The Christian's Life Cycle

Introduction

In 2006, MySpace was the most visited website in the United States. It was on MySpace that you publicly identified your top friends and played a love song for your sweetheart and posted your life’s manifesto on the powerful new platform of the blog. And, today, I’ll pay anybody in here $100 if you can login to an active MySpace account. Myspace plummeted from the most used social networking platform in the world to total irrelevancy with the speed of a Beanie Baby’s depreciation. Doesn’t it seem a lot of the time that the Christian life cycle is similar to that of MySpace? You start out, and your red hot. You want to do everything and be everywhere. You can’t get enough of being in the church and your name is on the top line of the mission trip sign up or the community outreach. But, then, within a couple of years or even a couple of months, you’ve gradually backed down so that even mere attendance feels hard. There’s been this clear arc in your Christian life in which you started, grew like crazy, and then crashed hard at the end.

There’s a lot the can be said about an arc like that. Jesus says in the Parable of the Sower that many seeds will spring up in shallow dirt, but their fruit won’t last because their roots don’t take. Often, I think the case is burnout. You’ve done and done and signed up and signed up, and one day you look at everything and can’t really remember why you started. The ministry or mission trip didn’t go like you thought it would and slowly your heart has been distracted by work and family so that growing in God becomes a marginal part of your life rather than priority. You’re frustrated by doing so much and still feeling so guilty. You’re just tired. You just want to rest. And, unintentionally, a short rest turns into total withdrawal until your passion for Jesus feels like a note on your Wikipedia page instead of the central pillar of your life. This morning, Paul is going to address this with the faithful, serving Christians of Philippi.

God’s Word

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A Stumbling Baby, not an Arc

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed...” Just as in verse 9, Paul uses ‘therefore’ to show us the very practical and real reaction of God the Father to Jesus’ humble obedience, he uses it again in verse 12 to show what our real, practical reaction should be to a Savior as wonderful, as humble, as obedient, as sovereign as Christ. Jesus changes our actual lives, not just in theory, but in reality. He changes our lives, and he keeps on changing our lives. It’s easy to be theoretical Christians. We’ve all heard the coach talk about what a priority his faith is in his speech to parents but then that faith apparently has no place at practice. That’s theoretical Christianity. As parents it’s easy to say that Jesus is most important and the center of our family but never actually talk about Jesus and change the priorities of our family to reflect that Jesus is the center. It’s theoretical Christianity. But, Jesus didn’t just teach obedience; He actually was obedient, even to the point of death on a cross. Jesus was born in obedience, and Jesus died in obedience. He lived in obedience and died in obedience. So, the Christian life cycle is not intended to resemble an arc that trends up for a while, peaks, and then crashes. Rather, the Christian life cycle is intended to resemble the steady growth of a baby who stands up, falls down, and is put back on her feet by her Father again. It’s to be a life of messy, uneven, stumbling growth that lasts until the end. So, we see How Christians Keep Growing in Christ (headline), how Christians respond to the glory of Jesus with, not just a life, but a lifetime worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Work “Hard” to “Obey”.

v. 12 “as you have always obeyed…work out your own salvation” Paul presents our growth in Christ as being the result of our work in Christ and of Christ’s work in us. So, first, you see that you are to Work hard to “obey.” There’s a specific reason that I say here that this is an explanation of how a Christian keeps growing in Christ. Notice how he opens this up in verse 12. He says, “as you have always obeyed.” The Philippians were already viewed by Paul as growing, obedient Christians. Their growth curve had already started. They had already moved from the milk to the Gerber’s. But, the goal is not short-term behavior modification. The goal is not to get them to stop cussing and to start attending small group for a little while. The goal is a lifetime faith being lived out as lifetime faithfulness. It’s a real transformation, a real, lasting life-change.

We’re Saved, We’re Being Saved

There’s something here that probably looks strange to us who believe (like Paul) that we’re saved by grace alone. He says to ‘work out your own salvation.’ But, we know that our salvation is not the result of our works, but of Jesus’ works, not the result of our righteousness but of Jesus’ righteousness. So, what does this mean? If you’ll allow me two theological words here, they’ll help to explain. This is about the relationship between justification and sanctification. Both are encompassed in our salvation. We most often think of salvation in terms of justification. Justification is God accepting us. And, through Christ, He has! Praise his name, we are accepted into the Kingdom of God despite ourselves! Justification for our sins happens at the instant that we place our faith in Jesus. We are saved! But, not only are we saved, but we’re still being saved. This is where we come to sanctification. Sanctification is God’s changing us. It’s bringing our life into greater submission to Christ. We have already been made God’s children, but we don’t yet fully live like it. We have already been assured the Kingdom of God, but we are not yet fully surrendered to his Kingdom. We have been justified, but we are being sanctified. Christ has made you righteous before God, but you are not yet fully righteous in your living. We have been “saved”, but we are still being “saved”.

Display Jesus’ Masterpiece

Eternal “salvation” is marked by lifetime “transformation”. And, the point of verse 12 is that you play an active role in God’s changing you. You play an active role in the transformation that God is bringing about in your life. When we read “work out your own salvation”, it’s not saying “Work yourself into salvation” or “Work out a way to save yourself.” Instead, it means to ‘carry out’ the salvation that has already taken place. You’re a slave that’s been set free so carry out your freedom and stop living as a slave. Jesus has given us the honor of expressing what He has accomplished. He has painted the picture. He is the artist that can take the most wretched and present them as the most wonderful before God. So, he has painted the picture, but now we are to put it on display. We are to show how wonderfully Jesus has saved us by humbling ourselves as Christ and obeying as Christ and love as Christ. We are to carry out in the fullest degree what Christ has already accomplished. We are to display his work in every way and in every place.

Redeemed Works

“fear and trembling” It’s easy to embrace a cheap grace gospel that believes that you aren’t saved by your works so your works don’t matter. It’s the cheap grace of believing that God will save you without continuing to save you, that Christ’s work for you will lead to your works in him. But, when Jesus “redeemed” you, He “redeemed” your works, too. He redeemed every, single part of you. No longer would your good works add to your condemnation; rather, they would be used by Christ to reveal your justification. He says that with ‘fear and trembling’ you are to bring your feeble efforts and your broken passion into the presence of the Almighty. You aren’t working out your salvation to prove your value to God; you are working out your salvation because God has revealed his own value to you. He is worthy of all that you have and so much more. He’s worthy of all that you are, and the awareness of his worthiness and the awareness of your own wretchedness creates in you a trembling desire to grow more worthy of the Name that He has given you — Son and Daughter.

A Sinner Isn’t Easily Changed

APPLICATION: So, work hard to obey because a sinner isn’t easily changed. Work hard to place the interests of others ahead of your own. Christ placed your well-being ahead of his own that you might be right with God, but it’s going to be hard work for you to support someone else’s ministry when yours hasn’t taken off. Work hard to forgive. You have been forgiven of an infinite debt, but it’s hard work to forgive the person that once made you feel small. Work hard at humility. Christ has humbled himself from the throne of heaven to the cross of sinners, but it’s going to be hard work for you to think less of yourself so that you can care more for others. Work hard to reflect the glory of your own salvation because you’ll never glide into godliness.

Rest “Confidently” in “God”.

v. 13 “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work” There is another side of the same coin that is essential if you are to keep growing in Christ: You must Rest “confidently in “God.” This may sound like it’s in conflict with everything that I’ve just said, but in fact, it is the foundation for it. The only way to continually “work” hard is to just as continually “rest” well. This is exactly what verse 13 is talking about. The fear and trembling is a reminder that you can’t. You can’t change your heart. You can’t open your mind. You can’t make yourself kind. If you try to work hard to prove that you are good Christian or to try to fix yourself or to try to catch the eye of God, you will soon find that you can’t. Try as you might, work as hard as you can, and you’ll find that you can’t fix your wretchedness. And, it will wear you down to try. It will erode your passion and your joy, if you believe that Christ has saved me so now I must move on to fix me and to prove how serious I am. But, what does verse 12 say? God isn’t finished working yet. God didn’t save you and withdraw from you for you to figure it out from here. The very presence of God through the Spirit of God is active right now in you. So, you can rest! You can rest because it doesn’t all depend on you! You can rest because, hard as the work is that you have been called to do, its purpose and its effectiveness within the providence of God has already been assured through the presence of God! You play an active role in your transformation, but it’s because God is already active in you! So, you can work hard because you rest confidently in the presence of God and the power of God and the effectiveness of God to the ends of his own purposes. So, you can Work hard because of the confidence that you have that it all depends on God! Work hard because you are resting in the reality that success is in the hands of God and not a weight on your shoulders. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, FOR it is God who works in you!” The word translated as ‘work’ in verse 13 means energy. Paul is literally saying that God is filling you with energy for the work ahead. So, when you work, you are working out what God is pouring in.

“I Can’t Unless God Does”

“ is to just as continually rest well. This is exactly what verse 13 is talking about. The fear and trembling is a reminder that you can’t. You can’t change your heart. You can’t open your mind. You can’t make yourself kind. If you try to work hard to prove that you are good Christian or to try to fix yourself or to try to catch the eye of God, you will soon find that you can’t. Try as you might, work as hard as you can, and you’ll find that you can’t fix your wretchedness. And, it will wear you down to try. It will erode your passion and your joy, if you believe that Christ has saved me so now I must move on to fix me and to prove how serious I am. But, what does verse 12 say? God isn’t finished working yet. God didn’t save you and withdraw from you for you to figure it out from here. The very presence of God through the Spirit of God is active right now in you. So, you can rest! You can rest because it doesn’t all depend on you! You can rest because, hard as the work is that you have been called to do, its purpose and its effectiveness within the providence of God has already been assured through the presence of God! You play an active role in your transformation, but it’s because God is already active in you! So, you can work hard because you rest confidently in the presence of God and the power of God and the effectiveness of God to the ends of his own purposes. So, you can Work hard because of the confidence that you have that it all depends on God! Work hard because you are resting in the reality that success is in the hands of God and not a weight on your shoulders. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, FOR it is God who works in you!” The word translated as ‘work’ in verse 13 means energy. Paul is literally saying that God is filling you with energy for the work ahead. So, when you work, you are working out what God is pouring in.

APPLICATION: The essence of the Christian life is:“I ‘can’t’ unless God ‘does’.”(quotation marks stay. blanks are ‘can’t’ and ‘does’) “I can’t be righteous unless God makes me righteous.” “I can’t overcome anxiety unless God gives me faith.” “I can’t forgive my dad unless God changes my heart.” “I can’t overcome this addiction unless God transforms my appetites.” “I can’t count others as more significant than myself unless God opens my mind.” And so, the Christian works to those ends confident and assured that they don’t labor in vain because God is there and God is working and God is transforming them into image of Christ. It’s seems apparent that the reason that many Christians are so burnt out is that they are so poorly rested, not because they are terribly overworked. Rest confidently in the Lord, church, so that you can work hard at obedience for a lifetime, not a season.

Joy, not Guilt

It’s seems apparent that the reason that many Christians are so burnt out is that they are so poorly rested, not because they are terribly overworked.

It’s seems apparent that the reason that many Christians are so burnt out is that they are so poorly rested, not because they are terribly overworked.

v. 13 ‘both to will and to work’ And, the work that God accomplishes in you is more wonderful than we can even begin to comprehend! Notice the work that God is doing in you: it’s to will and to work. The order is everything here. God is working in you to change your will, your desire, your want-to, your passions, your appetites, and by changing your “will”, God is changing your “work”. This isn’t begrudging, guilt-ridden obedience that we’re talking about. This is joy-producing, soul-satisfying, Christ-honoring work that was born from a passion that God himself has created. God’s energy sets free your will to want to work for his good pleasure. The key that so many Christians are missing, that so many churches are missing is that God isn’t forcing you to do what you don’t want to do. He’s changing what you want to do to be what He would have you to do. God enables us to serve out of “joy”, not out of “guilt”. God is dishonored by guilt-ridden offerings. God did not save us because He was motivated by guilt. God saved us because He was motived by love. He saved us passionately, not begrudgingly. And, this is the shape of gospel-centered lives. Gospel-centered lives are motivated by love not guilt, offered passionately not begrudgingly, leading to joy not drudgery. Man, you can rest while you work if your work restores your soul. Hunting and camping and golf and gardening are a lot of work, but they rest your soul. And, as God increases your passion, you can serve him sacrificially for a lifetime so long as you are resting confidently in him.

A Vision of Joy

APPLICATION: So, rest confidently in God and work hard at your obedience. Don’t settle for guilt-ridden obedience, and don’t settle for begrudging, miserable ministries. Iron City, this is the motivation behind our discipleship process. This is the vision of our church. We want to connect you and disciple you in such a way that you are able to go hard after the mission of God filled with the energy of God. We want to you to be Connection Groups, not to get you up earlier or to make your calendar fuller, but to increase your confidence that God is at work among his people. We want you to be discipleship groups, not so that you can have a lot of knowledge or feel proud of your study, but so that you can work hard at obedience and rest confidently in God. It’s so you can go with a passion for God that others might have a passion for God! I am convinced that our motivation for service and mission and discipleship born out of guilt will not last, but born out of a God-induced passion and joy can sustain us for a lifetime.

Take “Pleasure” in the “Pleasure” of God

"to will and to work for his good pleasure” So, I imagine a thought in many minds might be: then, should a person never do what they don’t want to do? There are times in which a Christian will have two competing desires in their life: One the one hand, there is a desire to delight God and to live according to his will. On the other hand, there is something that you know that you should do that you don’t want to do. It might be read your Bible or serve in the youth ministry or teach a class or doing the work of a deacon. This is the nature of being incomplete saints in a fallen world. So, what do we do in this apparent impasse? The answer is not to begrudgingly, reluctantly do what we believe will be miserable, and the answer is not to withdraw into our comfort and preferences doing nothing at all. It is to remember which of desire is the chief desire. This is the landing point of verse 13, when it says, ‘to will and to work for his (God’s) good pleasure.’ God is at work in you so that you Take “pleasure” in the “pleasure” of God.

Obey by Faith

So, if God is calling you to teach or to minister to children or to be a deacon or to witness to your friend and you aren’t comfortable or excited or especially qualified, what do you do? You don’t give into guilt. You don’t embrace misery. You place your faith in the goodness of God that if you live with his pleasure as your pleasure that the difficult path ahead will lead to joy. Brothers and sisters, if you only do what feels good and comfortable and reasonable and exciting to you, you won’t live by faith. But, if you live with God’s pleasure as your supreme pleasure then He will take you down paths that are dimly lit and hardly traveled to a joy and passion that you can’t see coming. And, you will find God so wonderful, that you’ll keep coming back for more. You’ll find your soul at rest in him, so filled with pleasure in him that you’ll work hard at obedience for the rest of your life because it will be too wonderful a path to do anything else.