Phil 2:12-30 - Work Out, Pour Out, Live Out

Philippians - Above the Circumstances  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  38:47
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We must activley engage our faith as we pursue unity and serve one another with joy, even in difficult circumstances.

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Which of these bests describe your understanding of what it means to be Christian?
I ascribe to a set of beliefs [creed/confession]
I follow a set of expected behaviors [rules]
I had a personal spiritual experience [event]
I have done prescribed practices [sacrament checklist]
I have begun and continue to become like Jesus in thought, feeling and deeds. [transformation]
I’ve been listening to a transcribed biography of a man who was an ordained priest in England, but he admitted he had no assurance of salvation. He then had an experience where he discovered that his heart that had been cold, became warm when he began to view life as God viewed him in Christ. He then explored the group of people who enlightened his understanding so that he had this warming of the heart. But found that in addition to belief, they followed a regimen of behaviors that he did not see as helpful. So he came up with his own list of methods to the end that he was ostracized by both the English Anglicans and the German Moravians and he founded American Methodism.
As a fellowship of believers, we have intentionally avoided the pitfalls of denominations, and attempted to ask “where stands it written?” What teachings of the Holy Bible are essential for salvation? [the sine qua non] What admonitions are prescriptive [helpful] in our spiritual formation? And what words are descriptive of how some live out their identity? [Joseph raised Jesus as his own son even though he was not biologically related. Is adopting a child essential, prescriptive or descriptive?] Last week we were commanded to have the mind of Christ, and I told you that each moment we must humbly choose to either obey that or to be disobedient. Since we are NOT God in flesh and CANNOT obey that command perfectly, this week Paul tries to put flesh on that command and make it practical for us.
TRANSITION: The so then [therefore] that starts today’s reading connects what has been stated with the examples we are about to consider.

A Call to an Engaged Faith (Philippians 2:12-16a)

Whatever it means to “be Christian”, it is something that has to make it out of the seminary lecture hall, the Sunday School class, and beyond the covers of a book.

Work out (v.12)

There is an inevitable connection between what we truly believe and how we truly behave.
If I truly believed that broccoli contributes to my health more than cheesecake undermines it, I would eat more of it. If I truly believed that steps contribute more to a healthy lifestyle than rest, I would wear out more pairs of shoes. If I truly believed that a Christless eternity in torment awaits those who die apart from Christ, I would sacrifice so that others could hear.
2. A lopsided understanding of James 2:26 has led many ill-informed people to read “work out your own salvation” as “work for your own salvation.” Romans 3-4, that we will open up later this Spring, makes it abundantly clear that being declared righteous happens before the works of righteousness, thereby giving reliability and confidence to the declaration by God.
3. But works and salvation are not only personal and eternity questions—our salvation and our behaviors have present relational qualities. Paul had observed their faith in action. Later in today’s text we will read that he points his readers to look at the lifestyle of Timothy and Epaphroditus, not so that the readers will make a judgment about the salvation of these two men, but that actions will spur one another on toward loving good deeds as we read in Hebrews 10:24.
4. The manner in which you work out your salvation won’t make you any more or less saved, but it does contribute to others’ motivation to adopt the faith of the Bible.

Want to (v.13)

The working out is a result of the one who is working in us. If you are born again, God’s Spirit resides within you and He is granting both desire and ability to do what pleases God. It is God who works in you!
I am deeply and repeatedly thankful for the 4 words both to will and. Just as it is impossible to please God without His enabling, our selfish, human wills makes it unlikely that we will even want to do what pleases God without his working in us to will.
Preachers are good at leveraging fear and guilt, but God is the master at changing the will.
My dear friend and mentor in ministry, Dr. Bill Thrasher, taught me decades ago the power of asking God to change my will. Guilt may make us aware of our shortcomings, but God works in you to make you will [or DESIRE] after His good pleasure.
4. The 5/50 challenge I am laying out for us in the next 51.5 weeks will never happen unless each of us has a change in desire. We not only need God to strengthen us to testify, we need Him to make us want to share the good news of the Gospel. If you don’t want to share the Gospel, begin by asking God to instill a burden, a desire, a will, a want to, a motivation for souls.

Innocent demeanor (vv.14-15a)

After God puts some starch in our spines, and gives us a compelling motivation to do what pleases Him, v.14 gives a HUGE warning or correction. It is not enough to determine to do something, but HOW it is done can be more important than what is done.
In Wisconsin our family doctor, Dr. Taylor, had a team of nurses who assisted him. One of those nurses was ironically named, nurse Herdt (that’s H-e-r-d-t, not h-u-r-t). If we ever needed an immunization, we always asked for nurse Debbie because Nurse Herdt didn’t hurt!
2. The grumbling or disputing of v.14 is often indicative of someone with a bad attitude, and you NEVER want somebody with a bad attitude sticking a needle in your shoulder (or anywhere else for that matter).
TRANSITION: a lived-out humble obedience involves working out our will with a good attitude and results in…

Unblemished brilliance (vv.15b-16)

This kind of life does NOT look like the world around us!
It may not seem humble to say it, but I get a sense that Paul was hoping to get some recognition for the results of his preaching upon the lives of his readers.
He wanted them to be different from the world around them. He wanted their belief in what he preached to make an impact.
Just as John wrote in
3 John 4 ESV:2016
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
5. Your pastor will have no greater joy than to hear that your walk is different enough from the crooked and twisted generation in which we live, that people are repenting of their sin and believing in the gospel for their salvation.
6. I don’t want you to shine just so that people will comment on your brilliance. I want you to shine so that people will turn to the unsurpassing greatness of our Savior.
TRANSITION: The faith of the Philippians both reflected upon and impacted those who served them.

3 Examples of an Engaged Faith (Philippians 2:16b-30)

Paul (sacrificially poured out)

I count 26 occurrences of I, me or my in these 28 verses.
This is not just theoretic or abstract. Paul is personally making connections between Jesus, whom he loved, and the Philippians, whom he loved.
His love for Christ meant that he was willing to empty himself as a drink offering. His love for the Philippians meant that he was willing to sacrifice for their faith.
This humble sacrifice (last week we saw Christ’s sacrifice for us) motivates our sacrifice for others as well. Our Faith in Christ calls us to follow His example and live sacrificially for others—hence our 5/50 challenge each of the last 4 years.
We do not live here in Chase County for what it provides us, we live here on mission to serve others! Jesus made the connection with his own disciples when He said
John 13:14 ESV:2016
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
6. These 26 personal pronouns of Paul indicate that he desired to rub off on them so that they would see something worth emulating in their lives. I desire that each of us would rub off on our neighbors so that they will see something worth pursuing in their relationship with their creator and their judge.

Timothy (Phil 2:19-24; genuine concern)

The first century had scores of traveling philosophers and teachers who promoted ideas contrary to the teaching of the Apostles. Many of these itinerant preachers were overly concerned with their reputation or their income. But Timothy was an exception.
Paul had placed Timothy in Ephesus where he had performed admirably. Pastor Tim’s reputation among the Ephesians led Paul to conclude that he would be genuinely concerned for their welfare as well because Timothy had demonstrated the humble and obedient mind of Christ that began this chapter.
We can’t expect Paul or Timothy to come to Chase County, but we can trust that God will cause individuals who will and do after His good pleasure will have genuine concern for our neighbors.
This is why the sharing of 2025 follows the caring of 2024.
TRANSITION: Finally Paul introduces another saint who had a common name in first century History, but about whose faith we know very little

Epaphroditus (Phil 2:25-30 ; recipient of mercy)

Apparently the Philippians had sent one of their own as a messenger to Paul where he was in chains in Rome. While in Rome Epaphroditus worked faithfully to assist Paul then he became physically ill (almost dying). Paul sends him back to Philippi with this letter that we are now reading.
Because Paul and Epaphroditus has been through hard times together and experience the mercy of God on the other side. Paul knew that he would have encouraging words to share with those who had sent him.
Perhaps the people of our own area don’t need to hear claims that everything is fine, or just accept Christ and all your problems will go away. Maybe the hard times that you have experience and the goodness of God that you have tasted will be more encouraging to our neighbors than pie-in-the-sky, Pollyana promises of a trouble free life.
Our neighbors don’t need us to offer them promises of power, prosperity or greatness, they need honest testimonies of God’s goodness through times that are difficult with a hope that things will end with brilliance in the day of Christ.

Conclusion:

A practical challenge supported by 3 real-life examples. This is what it means for us to have this mind among us, which is ours in Christ Jesus.
I wrap up this message with 3 probing questions for each of us to ask ourselves based upon the 3 characters in today’s text:
Sacrifice: What sacrifice could I make for somebody outside my family?
Concern: How can I demonstrate genuine concern for the welfare of another?
Mercy: How can God’s mercy towards me be leveraged for the benefit of another?
I want to provide opportunity for each of us to consider if we are content to just keep the same routines of 2024 or perhaps allow God to call us to something Higher.
My friend Tess was a preacher’s daughter in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. Her life was comfortable as she was in a good church doing ministry to teens, when God called her to a one-year missions trip around the world. Tess came home changed and shared this song with me…
Response Song .......................... “Called Me Higher
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