The Mind that acts

Introduction

I know many times when I ask people on a Sunday morning “how are you doing?” the response I get back is “I’m tired.” I’ve even said this many times myself. It’s easy to grow tired in the Christian life. Not just because of the pace of life, but because our hearts grow weary. Maybe you are feeling that this morning. We have busy lives, jobs to work, kids to raise, housework to do. On top of that we live in a world that actively resists holiness. A world that mocks us, and sees religion as outmoded or antiquated. We look around the church and there seems to be so much to do, and too few to do it. Some of us have been quietly serving for years, and yet may wonder if any of it even makes a difference. Some might feel the pull towards disengagement - towards just showing up, and letting things happen as they may. Others may feel guilt over wanting to do more, be more active, but don’t feel they have the energy or the resources. When our hearts grow tired, we tend to drift into one of two ditches. Either we give into that pull of disengagement, and we stop serving or showing up altogether - we justify ourselves by saying that grace means there is nothing left to do. Or, we push harder in our own strength, until we are all used up, until our joy is diminished, until we grow angry and resentful. Both ditches come from misunderstanding how God’s grace and our obedience fit together. Rather than set grace against obedience, Paul shows us that God’s grace empowers our obedience.

Paul begins today’s passage with the word “therefore” which forces us to look at the passage in its greater context because it links it to what Paul has already said. Paul’s whole train of thought for this text begins in chapter 1 verse 27. “only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen how Paul has been following and developing this line of thought: He begins chapter 2 by showing the Philippians the many benefits they enjoy in Christ - comfort, love, fellowship, affection - and how out of those benefits should flow a mindset of unity and humility. Then starting in verse 6 he points us toward the ultimate example of that humility in Jesus Christ himself. The eternal Son who took the form of a servant, becoming humble unto death, and whom God highly exalted back to his rightful place, enthroned next to His Father as the God-man. And that brings us to now in verse 12, where Paul continues...

The call to obedience

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Paul begins this section by acknowledging two important realities. The Philippians are his beloved, not only loved by Paul, but also loved by Christ, and secondly, they were already obeying. For these two reasons we know that what comes after is not being said in a severe or a threatening way. He is going to be calling them to action, he is going to be giving them commands, but as their friend, and their brother. Even this morning, I am going to be proclaiming to you commands which come from God, but not to condemn, but rather to edify. As Sinclair Ferguson has said, “I do not want to come down on you, I want to get underneath you, and lift you to Christ Jesus.” The obedience of Jesus towards His Father, even unto death, was not only the example, but the ground for the obedience of the Philippian church. It was because of their union with Him, that they were able to obey their master. Christians will never reach moral perfection in this life, which is a fact that Paul knew well, and yet he did not trivialise disobedience. For him, for a Christian to profess Christ, and yet live in persistent habitual sin was an absurdity. The gospel of Christ makes it impossible for a true Christian to be comfortable living like the world. What people often call “carnal-christianity,” is completely foreign to scripture. We are dead to sin, and alive in Christ. Paul gets underneath outward obedience, and directly addresses the heart. As the scriptures say, “keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Paul calls the church to continue to obey as they did when he was with them, but also “much more in his absence.” Not to obey Paul, but to obey God. Some Christians can be people pleasers, obeying men, rather than God. They are diligent to keep up appearances as long as someone important is around, but once that person leaves, they go back to their natural state. Perhaps this is part of what was happening in the church of Philippi. Are we careful to be faithful only in order to please those who lead us, or to earn favour with them? Does our enthusiasm, our service, our attendance diminish when they aren’t around? I want to make sure I’m not being misunderstood, like I said a couple weeks ago, we should seek to be a joy and a blessing to those who care for us spiritually, but our motivation does not stop there. The temptation to alter our effort based on who is present can be subtle, hence why Paul mentions it twice. Here, and earlier in 1:27. Leaders are given to us to encourage obedience, but we must strive even more in their absence.

We are to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” You’ll notice Paul doesn’t say that we work FOR our salvation, or that we work AT our salvation, but we work it OUT. Philippi was founded as a gold mining city. Historians have said that the gold mines in that region produced over 1000 talents, or 75,000 lbs of gold a year. That’s equal to $4.1 Billion Canadian. So prosperous were these mines that they remained tied to Philippi’s identity even long after the mines ran dry. Paul’s Philippian audience would have known that to “work out” a mine meant to dig deep within the rock to draw out the precious metals to the surface. Gold mines produce gold because they have gold in them. The internal reality of our salvation produces external realities in the life of the believer. Paul is not referring to us contributing to salvation, but to our response to it. The idea that someone could work for their salvation is as ridiculous as a miner bringing gold into a mine, just to take it out again. Our salvation is a free gift, but it has to be worked out. It is not the kind of gift that you just stick on a shelf somewhere. Over the course of our lives it transforms our thinking, our willing, our feeling, and our doing. The aspect of salvation that Paul is talking about specifically is called our “sanctification.” Our gradual remodelling into the image of Jesus Christ. As Reformed Baptists, our confession explains sanctification this way, “They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts of it are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” When we are talking about obedience, or practicing holiness, we are talking about submitting to God’s revealed will, which he has summarised for all people in His moral law. Some think of law and grace as if they were opposites — as though God used to deal with His people by commandments, and now only deals with us by leniency. But Paul won’t let us think that way. The same God who gave His law now gives His Spirit, not to abolish obedience, but to write His law on our hearts. The grace that saves us is the same grace that makes us holy. God’s grace doesn’t make obedience optional — it makes obedience possible. Far from being dormant, we are active. Scripture describes our sanctification as a pursuit, a following after, a pressing on, a contest, a race, a fight. It is a battle that is waged on 3 fronts: The world, the flesh, and the devil. But it is God who provides the munitions. We are not left in the trenches alone. We have God with us, but also we have each other. Remember, Paul’s main issue that he is addressing in this chapter is the unity of the church. The secret to unity is humility and holiness as individuals. We cannot grow in these things as a church, if we are not being diligent to grow in these things individually. We will not see the outworking, the gold that has been brought up from the mine corporately, if we do not see it in our private lives. The Apostle Paul tells us that this working out must be done with “fear and trembling.”

But what does Paul mean by fear? When we think of fear nowadays, we almost always think of it in negative categories. First there is natural fear, the fear that comes from living in a fallen world. Fear of death, fear of pain, fear of conflict. Then there is the kind of fear that flows from sin. The fear of God that unbelievers suppress. The kind of fear that James tells us the demons have when they “believe and shutter.” Fear of punishment, the fear of the wrath of the lamb. It is the fear that Adam had when he first sinned, and hid himself from God. Martin Luther once wrote that under Roman Catholicism, “Christ was depicted as a grim tyrant, a furious and stern judge who demanded much of us and imposed good works as payment for our sins…. If my conscience is stricken with fear, I feel sufficiently repelled. My heart and bad conscience quite naturally shun him whom I fear. Fear and terror prod and goad me away from him, so that I do not stay with him.” Sadly there are many believers even today who view Christ in this way. Paul is obviously not telling us to pursue our sanctification with that kind of fear. Paul is talking about a third kind of fear. What Wilhemus a Brakel called a “fear that issues forth from love.” Hear God through the prophet Jeremiah, “And this city (Jerusalem,) shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble BECAUSE of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.” This is not a fear of punishment, but a reverent awe that arises because of the goodness and mercy and tenderness of God. It is a fear that refuses to take our sanctification lightly out of thanksgiving to the Lord. A fear that recognises that we don’t live before the eyes of our leaders and fellow sinners, but “coram deo,” before the face of God.

We see the contrast between these different kinds of fear quite vividly in the two holidays that were celebrated this last Friday. The world’s hallowe’en, full of ghouls and goblins and increasingly, gore - Things that are all quite frightful and terrifying; and the church’s Reformation day, a day celebrating the church’s return to the gospel of grace, which was initiated by faithful brothers who feared God rather than men.

The source of all power

How are we able to have this fear? The kind of fear that could enable so many saints across the centuries to joyfully put their lives on the line for the sake of the gospel? Paul tells us: verse 13. “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Paul does not point us back to our own resources, our own effort alone. It is God who worked it into us, and God who will work it out of us. With this one verse, Paul protects against two errors. 1, what we would call “activism,” If I am to work hard then I am contributing my part to it, and 2 “quietism.” If God is the one at work, then I don’t have to do anything.” Paul’s logic is essentially this: Our salvation is a free gift from God > that gift motivates us to work out that salvation in our lives > the goal of this working out is to please God. To put it another way, if we think of a boat, a boat may be propelled through the water by rowing, where every inch of movement is dependant on your effort. Activism. Or we might think of a sailboat, where we just lay back and let the wind carry us. Quietism. But the reality is that we pull up the anchor, we set the sail, and God sends the wind. Our effort is real, but the power is from God. If we really understand this we will see both the challenge and the encouragement from this verse. The work of God in us doesn’t only empower us, but it conforms our will to His. We obey God not just because we have to but because we want to. Again the 1689 is helpful here.“The Spirit of Christ subdues and enables the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully which the will of God, revealed in the law, requires to be done.” The word “subdues” there does not mean that the Spirit suppresses our will but that He restores it.

Now, it doesn’t take the Holy Spirit to desire self improvement. We naturally like the idea of becoming better than we are. The self-improvement industry is a $50 billion dollar industry. The flesh loves to be considered more moral, more spiritual, more righteous. But the aim of the flesh is always “look at me.” The aim of the Spirit is always “look at Christ.”

God does this in us because he delights in His glory, and he delights to produce holiness in His people. The greatest love is the love that is enjoyed and shared between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and so of course it brings pleasure to God to make us more like Christ. Even our desire to be like Jesus is itself a gift from God. And just like a parent toward their child when they are learning to walk, He is pleased even with our stumbling steps. God does not require anything of us that he does not give.

The Character of God’s children

Paul now narrows our focus. Since God is at work in our lives to give us the ability and the desire to do what pleases Him, then we must “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” I often ask my children “what was the sin that prevented Israel from inheriting the promised land?” It was grumbling! After just 6 weeks, the people began to murmur against Moses. They were willing to be cast back into slavery just so they could enjoy the cucumbers and leeks that they used to enjoy in Egypt. Worldly enjoyments were more important to them than their own freedom. But the parallel doesn’t end there. Listen to Moses in Deuteronomy 31:27 “For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death!” Paul no doubt had this passage on his mind as he wrote this letter to the Philippians from his jail cell. But why is the sin of grumbling so grievous? I mean we all do it. Some of us even like to bond over common complaints… It is grievous because it comes from a grumbling heart. It is what the scriptures call “the spirit of slavery.” A grumbling heart lacks gratitude towards God’s provision, and it lacks love towards others. A grumbling heart is a proud heart. It is saying “I’m not getting what I deserve.” “Salvation is nice, thank you Jesus for salvation, but I want my leeks and cucumbers.” You see, this is why I was stressing doctrine so much last week. If we have a small view of God, we will have a small view of sin. And if we have a small view of sin, then salvation isn’t really a big deal. And if salvation isn’t a big deal, then it’s easy to grow bitter when we don’t get what we want. It is ingratitude in the face of God’s mercy, plain and simple.

But as is usually the case, Paul doesn’t just leave us with a negative command “stop complaining,” but he also gives us a positive goal. “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God.” Putting away sinful patterns is always coupled with developing Christ-like attributes. Both the negative and the positive are rooted in our being united to Christ. As children of God we turn from our grumbling and fighting because it is out-of-step with being part of His family. We need to remind ourselves that we are in fact children of the most high God. Maybe you need to remind yourself of that right now. Stop and meditate on that, and do it often. As God’s children, we are called to be lights “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Holding fast to the word of life.” I don’t think any of us need convincing that we live in desperately wicked times, so I’m not going to spend time convincing you. I would argue that the church has existed in the midst of a wicked generation in every generation. But even here we can have an error in our thinking. We often start by thinking of man as essentially fallen, but we actually need to back that train up just a bit. Scripture tells us that God created man good, but that through the fall, man became morally warped. Man has turned and twisted himself against God, and continues to do so more, and more. But God does not leave man warped. God gives the word of life, to redeem man. We are ambassadors of that word. The Word, Jesus Christ. As ambassadors we must be careful to not deny the gospel by how we speak OR how we act, especially towards each other in the church. Jesus says that we will be known to be His people if we have love for one another. When we work out our salvation which is ours in Christ, our lives proclaim the gospel. Our witness does not just rely on what we say, but what are. Lights in a dark world “holding fast to the word of life.

Joyful example of gospel labor

Paul continues that the Philippians are to live in this way, “so that in the day of Christ he may be proud that he did not run in vain, or labor in vain.” We know that at the return of Christ, there will be no room for boasting. There will be no reason for pride. But Paul is not being egocentric here. He is not putting his confidence in his works. He has said elsewhere that he will boast in nothing but the cross. Paul here is saying that at the return of the Lord Jesus, if the Philippians continue to conduct themselves in this way, then when he is giving an account of his ministry, it will be a reason for exaltation. He will be able to look back at all the trials, all the hardships, all the difficulties, and glory in the work of Christ in His church. Pauls’ work amongst the Philippians would not have been in vain. He is appealing to the church’s love for him, saying “out of love for me, conduct yourself in this way, so that I can know that my labors among you, my striving for you, produced its effect.” If you continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, as shining lights, holding fast to the word of life, without grumbling, then my joy will be complete...

“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.” A drink offering was an Old Testament practice where the priest would pour out wine over the sacrifice. It was considered a crowning of the sacrificial offering. It completed the offering. The sacrificial offering that the Philippians must bring, and have been bringing was not material, but their active living faith. The humble Paul was glad and rejoiced at the idea of his own blood being poured out as a lesser offering upon the main sacrifice of the Philippians service to God and to Christ. Paul was happy that God was willing to use him to bring the Philippian church to the goal of living as blameless and innocent children of God. Paul rejoiced with them, and so it was only natural that they would rejoice with Him, even in his death. This was Paul’s heart. This was Jesus’ heart. Is it ours? Only by the power of Christ.

Conclusion

Please turn with me in your bibles to Revelation 20, starting in verse 12 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then death and hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This is a sobering passage, but for the Christian this is not a day of dread, but a day to rejoice in. This is the day that Paul was looking forward to! We will give an account for how we live, but notice something crucial. There are two sets of books. It says books were opened, and then another book, the book of life. Anyone who’s name was not found in the second book was condemned. Those who are spared judgement are not spared based on their works, they are spared by virtue of their name being in the lambs book of life. Our efforts are real, but salvation is by grace alone. Our sins, and our failures, do not condemn us, but serve as trophies of God’s mercy and patience. Christ obeyed perfectly on our behalf, and now we obey in His power. The world we live in can be dark, it can be exhausting, but God intends His children to shine. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with Him.

Beloved, if you remember just three things, remember these. 1. Work out your salvation reverently 2. Depend wholly on Christ’s work in you 3. Walk blamelessly and joyfully before a watching world as children of God. His grace does not compete with your obedience, it empowers it. To quote Thomas Manton “The church shines with a borrowed light, as the moon doth from the sun.”