No Reason Not to Shine
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning, Church! It’s good to see each of you who have made it out this morning and all those who may be watching online as well.
If you have your Bible’s with you this morning, and I pray you do, please turn with me to the Book of Philippians Chapter 2 and today, we will be looking at Verses 12-18 at a message I’ve entitled “No Reason Not to Shine.”
Last week, if you will remember, we looked at the first 11 Verses at Paul explaining to the believers in Philippi their need to set aside self and look to the example of our Savior!
He said in...
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
And then, he explained how that Jesus had set aside His glory, not his deity, but his glory in Heaven and robed Himself in flesh and came to this world as a servant to die for the sins of the whole world!
The point Paul was trying to get across to the believers in Philippi was that it was not about them but about Him (^Jesus^)!
And the same still holds true to this very day, Amen!
It’s not about me and you and our wants and our desires but it’s about Jesus and His honor and His glory and our lives ought to be spent magnifying Him in every way that we can, Amen!
I mean after all, that’s what we’re going to be doing for all eternity anyways, right?
And that’s what we’re going to be looking at this morning and the reason behind the title of this message.
After explaining to the believers in Philippi that it’s not all about them, then he goes on to encourage them here in Verses 12-18 to live out their salvation and to shine as lights in the world for their Savior!
Let me ask you a question this morning...what is the first thing you do when you walk into a dark room?
Do you continue walking in the darkness?
No, you turn on a light, right?
Why do you turn on the light?
So you can see, right?
What happens if you try walking through the room without turning on the light?
You end up running into something, or stubbing your toe on something, or tripping over something and falling, right?
But by introducing the light into the room, the darkness flees and all the obstacles are then navigable.
Well, the point I believe Paul is trying to get across to all the folks in Philippi and the point I believe we need to pay special attention to this morning is this...there are a whole lot of people wandering in the sin and darkness of this world and they just need someone, anyone, to shine some light into their life!
And the question is this...will that someone be you? And if not, why not?
As Paul is going to show us in the scripture before us this morning, God has given us everything we need to shine, we just have to do it!
For those of us here who have been born again this morning, we have no reason not to shine!
Philippians 2:12, if you have it would you say, Amen!
Work Out Your Salvation — (Vs. 12-13)
Work Out Your Salvation — (Vs. 12-13)
In Paul’s appeal to the Philippian believers to explain to them that there is no reason not to shine, he gives them three commands here in Verses 12-18.
The first comes here in Verse 12. Look with me if you will.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
He begins this Verse with “wherefore” and in reference to what Christ did in the previous verses for all believers by setting aside His position in heaven and coming to earth to pay the price for the sins of all mankind!
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
And because of this Paul continues...
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
Now, when Paul says here… “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” he’s not saying that works can save you but rather when you get saved, your faith ought to grow some hands and feet and get to work, amen!
Your works cannot save you but if you claim to be saved, then your salvation will lead to works!
Adrian Rogers used to say, “God didn’t save us to sit, soak, and sour but to serve!”
And James the Brother of Jesus said it like this...
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
John G Butler — This does not teach salvation by works. It speaks not of working in but of working out one’s salvation, not of acquiring but of expressing, not of obtaining but of proclaiming. It means to perform according to your faith. It means to let your salvation show in your conduct.
John Phillips — With fear and trembling we are to work out our salvation. Salvation is a gift; it is not earned by any effort of ours; Paul is not contradicting that basic fact of the gospel. But we could liken the gift of salvation to the gift of a gold mine. If someone were to give you a gold mine of incalculable worth, you would have a treasure, but the gold would not do you any practical good unless you worked it out of the mine. Likewise we need to get busy and set to work on our salvation.
John Phillips — Aside from the Bible, the best exposition of the concept of working out one’s salvation is found in the story “All Gold Canyon” by Jack London, who spent part of his early life prospecting for gold in Alaska. The story details the labors of a prospector named Bill.
Arriving in the “green heart” of All Gold Canyon, Bill lay down to drink water from the pool. London wrote:
The sidehill attracted his attention. Still lying on his stomach, he studied the hill formation long and carefully. It was a practiced eye that traveled up the slope to the crumbling canyon wall and back down again to the edge of the pool. He scrambled to his feet and favored the sidehill with a second survey.
“Looks good to me,” he concluded, picking up his pick and shovel and gold pan.
He crossed the stream below the pool … dug up a shovelful of dirt and put it into the gold pan.
London went on to describe the painstaking process of panning for gold. If you have read the story you will recall how Bill held the pan in both hands and dipped it in the water. He swirled the water around and around the pan, working the larger and lighter particles of dirt and gravel out and over the edge. At length only fine dirt and small bits of gravel remained.
He swirled more carefully, keenly scrutinizing every specimen. When the pan seemed empty of all but water he spilled it out, leaving a residue of black sand on the bottom. There was not much left, just a thin streak, but in the midst of it was a small speck of gold.
After a few more careful swirls of water he saw another. He was not finished. With great care he worked the rest of the black sand, a little at a time, to the pan’s shallow rim. Watching for further signs of gold, he dribbled the sand carefully out of the pan. At last the final residue of dirt was gone and the prospector took stock of his find: seven specks of gold, not worth keeping but enough to exult over. There was gold in that sidehill.
Bill moved downstream and panned again with the same meticulous care. This time he counted five specks of gold. Farther and farther downstream he went, panning with a jealous eye on his meager gains: five, four, three, two grains of gold. When he garnered but a single speck of gold he stopped, lit a fire, and blackened the inside of his pan. No elusive golden grain would slip by him now.
Still moving downstream he panned again—one grain. He tried again and again and again, three times in all, taking shovels of dirt within a foot of one another. Now each panning proved barren. He was going the wrong way.
The prospector returned to where he had commenced his operations and began to pan his way upstream. At first great success crowned his efforts. He garnered a dozen golden grains, then eighteen, twenty, two dozen. Just above the pool he was rewarded with thirty-five specks of gold.
The sun climbed higher in the sky. Still the man labored on, working his way upstream, but now the results were steadily decreasing. Yet the prospector was not discouraged, for he was working according to a plan. When he found no specks at all in several pans, he straightened up and surveyed the hillside with a satisfaction that would have puzzled a greenhorn.
A few feet above his first line of test pans Bill started a second line. The sun moved toward the west and began to slide down toward the horizon. Still the miner labored on. He began a third line of test pans.
An observer might have noticed he was crosscutting the hillside line by line as he worked his way up. The center of each line produced the best results; the ends of each line were barren. As he ascended the hill the lines grew shorter. They were growing shorter in a regular way, indicating that somewhere up the slope the last few lines would be very short indeed. The shortest line would actually only be a point. A design like an inverted V was beginning to emerge. The converging sides of this V marked the edge where the pans no longer showed gold. The apex of the inverted V was the prospector’s goal.
The work was arduous and getting harder, for each pan of dirt had to be carried down to the water to be washed. But the rewards were becoming greater. As Bill went higher up the hill, the pans yielded more and more specks of gold. They were now worth saving, so he put them in an empty baking-powder can.
He toiled on, oblivious to the passing of time. Even the need to take precautions against snoopers slipped out of his mind. As the work progressed, he begrudged the time needed for food and rest.
By the third day the prospector was working a hundred yards uphill from the water. The outline of the inverted V was becoming more pronounced. As the crosscuts decreased in length, the depth of the V increased. Now Bill had to dig down thirty inches to find anything. Way back down at the water’s edge he had found gold at grass-root level. The higher he went, the deeper the gold dipped into the hill.
Soon he was digging down three feet and carrying his dirt an ever greater distance to be panned. Between him and the apex of his inverted V remained many more deep holes to be dug. Nor was there any way to know whether or not the gold farther up the hill might not lie even deeper.
His back ached, his muscles protested, and the toil was endless. By the fourth day he was sinking his test holes six feet before the pans showed the desired trace of gold. And so the hard work went on. Patience and dedication were needed for working out a gold mine.
At one point Bill tried a short cut. He conjectured where the converging lines of the V would meet. He yielded to temptation, abandoned his laborious crosscutting, and climbed to where the apex had to be. He filled a pan and carried it down the hill to wash it. No gold. He climbed to the imagined apex again. He dug deep; he dug shallow. He filled and washed pan after pan without the slightest reward. Finally he rebuked himself for being such a fool, went down the hill, and resumed the crosscutting.
“Slow an’ certain, Bill,” he told himself. “Short cuts to fortune ain’t in your line Get wise. Slow an’ certain.”
John Phillips — “Slow an’ certain” must be our clue to how to work out our salvation. There are no shortcuts and we should be suspicious of those who think there are.
We cannot work for our salvation, but we must work at it. Our goal is clear. The apex of our inverted V is Christlike obedience and a Christlike quality of life.
We must work out this great salvation of ours with fear and trembling because there are enemies—as Bill found out when the coveted prize was within his grasp. In the end he had to fight for what was his, and we can be quite sure we will have to do the same.
Listen this morning Church, there is a great moral in this story...working out our salvation is not easy. It is hard work and anyone here who is trying to grow in their walk with the Lord knows that!
The closer you get in your walk with the Lord, the harder that old deceiver we call Satan will try to stop you!
The more obstacles and temptations he will put in your way. The closer you get to the top, the harder the climb to the top becomes but oh don’t miss the best principle in my opinion...just as in our story with prospector Bill, the closer he got to the top, the bigger the payouts got!
Listen friend, it is true the closer you get to God the more that old devil will try to hinder you but don’t you allow him to stop you from climbing because the closer you get to the top the sweeter the rewards get!
The closer you get in your walk with the Lord, the more lovely those conversations become and the more time you spend with Him, causes you to want to spend more time with Him! It is a chain reaction but in the best kind of way!
There’s a southern gospel song that says…
“It gets sweeter, as the days goes by,
It gets sweeter, as the moments fly,
His love is richer, deeper, fuller, sweeter
Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by”
And dear friend that’s exactly how it is! The more time you spend with the Lord, the more time you will want to spend!
We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling Paul says but I’m thankful he goes on to write the next Verse and tells us that we don’t have to work it out on our own!
Look at Verse 13.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
John Phillips — God does not expect us to work out this gold mine of salvation on our own, relying on our own resources, opinions, and initiative. He has given us His Holy Spirit to indwell us, fill us, anoint us, and lead us into all truth.
In verse 12, Paul used the word katergazomai (“work out”) to emphasize our responsibility. This word would be used, for instance, in speaking of a student working out a problem in arithmetic. He carries the problem through the various stages of its solution to its proper conclusion. Salvation has to be worked out to its proper conclusion, not in justification (settled once and for all when we believe) but in sanctification—in learning to live a life that is pleasing to God.
In verse 13 Paul used a different word, energeō (“worketh”), which means “to energize or work effectively.” Energeō has more to do with God’s enablement than with our resources.
The words “to will” in verse 13 are a translation of a Greek word meaning “to desire” and thus refer to a desire emanating from the emotions rather than from the intellect. We are “to will and to do.” The Holy Spirit plants in the believer’s heart the desire and the determination to bring pleasure to God.
Sanctification involves our cooperation with the Holy Spirit in producing a holy life pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit does not do it all. He provides the desire and the enablement, and we do as He indicates.
As we say no to the wrong and yes to the right, He releases the effective working of His power. This cooperation produces a transformation in our conduct that is essential in maintaining a good testimony in the world.
John G Butler — The person who fears he cannot live the Christian life will especially be encouraged by this text that he will be given Divine help to live the Christian life. God enables one to live a holy life. It is the only way one can live a holy life.
Paul cites two particular things which God does for us to help us “do of his [God’s] good pleasure” which is doing God’s will. First, the desire in the enabling. “To will.” God puts the desire in you to live a holy life. The ungodly do not have any desire to live godly. Rather, they want to do evil. Second, the dynamic in the enabling. “And to do.” This is the power, the dynamic for doing the will of God, for living a holy life. God not only puts the desire in us to live right, but He also puts the dynamic in us to enable us to live right.
Aren’t you thankful this morning that God don’t just leave you out on an island once you get saved and say, “alright pal, now it’s all up to you!”
Praise God, He not only sent His Son to pay the price we could not pay but then He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us and enable us and equip us for the journey ahead!
He’s given us everything we need Church!
And that’s what moves us on to the next point...after telling the believers in Philippi to Work Out Their Salvation, He then goes on to tell to Let Their Light Shine!
Look what Paul says in Verses 14-15.
Let Your Light Shine — (Vs. 14-15)
Let Your Light Shine — (Vs. 14-15)
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Paul starts here by saying, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings.”
The NLT does a really good job of translating this verse...
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,
In Acts 6:1 we can see that murmuring had already taken place in the New Testament Church before and Paul understood that it never led to anything positive so he had to nip it in the bud as soon as possible.
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
So what is murmuring and disputing?
Rod Mattoon — This word “murmurings” is from the Greek word gongusmos. It describes the low, threatening, behind-the-back, discontented muttering of a mob who distrusts their leaders and is on the verge of an uprising. F.A. Noble said, “Murmuring Christians are seldom of any use in the cause of Christ.”
If murmuring is allowed to continue, it will lead to “disputings.” This word is from the Greek word dialogismos. It forms our English word “dialogue.” This is the first time it appears in the KJV Bible. It means “useless, ill-natured questions, hesitation, arguing, debating, and doubting.”
John Phillips — Murmuring arises in discontented souls. Murmuring is one of the dispositional sins that grieve the Holy Spirit so much. It can easily overtake us, if we are not careful, and become an embittering habit.
The children of Israel almost drove Moses to distraction with their murmuring in the wilderness. They did nothing but criticize and complain. Their murmuring was an exhibition of carnality, the antithesis of the Christlikeness that God was seeking to develop in His people.
The night of redemption was barely over when Israel’s murmuring and disputing began. Seeing themselves trapped between pharaoh’s storm troops and the Red Sea, the Israelites sarcastically remarked to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt [a reference to the Egyptian national preoccupation with death and the tomb], hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11) They did not know what Moses knew—that the situation had been ordained by God for the complete humiliation and final overthrow of the foe (Ex 14:3–4).
The Israelites murmured when they came to Marah and were thirsty (Exodus 15:23–24).
They murmured when they came to the wilderness of Sin and were hungry (Ex 16:1–3). (Note how Moses rebuked them in Ex 16:7–9 and the Lord responded in Ex 16:12).
The Israelites chided with Moses at Rephidim when they were thirsty (Ex 17:1–2).
And when Moses stayed so long in the mount, they complained and forced Aaron to make them a golden calf (Ex 32:1).
Numbers 11:4–6 records how God’s people complained about the manna. Even Aaron and Miriam found fault with Moses (Num 12:1–2).
Then when the ten spies turned in a negative report about the promised land, the Israelites murmured bitterly (Num 14:1–4) and thereafter sealed for themselves the fate of a continuing wilderness experience.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram disputed with Moses (Num 16:1–4) and when God’s judgment fell on them, “all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron” (Num 16:41).
The Israelites complained at Meribah-Kadesh (Num 20:1–5) and drove Moses to the point where he lost his temper and lost his hope of leading them into a better life in Canaan (Num 20:12).
Finally in Numbers 21:5 the Holy Spirit stripped away the veneer and exposed the twin sins of murmuring and disputing for what they were: “The people spake against God, and against Moses” (italics added). The Lord sent fiery serpents to chastise the people of Israel for these sins (Num 21:6).
Listen Church, murmuring and disputing is like a cancer...it starts out small and if not eradicated completely, it will begin to spread and metastasize and before you know it, it will render your witness for the Lord ineffective!
Murmuring and Disputing must be kept in check in the Christians life! Paul says “do all things “without” murmurings and disputings.”
The word “without” means to set apart from, to put at a space, to separate.
We cannot allow murmurings and disputings to take a stronghold in our lives.
Rod Mattoon — The Christian who is characterized by a complaining attitude is not properly demonstrating and expressing the salvation he possesses. This ends up hurting his testimony and efforts to reach the lost for Christ.
The Christian who gripes and complains does not have the confidence he should have in God’s ability to use everything in his life to bring about his good and God’s glory.
Beloved, do not join the devil’s crowd by engaging your energies in stirring up bitterness and strife. You will be unable to live straight in a crooked world if you engage in this kind of talk and attitude.
You will become impatient, bitter, and blame others for your miserable circumstances. This is exactly what Adam did when he sinned. He blamed Eve for his disobedience. God does not want us to be a bunch of belly-achers and poisoned by bitterness.
Christians are to live in peace, certainty, and trust with one another so that we might be “blameless.”
The word “blameless” comes from the word amemptos. This word expresses what the Christian is to the world.
It means that his life is of such purity, that no one can find any fault in it. This person is without fault before others and has a clear conscience with men and with God. No one can point a finger at this person and say, “You wronged me and have not made it right.” This was the way Daniel lived in Daniel 6.
* Daniel 6:4—Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
It was also the way Jesus lived. Pilate himself said he could find no fault in Jesus’ life. Being blameless is vital if we are going to witness to others, lead others, or reconcile relationships that have been broken. Having a clear conscience with God and men is vital if we are going to live straight in a crooked world.
Paul said in Acts 24:16—And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men
God also wants us to be “harmless.” This word deals with the inward condition of the believer and expresses what the Christian is in himself. It means “unmixed and unadulterated.” It was used of wine or milk not mixed with water or of metal that had no alloys in it.
Our thoughts and motives are to be unmixed with selfishness, insincerity, bitterness, and hatred. We are to keep our hearts clean and pure. We are not to have mixed motives in what we do and are not to be conniving to get our own way. Our character is to be as pure as snow. This will help us to live straight in a crooked world.
Christians are to be blameless, harmless, the sons of God, and “without rebuke.” This phrase is formed from the Greek word amometos. This word describes what the believer is before God. It means “to be above reproach, without blemish or defect.”
It was used in connection with sacrifices that were fit to be offered on the altar of God. Our lives must be such that they can be offered like unblemished sacrifices to the Lord. Paul spoke about offering your body as a sacrifice in Romans 12:1-2.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Listen Church, we are not to be conformed but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can prove (work out our salvation) what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God!
We live in a crooked and perverse world, a world shapen in iniquity and rampant with sin and the only thing that stands between the lost wandering blindly in this world and eternal damnation is you and I!
Look what Paul says here...
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
We, the born again believers of God, are to shine as lights in this world! We are to be in the world but not of the world and we are to let the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ that lives within us shine for all those wandering in darkness to see!
Jesus said in...
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
In a dark and dying world, we are to reflect the light of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
We aren’t to get caught up in the murmurings and disputings but we are to be set apart; living our lives in such a way that it brings honor and glory to the God we serve and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Which leads us to our final point this morning...
Hold Forth the Word of Life — (Vs. 16-18)
Hold Forth the Word of Life — (Vs. 16-18)
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.
18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
John G Butler — The two words, “holding forth” have a double meaning. First, holding fast. In this meaning the believer is exhorted to hold fast to the Word of God.
Listen to me this morning Church, in an e er changing world there is one thing that never changes and that’s the Word of God and therefore, we are to hold fast to the Word of God!
Now, let me take you somewhere really quick...
John said in Chapter 1 of his gospel...
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Hold forth the word of life—hold fast to the word—hold fast to Jesus!
When our world seems as though it’s spinning out of control this morning dear friends, hold fast to Jesus, the creator and sustainer of life—the author and finisher of our faith—the same yesterday, today and forever!
Then, John G Butler says...
Second, holding forth. In this meaning the believer is exhorted to give out the Word (hold forth the Word) to a world that desperately needs it.
Listen friends, there is a world of people out there wandering in darkness, blinded by the prince of the of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
They blinded by devil not knowing or understanding their need for Jesus!
That’s why we are to hold for the word life—we are to hold forth Jesus—or as Butler puts it, we are to give out the word of life—we are to give out Jesus!
How do we do that? By working out our salvation!
By sharing Jesus—the light of the world—with a world sitting in darkness!
And as we’ve already established above, God has given us everything we need to shine and therefore we have no reason not to shine!
And when we shine, when we hold forth the word of life—when we give out Jesus—it brings great joy to God the Father that His Son is being lifted up and in the process, it brings great joy to our lives as well!
Close
Close
As we come to a close this morning, I want us to recap the three commands that Paul gave the believers in Philippi but which also apply to us today...
First off, Paul told us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.
Have you been born again this morning dear friend? If so, let me ask you something...what are you doing for the Lord? How are you working out your own salvation?
Are you reading your Bible in hopes of growing closer to the Lord?
Are you doing what you can for the Lord? We understand that there are different administrations in the Church and different callings that God places on each of our lives but are you doing what you can?
Some can do more. Some cannot do as much. But what are you doing for the Lord? How are you working out your own salvation?
If you aren’t doing anything, dear friend what are you waiting for?
Come to this altar and ask God to show you what He wants you to do and if you will do that with a yearning heart to work for hte Lord, dear friend I can tell you out of experience that He will put you to work!
So, number one, how are you working out your salvation this morning?
Secondly, Paul tells us to let our lights shine. In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation are you letting your light shine for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Or are you one of these folks who like to murmur and dispute all the time? I pray you don’t fall into that second category but if you do this morning, understand this...murmurings and disputings turn the unbelievers away from God because when we murmur and dispute we are acting more like the world and less like God.
That’s not how God has asked us to live out our lives. Instead, He calls us to let our lights shine for Him. To bring honor and glory to God and His Son through the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit!
Are you letting your light shine today? If not, why? Just like the title of our message...God has given us everything we need to let our lights shine this morning and we have No Reason Not To Shine!
Last but not least, thirdly, Paul tells us hold forth the word of life.
Are you holding onto Jesus this morning? Are you holding forth the word of life? Are you giving out the gospel to all that will accept it?
There is a lost and dying world outside those back doors that need to hear the good news of Jesus and God has called you and I out of the darkness so that we in turn, can share the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world and draw them out of the darkness as well!
We are to be lights shining in the darkness for all the world to see holding forth the word of life—holding forth Jesus!
As we come to a close this morning, and as the piano players and song leaders come, maybe you are here and you have realized this morning that you don’t know Jesus at all.
If that’s you and you need to be saved, you realize you need a relationship with this man named Jesus, during this invitation won’t you come and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Won’t you believe that one and only Son of God stepped out of Heaven and robed Himself in flesh and came to this world to die a sinners death in your place for your sins.
He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. He gave His life a ransom for all who are willing to call upon HIs name.
If you are here and lost and in need of being saved, this altar is open for you as well. Won’t you come and trust in Jesus this morning before it’s everlasting and eternally too late.
