Philippians 2:12-18

Shine as Lights

[INTERROGATIVE]

What does Jesus’s ascension - his exaltation to the Father’s right hand - mean for the way we live today? For the way we treat one another? How should it affect the example we set before the world?

[CONTEXT]

As we come to our passage this morning, we must not forget that it is connected to what Paul has written about the exaltation of Jesus in .

The ascension of Jesus to the Father’s right hand was the culmination of Jesus’s earthly ministry. It was the beginning of the Kingdom of God as Jesus sent the Holy Spirit rushing into the hearts of those who gladly bowed the knee to him and gladly confessed him as Christ and Lord. His exaltation is the guarantee of his return and his kingdom made fully manifest on the earth.

So, we know that the ascension of Jesus changes our eternal future, but what does it mean for the way we live today?

[CENTRAL IDEA OF THE TEXT]

In our passage this morning, Paul wanted the Philippians to grasp the practical implications of Jesus’s exaltation for how they lived everyday.

Jesus’s exaltation had implications for how they sought God, how they treated one another, and how they felt about sacrificing for one another.

[CONTEXT]

Now, this is what Paul began addressing in when he wrote...

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

After holding up Jesus as the perfect example of that kind of sacrificial living, Paul now circles back around to the Philippians and how they should live in the world and interact with one another as followers of Jesus.

Essentially, Paul says they were to shine as lights as the light of the exalted Christ shone through them.

[

[TRANSITION]

In Scripture, Jesus and the way of salvation through faith in him is often described as light, while the way of disbelief is described as darkness.

For example, consider where Jesus said...

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When Jesus called Paul as an apostle, he said that he was sending Paul to the Gentiles...

Acts 26:18 ESV

to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Acts

And in , Paul encourages us...

Ephesians 5:8 ESV

for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Jesus is the light and he shines his light through us so that those trapped in darkness can see the way of salvation through faith in him.

However, in order to shine as lights, we have to be Christlike.

[PROPOSITION] If we trust Jesus and obey the commands in , we will be increasingly Christlike.

We will increasingly shine as lights.

[TRANSITION STATEMENT]

There are three commands in this passage and this morning we’ll examine the first one - WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION - in verses 12-13.

We’ll notice three characteristics about that command...

Three CHARACTERISTICS about this first command to “Work out your own salvation...”

Philippians 2:12 ESV

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,

Characteristic #1: It is a me-focused command.

Philippians 2:12

[EXPOSITION/APPLICATION]

You’ll notice in v. 12 that I am not commanded to work out your salvation but my own salvation. Now, taken too far this can lead to some sort of individualized or privatized faith that doesn’t allow anyone to confront my sinfulness or point out the errors in my thinking about God. That’s not what Paul had in mind here.

[EXPOSITION]

The Philippians were in conflict with one another to some degree and he meant for them, as Jesus said in , to take the log out of their own eyes before they go nitpicking specks in one another’s eyes.

In other words, make sure you’ve dealt with God before you go making sure everyone else has dealt with God.

Make sure you’ve confessed your sin before you go pointing out the sins of another.

Make sure your thinking about God lines up with the Bible before you point out the crookedness of another person’s thinking about God.

[ILLUSTRATION] Fair-skinned Tommy at the beach telling everyone to cover up and put on sunscreen while red as a lobster

The

When my friends and I graduated high school, the church we attended took us all on a senior trip to Panama City Beach.

We hung out on the beach for a couple of days, just enough time for me to realize that I don’t really like the sun, sand, the beach, or people who don’t realize that extra-smalls don’t go on extra-large people. (I still have nightmares.)

I don’t remember if it was the second or third day at the beach, but was some degree of sunburned, but our friend Tommy was by far the worst.

He was fair-skinned to begin with but soon became red as a lobster as the sun cooked his skin.

Hilariously, however, Tommy didn’t know. He walked around to each us telling us that we need to cover up and put on more sunscreen because we were getting too red.

We asked him, “Tommy have you looked at yourself? Don’t you realize that you are now well-done?”

He said that he was fine and could take it. He said different things when he couldn’t move the next day.

[APPLICATION]

Sometimes we act like that when it comes to Christlikeness. We are eager to see and point out the flaws in others while not taking the time to notice our own flaws.

We ought to ask God to show us those logs we need to remove.

I ought to focus on working out my salvation before I even think about helping you working out your salvation.

[TRANSITION STATEMENT]

That’s first, it’s a me-focused command.

Characteristic #2: It’s a effort-driven command.

Philippians 2:14 ESV

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

[EXPOSITION]

[EXPOSITION/APPLICATION]

Paul calls it work in v. 12 for a reason. As Christians we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. We are filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. But our growth in Christlikeness won’t come unless we take the steps to grow.

God will make sure that our growth in Christlikeness is brought to completion () but until then a mark of the Holy Spirit in us is the daily, sometimes grueling work of sanctification.

[ILLUSTRATION] Lydia not wanting to work when she’s tired; not wanting to pull limbs from the backyard.

We want our children to understand the connection between work and money, so before Dalton was even born he heard these now famous words from me, “Get a job.”

I’ve tried to instill that into our two girls as well, but at the ages three and one they don’t totally get it... yet.

In fact, when we tell Lydia to do something she doesn’t want to do - something that sounds like work to her, she says, “But I’m just tired!”

We were outside earlier this spring trimming limbs and bushes. We had a pile of limbs and other clippings that needed to be moved by the house until the trash man came.

With work gloves on, Dalton and Lydia started to move some limbs and clippings, but just a minute or two after getting started Lydia was not longer working.

She had decided that her time would be better spent picking blackberries.

When I said, “Lydia, you need to get over and help. She said, ‘But I’m tired.’’

Obviously, she had just enough strength to pick and eat blackberries, but not enough to move limbs.

[APPLICATION]

Sometimes we try to treat Christlikeness like that. We’ll do what’s easy. We’ll do what we want to do. We’ll do what might make us feel good in the moment.

But becoming more and more like Christ - shining brighter and brighter as lights in this dark world isn’t easy. We won’t feel like doing it most of the time. It will usually be painful as we starve some desire of the flesh; as we take up our cross and follow Jesus.

It’s effort-driven work. The Spirit enables, but we have to act on that enabling even when we’re tired … even when there’s blackberries to eat.

[TRANSITION STATEMENT]

That’s two, working out our salvation is effort-driven.

Characteristic #3: It’s a fear and trembling command.

Philippians 2:18 ESV

Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

[EXPOSITION/APPLICATION]

[EXPOSITION]

Paul commanded the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling.

We might immediately assume that Paul means that the Philippians must work out their salvation with an eye on the eternal judgment that awaits them if they don’t, but remember Paul is writing to Christians.

The judgment that was due them was taken by Christ on the cross. There is now no condemnation - no judgment in the negative sense - concerning those of us who are in Christ Jesus. He has paid it all!

But what then does Paul mean when he refers to fear and trembling?

I think what Paul means is best captured in the idea of living before the face of God. In other words, we each should live as if God is watching everything we do and listening to every word we say because God is watching everything we do and listening to every word we say! And what’s more, God sees every motive of our hearts!

This means that as I try to shine as light in this dark world, I need to not only consider what I say and do, but why I say and do those things. Is it so that God can get the glory or me? Am I doing this or saying that so that people will sing my praises or the praises of God?

[ILLUSTRATION] Passing out Bibles at JagFest; guy saying, “I probably passed out more Bibles than anyone else”; me jealous because I wanted the glory for myself

A few years ago we started going to this community fair at South Alabama. It was first called JagFest and it’s now called JagCom, but we go set up our little booth for our church.

We pass out Bibles and information about our church along with the snack cakes, candy, and other nutritious items.

One year we went and this one persons went with us - a person who has since moved and no longer goes to church here.

We passed out the snack cakes and candy. We passed out the Bibles and passed out the church information.

On the way back to the church, this person was pumped about passing out the Bibles. They said, “Man, I gave out a ton of Bibles. I probably gave out more Bibles than anyone other person who went with us.”

Everyone just sort of nodded and said, “That’s good.” But the person went on and on, continually bringing up again and again how many Bibles they passed out.

We eventually confronted the person and said, “Look, you weren’t the only one there passing out Bibles. It was a team effort. You need to get over yourself.”

[APPLICATION]

Was that person passing out Bibles for the glory of God or the glory of self?

Here’s a better question: did we confront that person because we were zealous for the glory of God or because we wanted the opportunity to sing our own praises?

You see, I’ll be honest. I think I really wanted that person to be quiet because I wanted the chance to talk about me.

When we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling we are being careful to live in ways that glorify God rather than self.

This first command is me-centered but it isn’t about me. It’s about God and his glory.

[TRANSITION STATEMENT]

That’s three, it’s a fear and trembling command.

Characteristic #4: It’s a God-working-in-you command.

[EXPOSITION/APPLICATION]

Now, this is the great news and power in this first command. All our working to become like Christ is in response to the work God is doing in us.

Paul didn’t want the Philippians to think it was all up to them. No, even though they were called to work, God was working in them to will and to work for his good pleasure.

J. Alec Motyer describes this so well in his commentary on Philippians. He writes...

The Message of Philippians 1. Christian Activity and the Indwelling God

In every action there are two aspects to be considered: the will and the deed, and one or other of these is often our downfall. Either we cannot bring ourselves to choose what we know to be right, or else, having chosen it, we fail to do it. Sin has corrupted both the power to choose and the power to accomplish. But God is effectually and ceaselessly at work in you, both to will and to work—to recreate our wills and to impart to us his own capacity for effectual working.

Then he includes this line from a poem by A. M. Toplady called A Debtor to Mercy Alone...

The Message of Philippians 1. Christian Activity and the Indwelling God

The work which his goodness began,

The arm of his strength will complete;

That’s great news, isn’t it?

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, so work out your salvation with fear and trembling!

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, so step into holiness!

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, so do the hard work of sanctification!

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, so put on more and more of character of Christ!

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, so shine as a light in the darkness!

If you are in Christ, God is working in you, and that “which his goodness began, the arm of his strength will complete.”

[TRANSITION STATEMENT] {see below}

[APPLICATION]

Prayer

Conclusion

Notes

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 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. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

- The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.