A Spiritual Workout (1): Working Out and Working In

A Spiritual Workout (1): Working Out and Working In (Phil. 2:12-13) August 29, 2018 I Tim 4; John 15; Eph 2 Read Phil 2:12-13: This text is about sanctification. You say, “Sancti what?” Sanctification. Salvation has 3 elements. In the past I was justified – declared righteous by God – saved, in a once-for-all event that made me forever His child. Justification. In the present there is sanctification – God making me more and more like Jesus – the goal of my existence once I’ve been justified. In the future I will be glorified – made perfect after departing this life. It’s a package deal. Salvation is all 3 – justification, sanctification, glorification. But this passage raises a major question about sanctification. Remember the old Memorex commercials? Ella Fitzgerald would sing a note that would break a crystal glass. Then the Memorex recorded version would also break the glass. Then they’d break one more glass and the singer would ask, “Was it me or was it Memorex?” Well, from earliest times, believers have been asking the same thing about Xn living. Is it me, or is it Jesus? Is it a matter of passive trust or active obedience? Is it God’s doing, my doing or both? Do I work at a holy life, or is it “Let go and let God”? Is it me, or is it Christ? So – I get to Phil 2:12b: “work out your own salvation.” Aha! So I have my answer. It’s me! Work out your own salvation. So I set about figuring out how exactly to do that. BUT then I come to 2:13: “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Oh! So it’s God after all. He not only causes me to work His good pleasure, He causes me to want to. It’s all God. Yet, v. 12 says it’s me. So which is it. Is it me, or is it Christ? The answer is – “Yes!” Yes, it is me. But Yes – above all, it is God. Over all is His sovereign will. At the same time, it’s my responsibility. These are complementary truths the Bible never tries to explain. It assumes both are true. Paul shows an interesting parallel on this. Did you notice? In v. 12, it is mine to “work out.” In v. 13 it’s God who “works in.” My outward behavior reflects His character to the extent that I submit to His inward pull. As He works in me prompting the fruit of the Spirit, I respond outwardly. So for me to grow like Christ, there is His part working in and my part working out. I. My Part (Work Out) A. The Instruction – “Work out your own salvation.” Please note, it’s not “Work for your salvation.” Not possible. Eph 2:8, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” No one will ever say, “Wow, it was close, but here I am. Worked my way into heaven.” Never. It’s not work for; it’s work out your own salvation. So, what does “work out your salvation” mean? Let me illustrate. A couple of years ago we watched with fascination as Simone Biles, age 19, established new standards in the world of women’s gymnastics. Four gold medals and a bronze in a spectacular display of gymnastic ability. No one else in the world can do what she can do. Clearly she has unique talent for which she can take no credit. But is that all she needed? Did she just fly down to Rio the day before, warm up a little and go for it? After all, she had the talent. But we know better. She worked hours every day for years to hone that talent. Her matchless performance was the result of ability – plus a lot of work, right? Sanctification’s no different. We’ve been given a unique gift of salvation. But now we are privileged to live lives consistent with that gift. To become in practice who we are in position. To get full benefit out of what we’ve been given. Work out your own salvation. Act like who you are in Christ. HOW? Work! Christian living is work. In the Bible it’s never just let go and let God. It’s work – not to get into the family, but to live like the family! Like a child in a family. They do nothing to earn their parents’ love. They don’t have to work to keep staying in. They’re a Smith and they’ll stay a Smith. But to live up to the family name takes effort, like living a Xn life. It takes discipline to get the full benefit of our Xn existence! Paul says Phil 3:12: “ Not that I have already obtained this (sanctification) or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13) . . . straining forward to what lies ahead.” Paul worked at it. I Cor 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Running is work. I know from experience! I Tim 4:7-8: “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train (γυμναζω – gymnasium) yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Kent Hughes calls it holy sweat – time in the Word – in prayer – in ministry – in fighting temptation. How do you get holy? Practice. Practice makes perfect. Make one right choice, then another, then another. Heb 5:14: “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” To maximize the gift of eternal life, you have to work out daily – like Simone! B. The Implementation So what is the work I do? V. 12: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed.” How do I work out being a McNeff? Obey the father. How do I work out my salvation in Christ? Obey the Father. We all think we do obey, right? But actually, we obey the things we agree with, pat ourselves on the back, declare ourselves good – rationalize everything else. We may not commit adultery, but how’s our thought life that we think won’t hurt anyone else? We may not commit murder, but how many people do we hold serious grudges against. We may not seek divorce, but do we love as Christ loved the church – or do we hold out bc with her nagging, she doesn’t deserve any better. We’re great at working out our salvation when it suits us – we’re deficient when it costs. The test is do we obey when it seems God is a bit outdated or doesn’t really understand my situation. The Titanic sank in 1912 and for years it lay undiscovered under 2-1/2 miles of Atlantic. Since its discovery in 1985 much info has been unearthed. It was always assumed that when the Titanic struck the iceberg that sank it, a huge gash caused it to sink quickly. But it has since been discovered that it was not a huge gash, but a series of six relatively narrow slits that caused the disaster. Small invasions can cause great disasters, in ships, and in our lives. Obedience is that way. Even when it hurts, work out your own salvation. C. The Incentive – Two are given. 1. Self-discipline -- 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence.” Paul is saying, “Your obedience must not depend on my presence or the presence of any other person. True faith works when it’s just me! Living in obedience only when someone else is watching would show that your faith is suspect – perhaps not a saving faith at all.” Paul was already absent from them and he knew full well he would soon be absent from this world altogether. Their faith must be able to stand alone or it may not be real. This doesn’t mean it’s bad to have Xn friends to hold us accountable. That’s a wonderful gift. God promotes community. But real faith can also stand the test of being alone. It works, even when no one is watching. English PM David Lloyd George was known for being acutely aware of public opinion – so much so that economist John Maynard Keynes said, “When Lloyd George is alone in a room, there is nobody there.” In other words, he was not defined by his own inward convictions but only by what other people thought. So who are we when alone in a room? That’s the test of our faith. 2. God’s discipline – Here’s the ultimate incentive. The person truly living out their faith realizes they have an audience of one. God is watching and that’s what drives them – not what others think. That’s Paul’s point when he says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This is not the paralyzing fear of an abusive father! This is the motivating fear of disappointing a loving Father whom we revere. We want to do things that will reflect well on Him – reflect His character. We dread the thought that we might bring shame on his name. We want neither His disappointment nor His discipline. That’s the fear and trembling Paul has in mind. Not fear of incurring abuse, but fear of causing shame and deserving discipline. John 15:2-3 is fascinating in this regard: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” The word “clean” in v. 3 is the same as the word “prune” in v. 2. So you could literally translate “Already you are pruned because of the Word.” Obedience to the Word prunes sin out of our lives, making God’s job easier! But if we don’t do it willingly, He’ll bring His pruning shears to bear. It’s best to work out your own salvation, but if we don’t God will help us out. Spurgeon says, “The Word is often a knife with which the great Husbandman prunes the vine; and brothers and sisters, if we were more willing to feel the edge of the Word, and let it cut away even something that may be very dear to us, we should not need so much pruning by affliction.” This is working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. In the movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors” Martin Landau play a guy who is foolishly unfaithful to his wife with a woman who threatens to expose him for that and some criminal financial dealings. He soon begins to consider his only alternative is to have his gangster brother eliminate her. At one point he talks this over with a rabbi friend. The rabbi says, “But this is a human life. You don’t think that God sees?” Landau responds, “God is a luxury I can’t afford.” In other words, “I’d like to believe in God, but if I did, I’d have to be accountable. That would prevent this solution, so God’s a luxury I can’t afford” – as tho you can just make God disappear by denying His existence. If God exists, we must always live in light of His presence, right? Because God exists, every thought, word and deed counts. That’s why “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” And that’s why we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling – with the assurance that God loves us, but also that He will hold us accountable. What no one else sees, He does. There are no secrets – not in the end. Luke 12:3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” There’s motive to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God is watching and will discipline, not to shame us, but to grow us. We will suffer loss one day for our failures. So our part is “work out your own salvation.” Let your conduct match your calling! Live up to the family name by obeying the Father’s will. Work out! II. God’s Part (Work in) Work out your own salvation. Intimidating, isn’t it? God’s wants me to what? That’s why Paul goes on: 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Here is a complimentary truth. As I’m working out, God’s working in. That’s good to know, right? In fact, I wouldn’t be working out if God weren’t working in because look, He not only works in me to do His will, He makes me want to do it! That’s part of being a new creation in Christ. The new me wants (present tense) to do God’s will. Because He prompts that desire in me. Ultimately, this is all His work. Justification, salvation past, is a gift of God, right? Nothing I do; it’s a gift based on what He’s already done. But guess what? Sanctification, salvation present, is equally a gift of God. He makes me both to will and to work His good pleasure. If you don’t really want His good pleasure -- if doing good to you is a burdensome duty to gain God’s acceptance – you’re probably not a Xn at all. Granted, every living believer still has the old me that wants my good pleasure, but we also have new me that wants God’s good pleasure. It’s part of the package. New heart; new loves; new desires; new motives. That’s God working in me. I can only do this because I have divine help. A new toaster sits in your kitchen. You put the bread in, pull down the lever and – nothing. What’s wrong? Forgot to plug it in. It can’t work out its purpose until it is connected to the electricity that works unseen inside. That’s Jesus’ point in John 15: 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” We will never do our part without Him. We won’t even want to. But when we commit to His Lordship by faith, His power is unleashed in us to will and to do His good pleasure. And the more we cooperate with Him, the more that will be true. You’ll never live the Christian life if you don’t work at it. But you can only live it because He is working in you to “will and to work for His good pleasure.” In the end, the credit is all His. Phil 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you [justification] will bring it to completion [sanctification] at the day of Jesus Christ.” Eph 2 teaches the same thing. Saved by grace thru faith, “not a result of works so no one may boast.” But watch the next verse? 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Where do good works come from? God prepared them before we were even born. Then He gradually unwraps them in our lives, causing us to “will and to work for His good pleasure.” Conc – So, when it comes to Xn living, is it me or is it Christ? Yes. These verses tell us it’s both, tho in the end, the credit is all to God. You’ve all heard to the guy who brought his chain saw back to Ace. The clerk asked what the problem was. He replied, “Well, the guy who sold me this told me I could cut down a hundred trees a day easily. I’ve been using it for a week, but most days the best I can do is one tree. So I want to return it.” The clerk said, “Well, let’s see if I can find out what’s wrong.” With that he pulled the cord and the saw sprang to life. The guy who brought it in said, “What’s that noise?” So who cut down the trees? Him – or the saw? Yes. Both. But He’d not get far without the power unleashed. Neither will we, but it’s all there by faith. So work out your own salvation – and count on God “to work in you to will and work for His good pleasure.” Let’s pray.