Saved to Grow

Introduction

Every single one of us is becoming something.

We do not stay neutral,

We are always growing stronger or weaker

Left or right

Up or down

So the question is not going to be “Are you growing”

It is “what are you growing into?”

All of us have goals in life.

To meet those goals we have to have a plan.

It is the same in our faith,

So we are going to look at working out our faith, but before we do that, let’s pray

Work Out

Philippians 2:12–13 CSB

Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

Paul start off and says therefore,

Whenever you see the word “therefore” in scripture you need to look back.

So last week we ended with talking about how every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.

How Christ is Lord of all.

How he is the humble king who came down to the Earth.

So Paul says “therefore”

Or because of that, then starts in the passage.

And he is going to say work out your salvation,

so that is going to be where we camp out, but before we get there look at what Paul does before hand.

Do you guys know what a compliment sandwich is?

Where you say something good, before you break some bad news, then say something good.

This is kind of what Paul does, he commends them for something, then he commands them.

Paul goes guys you have always obeyed.

You have followed God and his word when I was with you, you have followed him when I have been away,

BUT

you need to work out, you need to strengthen your faith.

What Paul did was he started to fatten the calf before he killed it.

This was not a harsh call out though, he was not telling them that they were terrible,

but rather needed some improving.

remember, Paul said that he was not done with them, that they still needed some maturing to go through in chapter one.

So here he is, encouraging them that they need to do a better job, they needed to pick it up,

there would be a day when Paul was gone.

Paul did not question their salvation, but what he was talking about was sanctification.

The word sanctification just means to become more Holy.

He wanted them to grow more.

Paul is not saying that they need to work for their salvation.

Many see this passage and think that’s what it means, but that is wrong.

Ephesians says we are saved by grace through faith. It is not of ourselves but a gift from God.

But becoming saved does not make us perfect.

There are no short cuts to become a professional athlete, you have to work at it. Through disipline and hard workouts. Proper coaching. There is so much that goes into it.

But in the same since, when you become a Christian, you are not perfectly Holy. You have to work at it. Coached through the Holy Spirit and community around you.

So they needed to work out their salvation.

Sanctification is Spiritual strength training.

Just like you work out a muscle, to make it stronger,

Paul is saying they need to work out their faith

Back when I was playing football I tore my MCL.

I was on crutches for a long time.

There was a long while that I was non weight bearing on my leg.

But what happens when you do not use a muscle?

It shrinks.

After 6 weeks of crutches, you could look at my quads and see a dramatic difference.

This is why we need to work out our faith.

When you push yourself towards the things of God, you will grow closer to him.

It is not rocket science.

You build the muscles of your faith. You become more Holy.

You have a closer relationship with him.

No one drifts into shape, you train into it.

So if you are not working out your faith.

You do not pray

You do not read the Bible

You do not have Christian community.

Then your “muscles” are weakening

And you are drifting farther away from God.

But the great part is we are not alone.

It says that God is working in us.

Yes, we make the choices, but God is not leaving us alone in this sanctification process.

We have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our decisions.

To convict us of things, like when we are not spending time with him.

Colossians 1:29 CSB

I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

This is also Paul, but look at this.

Paul does the labor, he has to go and work out.

But it is Christ’s strength that is in him.

We have that too!

but we also have to know that it is not going to come over night.

The Bible is a big book.

and we live in a fast paced, fast food, microwave, internet culture.

But sanctification can be a slow cooker process.

Sin is hard, addiction, is hard, living a humble life is hard,

We are not perfect, but we get the opportunity to grow, by working out our faith.

and we also have community.

We have others that can point us to Christ.

Yes, your faith walk is a personal thing.

but, Sanctification is person, not private.

You need people to point you to Christ.

To call out your blind spots.

Paul has talked about community in the last couple passages and he would be shooting himself in the foot if he just said well your on your own with this one.

We need others.

Because there is this Holy fear and awe of the Lord, that others can make aware in your life.

Proverbs 9:10 ““The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

So when we live in awe of God, we submit to his command to go and work out our faith.

And we do this so we can

Shine

Philippians 2:14–16 CSB

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing.

This is the passage that your parents all love to hear me preach.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing.

and I hope some of you are feeling convicted right now because you know how much you grumble and argue when your parents tell you to do something.

But why does Paul address this?

It is because it is so easy!

Complaining is such an easy thing to do!

but what we have to know is

Grumbling goes around God, instead of to God.

We feel like we need to get things off our chest.

We want people to show empathy to us, so we say, can you believe she…

We all want to just vent our frustations.

but this is not what we are supposed to do.

When we grumble, which is just complaining to your self or others

or agrue, which is having petty disputes with others,

That works against unity, harmony, and being humble while putting others first.

This is one of the hardest commands.

We live in a world where you will be tempted to complain about someone or something. It is a temptation for everyone.

We live in this world full of gossip. Where we complain about others behind their backs, but that is sinful.

Instead of working things out with people, having a normal conversation with people, we grumble.

Most of us do not even realize that it is a sin!

Ephesians 4:29 CSB

No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

I am not sure about you, but when I complain it is not building others up.

We are told so many places in scripture not to complain or grumble.

James 5:9 “Brothers and sisters, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!”

1 Peter 4:9 “Be hospitable to one another without complaining.”

1 Corinthians 10:10 “And don’t grumble as some of them did”

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”

so what do we do?

What we have to realize is what Paul is not saying:

He is not condemning thoughtful disagreement.

or healthy dialog

or seeking clarity.

So if your mom asks you to do this dishes and you have a civil conversation, “hey is there any way that I can finish the last 5 minutes of my show before do them?”

That is seeking clarity, healthy dialog.

So if she says yes, then finish your show.

If she says no, she's your mom, go do the dishes.

Its when she askes and you murmur mean things under your breath, go why do you always ask my and not anyone else in this house, or call your bestie and complain.

Thats sinful.

and this was probably happening in the church which is why Paul calls it out.

So grumbling is a sin, but lets look at laments.

There can be a fine line here.

We see in Psalms David cry's out and says “how long Lord?”

Seems like he is complaining to God.

Yet, in this he is seeking God.

He is showing that he trusts God in what he is going through.

We have to know that a Lament goes to God, but grumbling goes around God.

This is really calling out gossip, and the text says when will kill Gossip, we are different.

Christians shine brightest when complaining dies.

This world is crooked, perverted, evil, and full of people that are going to gossip.

So when we do not gossip or grumble, we stand out.

Others are always watching you, so when you grumble like the rest of the world, you are damaging your witness.

Paul wants the church to be a proclaiming church, not a complaining church.

When we complain, then try to proclaim, we confuse people.

The Bible says that you are known by your fruit.

You are known by the way you act.

We should not act like the rest of the world acts.

So when we are different, people notice.

We start to shine like stars.

When we are known for only encouraging people and never tearing them down, then we shine.

but we only do this by sticking to God’s Word.

Obeying what it says.

Trusting fully in God.

This is how we grow.

This is how we shine brighter.

This is how we become more like God.

So at the end of our lives or when Christ returns we can boast in him.

Not boasting in ourselves for what we did.

But in Him for what he did in us.

Because when we keep our eyes on him, we shine brighter for him,

and we can know that we did not run for nothing,

but we ran the race fully for Christ.

and when we do this we can…

Rejoice

Philippians 2:17–18 CSB

But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.

Paul in this passage double dips on rejoicing.

He says I rejoice with yall,

so yall can rejoice with me.

but before we get to the rejoicing, Paul saying something that is confusing.

Paul says but even if I am poured out as a drink offering.

So in the old testament, when they would go to sacrafice an animal they would often times pour out a cup of wine with the sacrafice as well.

This was a supplemental thing.

They would say okay here is the lamb that I am killing, but here is drink offering as well.

It was kind like giving God a tip, it was going above and beyond even though it was not needed.

So this is what Paul is saying, the Philippians faith was the main offering.

The main things that Paul cared about what them being faithful and fruitful.

That was the main dish.

But Paul says that he is the drink offering.

He says I give you my life.

It was an act of humility.

He says:

If I die

If I suffer

If I lose everything.

It is okay because that is all secondary.

What matters is their faithfulness.

and that is why Paul rejoices.

When we live a humble life, we rejoice.

Think back to last week, Christ emptied himself.

This week, Paul pours himself out.

Now the church is called to do the same.

A joyful life come from when you mirror Jesus.

Not when life gets easy,

but when you mirror him.

So if you work out your faith,

and shine brightly.

you won’t burn out

you will rejoice.