and perverse generation.

• The people in the world, are crooked and perverse in their attitudes and their actions;

• in their desires and their deeds;

• in their wants and their works.

We are in a mess in this society and the world needs to see Christians that are straight in our dealings, in our convictions, in our attitudes, or in their actions. We are to intentionally live a separated and holy life that honors Jesus in this crooked, and perverse world.

We’ve noticed the instruction about our walk, the intent of our walk, in the last part of verse 15 the Bible teaches us about:

C. The illumination of our walk (15b)

“among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

In the backdrop of a dark, crooked, and perverse world Christians, are to shine as lights.

Paul clearly teaches the Philippians, that their lives are to shine as lights in that pagan Roman colony.

Christian’s are to have a separated walk.

Knowing Jesus, results in a holy and separated walk in this world. His Light within us, is to illuminate the world, around us.

Remember the song we where taught as children: “This little light of mine; I’m gonna let it shine; let it shine; let it shine; let it shine!”

Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

◾ Don’t turn off or turn down the light: Let it shine!

◾ Don’t distinguish or dim the light: Let it shine!

◾ Don’t hide or hold the light: Let it shine!

◾ Don’t cover or conceal the light: Let it shine!

◾ Don’t put up or put out the light: Let it shine!

Paul tells the Philippians that as they sincerely work out what the Lord has worked in, they will shine as lights in a crooked and perverse generation.

Too many people are turned off and turned away from the Lord and His church because of the lives of the people within the church.

Paul drew a lesson from the night sky, when he compared Christians to stars and society to the empty blackness of the universe. It is a bleak and barren skyscape at night, except for the light of stars.

Christians are to live as lights in a dark world, shining witnesses to God’s truth. Our lives should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will “shine like stars” in a dark and depraved world.

A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word.

Are you shining brightly, or are you clouded by complaining and arguing?

Don’t let dissensions snuff out your light. Shine out for God.

Your role is to shine until, Jesus returns and bathes the world in his radiant glory. The Bible clearly teaches us about the illumination of our walk.

One night off the coast of Maine a tempestuous wind was blowing. The violence of the wind was so terrific that it blew out the glass on one of the sides of the lantern of the lighthouse set to guard that part of the treacherously rocky shore. The keeper of the lighthouse had no other glass to cover the gap and shield the lamp, and doing his best, he fixed in its place a sheet of tin.

In the storm a harassed ship was beating about, trying to find harbor, and not finding a light that he knew should be there the captain got confused and ran his vessel onto the rocks, and the boat and all hands were lost. Why? Because the lighthouse had one part dark!

Guy King said, “Oh, the damage, even the shipwreck, we may cause to another soul and life, if by some unjudged habit, some wretched inconsistency, some slack behavior, some ‘part dark’ obscuring the light, we bring loss to others.”

We are to be shining in a world that is dark!

Knowing Jesus results in a sincere work, a separated walk.

God is calling for us, to serve Jesus.

◾ God is calling us to have a separated walk in this world where we shine as lights in a crooked and perverse world.