Why you must live out your Christian life

Read Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

I want to open with a question for you today

Is water wet?

The correct answer is yes

water is wet

because the definition of wet

is something

that contains

liquid

and water

is water molecules

sticking to one another.

Here’s another question

Are AI alive?

AI maybe autonomous

to a degree

but they don’t have a soul.

They don’t have actual moral consciousness

like a human.

If an AI made a

moral decision

let’s say to steal

it wouldn’t have

emotions of guilt.

So AI

while it seems alive

in a way

is not truly.

But the Christian life

is not like that.

It moves.

It breathes.

It lives.

And it has a purpose

which is to bring honor to God

and therefore

we must

live

in a manner

worthy

of the gospel.

But we have a problem.

When Christians who put their faith in Jesus

are not

walking the walk.

When Christians get stuck.

Sometimes you get stuck

because of worldly pressure.

The pressure to

fit in.

Or you get stuck

because you are going through a trial

a difficult time in your life.

Or maybe you get stuck

simply because of laziness.

Whatever the reason

God wants you

to actually

experience

and enjoy

the Christian life.

Not just dream about it.

Anyone like going to the mall?

Growing up

I really enjoyed going to the mall

even

if I wasn’t going to buy anything.

I would pass by the windows

of the shops

and just imagine

owning it

and that made me happy

for a while.

But I never actually

got to experience

having what I saw

through the window.

And students

the Christian life

is not a lifetime

of spiritual

window shopping.

It’s real.

It is something

not to imagine

but to experinence

and to live out.

So today

we’re going to learn

Why you must live out your Christian life.

1. Christ is your example (v.12)

Let’s look at v.12

where the first word

is the word, ‘therefore’.

As we’ve been learning

the past 3 sermons

about Jesus’

perfect

humility

and obedience

it is for a very important reason

that ‘Christ is our example’.

That our Christian life

must be

like Jesus.

That we must have a humble attitude

like Jesus.

That we must lower ourselves

like Jesus.

That we are obedient

like Jesus.

And that we are to be worshippers

and glory to God givers

like Jesus.

Now Paul

wasn’t saying this

because

the Philippian Christians

were not

acting like Jesus at all.

But that they must continue

look at v.12 again, ‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed’.

This is because

true Christians

will

bear

fruit.

John 15:5 (ESV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Jesus is the vine

the very source

of life

for Christians

And just like the branches connected to a vine

the branches

will

bring forth grapes.

The branches don’t have an option

to say, ‘Should I make grapes or not? Hmm I dunnoo..’

it will!

And just like

branches on a vine

Christians will

bear fruit.

Unless of course

they are not

connected

to the branch.

That’s why

Jesus says

apart from me

you can do nothing.

So students

are you connected to the vine?

Jesus Christ?

If you are not

and you call yourself a Christian

come back to Him.

Maybe you’re feeling

spiritually dry

come back

to Him.

But if you’re not a Christian

put your faith in Him

He’s the only way

you can have eternal life

and live a fulfilling life.

Now living like a Christian

can change

depending

on who’s around you.

If you are around non-Christians

your behavior may

be influenced

by them

negatively.

But when you’re around other Christians

you are most likely

influenced

more positively.

And when you are around a pastor

that influence

is even stronger!

But students

the Christian life

should not

be greatly influenced

by whose around you.

Look again at v.12, ‘not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence’.

When Paul visited Philippi

it’s easy to see

how well

the Philippian Christians

behaved

around him.

Here’s the mighty apostle

in our very own church!

And indeed

they were

very godly

when he was there.

That’s why

Paul said, ‘as you have always obeyed’.

But the problem

is that Paul

is not with them right now.

He’s in prison!

So how

are they gonna act

when he’s not there?

That’s why Paul said

but now much more in my absence.

Even more

when I’m not here

Paul is saying

you need to continue

your Christian faith.

Which is what the end of v.12 says, ‘work out your own salvation’

Now

this is a very important verse

to get right.

Because no doubt

what comes to mind

when you read this

is, ‘do I need to work and earn my salvation?’

While it may seem

that, that is what it’s saying

there’s a key word

that explains everything

and that is the word out.

‘work out your own salvation’.

Paul is not saying

work for your own salvation.

If he said this

then it would mean

that you have to earn your salvation.

But obviously

that’s not

what it says.

To work out

your salvation

implies

that you already have

salvation!

Or in other words

God is saying,

‘live out the Christian life God already gave you’

But there is a certain way

God tells you

to live out the Christian life

He already gave you.

And that

is in the last phrase of v.12

‘with fear and trembling’.

Now as taught before

fear and trembling

is not

the kind

of fear and trembling

when you watch

a scary movie.

That you fear and tremble

because you might lose

your salvation.

John 10:28 (ESV)

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Jesus promises

that He will protect you

and that you cannot lose your salvation

because

you are in His hands.

So if that’s not

what fear and trembling

means

what does it?

It is a fear and trembling

of respect

and dependence

that without God

you are nothing.

That’s what Jesus said

remember

John 15:5 (ESV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

As a kid

I remember

going to places

with my father.

The grocery store

Best buy

the mall.

And especially

if it was a big store

I’d lose him.

And I would get so scared.

I’d run around

trying to find him

because I knew that if a bad person

got a hold of me

I couldn’t do anything.

I was in fear

and I was trembling.

But when I found him again

in some aisle

I felt so relieved

because I had his guidance

and protection again

in his presence.

Because without my dad

I was defenseless.

Students, God is your father

that whenever

you are with Him

you have this great sense of peace

and protection.

But without Him

you fear and tremble

because you need Him.

You’re defenseless

without Him.

Remember students

The biggest reason

why

you are to live out the Christian life

is because

Christ is your example.

He has already

shown us the way

with his perfect

model

example.

Art is a very hard thing to do.

I remember

when I was a kid

a lot of boys

including me

would draw Dragonball Z characters.

And many times

I would try to draw

Goku

the main character

from memory.

And it would come out looking awful.

But a very common thing

to do

when drawing

that completely changes everything

is when

you use a reference. (reference pic)

A reference

is a real picture

of the thing

you want to draw.

You want to draw a cat

look at a picture

of a cat!

Drawing looks way better

when you use a reference

because you know exactly

what color

the eyes should be

you know exactly

how long or wide

the lines

should be.

when you use a reference.

You know exactly

how things should be

because

you know

and can see

the real thing.

Students

Christ

is your reference

in the drawing of life.

You don’t know where to go?

Look at Christ.

You don’t know

how

gentle

or firm

you should be

when treating your friends

look at Christ.

You don’t know how to live out your Christian life?

Look at Christ.

Live out your Christian life

because Christ is your example.

2. God is working through you (v.13)

Look at v.13

‘for it is God who works in you’.

And the biggest word

in this sentence

is actually

the word for.

Because when it says

the word for

it means

that this is the reason

why

you must live out your Christian life.

Because

God

is working through you.

Think of

a sailboat (sailboat pic).

You get on the boat

with your crew

you turn the rudder

you open the sails

you’re on the water

but guess what?

You are completely still.

Going nowhere.

Because you need

wind.

It doesn’t matter

if you do all these things

if you don’t have wind

you are going nowhere.

But when you have wind

the boat is moving

able to move so far

it can even

go through oceans.

That

is God

working through you.

That because

He is the wind

moving you

you are able

to live out your Christian life.

Without him

it is impossible.

But what if

you don’t want

to get on the boat

and sail?

Not everyone

wants

to get on the boat

and sail.

What if

God saves you

and one day

you feel like

you don’t want

to go to church

to read your Bible?

God says,

‘for it is God works in you both to will and to do’.

What this means

is that God

even gives you

the will

and the willpower

to live out your Christian life!

You don’t want

to respond with kindness

when someone is mean to you?

God will give you the desire

to be kind.

You don’t want

to confront

a friend

who is acting inappropriately?

God will give you the courage

and the willpower

to do it.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

When you enjoy God

He will mold

and change your heart

and give you the desire

to live out your Christian life.

So trust him.

Ask him.

When you are feeling down

and you want to give up

ask God

to give you the desire

to follow Him

and not give up.

Because guess what?

When you decide

to pray and ask God

for help

that is also God

giving you the desire

to pray and ask Him

for help.

Why?

Why does God do this?

We see this

at the very end

of this verse

‘and to do for His good pleasure’.

God enjoys

working through you.

God enjoys

helping you.

He’s not an annoyed parent

who gets fed up

with their child

asks for help for the tenth time.

No He is a loving father

who finds it fun

helping you.

Look at

Luke 15:22–23 (ESV)

But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.

When the prodigal son

came back.

Was his father

annoyed?

No!

He quickly

gave him his best drip

and thew a big party!

He had fun

he enjoyed

helping

his long lost son

who returned.

Students

live out your Christian life

because

God is working through you.

Like the wind

blowing a sailboat

through the Atlantic Ocean

a Father

who has fun

helping their child

you must

live out

your Christian life

not because you are earning it

but because

you are just

living out

the Christian life

God already gave you

and that He is continuing

to work through you.

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Gospel/conclusion