Gospel Hope

David Franks

Gospel Hope

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, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Summary: As Paul has been concerned to call the Philippians to live as citizens of heaven, he reminds them that their obedience must not be a show for others to see (not only as in my presence), but a true heart change (but much more in my absence). The hope that belongs to the Christian in sanctification is that it is God who has promised to bring about this work. What is impossible to man, is possible with God. This hope does not cause us to be indifferent but spurs us on to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Elder Visits

Children I want to start this morning by asking you a question. Imagine with me that you are at school and your teacher is called out of the classroom. What happens as soon as your teacher leaves the room? From my experience, one word perfectly describes this situation: chaos! A once quite classroom erupts into talking, students stop working on their classwork, and magically, little scraps of paper transform into spitballs and a war has erupted. It is striking to see the change in behavior that can take place in minutes when adult supervision is removed. And as soon as you hear that door start to open, you rush back to your seat as if nothing ever happened.

In our text today, Paul starts by calling us to examine how we behave when no one is around. He is concerned that Christians see that sanctification must be the outworking of true heart change. He is aware just how easy it is to fake outward change while our hearts remain far from God. “Christians” are sadly to good at putting on smiles, knowing the right religious vocabulary, while inwardly, they are wasting away. We feel the need to hide our sins and keep up the appearance that everything is perfect.

Paul warns the church of playing the part when he is around, only to go on in sinful patterns when he departs. Congregation this has very practical implications for us. How do you view your elders (including your pastor)? Do you believe that they are men who are just waiting around for you to commit a sin so they can attack you? Do you feel as if you have to put on an act during home visits? Is the outward appearance you desire to show to show a perfectly clean home to match perfectly clean lives? I sure hope not.

Brothers and sisters, God has placed a pastor and elders over you for your protection and care. They serve as under-sheperds who desire your good. And house visitations should not be seen as a problem, but a time of support and care. This is not a time to put on a show in their presence. It is a time to seek help. As I have been on several visits as your intern, it has honestly grieved me to hear the response to the question, “Is there anything I can be praying about for you?” as simply “Nope.” Of course you are in need of prayer.

The apostle Paul is calling us not to live with a Christian facade. The process of sanctification starts with the acknowledgement that we are far from perfect and are in need of change. And as the good news of Christ’s perfect redemption begins to grip our hearts, we will see that we have no need for fake appearance before others. The church is a hospital for the sick who desire to find healing in Jesus Christ. He came into this world not for the healthy but for the sick, for people like you and me. We must take this warning to heart. It discredits our Christian witness when we obey a certain way in the presence of others and act differently when they depart.

Paul knows how his face to face visits with these believers have encouraged them to renewed obedience yet he is concerned on how they will receive this letter, as he is not able to meet with them. There can always be the “mountain-top” experiences in the Christian life where something grand motivates us to a more serious walk with the Lord. We attend a Christian conference to hear from some famous pastor and are motivated to extraordinary service for the Lord. Yet what so frequently happens, is that when we return home, that passion often burns out. Paul doesn’t want his presence to be the means that motivates these believers to Christian obedience. Therefore Paul commands them, and us today, not to put on a Christian show in the presence of others. Our progress in sanctification is to serious to fake. And the reason this is the case is because as Christians our desire is to please God and not others.

Never Content

Paul calls to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We should note the particular wording of what is said here. We are not called to work for our salvation with fear and trembling. Salvation by grace alone is never undermined in Paul’s words. The salvation that Jesus has accomplished for us is full and free. He never does partial work. Redemption has been fully accomplished. Rather than saying that we must work for our salvation, Paul continues to teach us how we are to respond in light of the salvation we have.

We are to never be content with the process of sanctification we are at. Rather than seeking our salvation as something that must be worked for, Paul teaches us that we must work out the salvation that we already have been freely given. The salvation that we have in Christ is indeed free, but involves the total transformation of our lives. This work is so important that it must be worked out with fear and trembling. There is a holy reverence, a true earnestness, involved as we work out our great salvation. Our involvement in this process of Christ conformity is not to be taken lightly. This is surely not a casual process that we attend upon only at certain times. Our whole life is to be taken up in this work of putting off our sinful thoughts, desires, and actions, and putting on the fruit of the Spirit.

Imagine a surgeon performing a life saving open heart surgery. No matter how skilled he is, there still remains a sense of fear and trembling in the work that he is about to perform. As he must carefully cut through skin and muscle to reach the damaged artery, he does not go about this surgery without great seriousness. A man’s life hangs in the balance and unless the surgeon operates with precision and thoroughness, great damage will be inflicted.

Believer, this is no less true of you in the process of salvation. You work out your salvation with fear and trembling, because nothing in the world is more important. Far more crucial to your physical health is your spiritual well-being. Therefore you must give yourself to this great work of sanctification.

It is no wonder then why Paul says in 1 Corinthians that he preached Christ crucified with much fear and trembling. If believing in Christ and being conformed to His image is the most important thing in the entire world, even the anointed messenger of God, preaches with an urgency and earnestness. Fear and trembling connotes a deep dependance upon God. If we see just how important this work is, we will realizes how desperately we need God to work in us.

Strength Only God Provides

Seeing the importance of our own need to be personally involved in conformity to Christ-likeness, Paul makes it clear that this is only possible through the strength that God alone provides. Congregation I want you to stop and think for just a second how you would respond to working out your salvation with fear and trembling if Paul didn't finish by saying, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

I can tell you what you should feel:

-discouragement -hopelessness -anxiety

-desperation -fear -terror

Apart from this promise that God is working to conform you to the image of His Son, Paul would simply be giving us a command that we could never obey. This is an impossible task, we could not make even the slightest growth on our own. But Scripture is filled with the proclamation that: “What is impossible with man, is possible with God.”

Knowing the promise that God is at work in our lives to sanctify us, fills us with hope and confidence that our endeavors of resisting sin and loving and serving others are not in vain. While there are many times when we feel like giving up, He sustains us and renews our desires to become like Christ.

Is it not true that there are many areas in your life where you feel like giving up? You have tried to stop certain sinful habits but simply are not are far along in holiness as you truly want. You continue to grow impatient with your children. Sadly you once again give in to peer pressure at school or work and compromise your Christian witness. Your eyes continue to lust, your mouth continue to put down others, your hands are idle. And the whole time you wish this wasn't the case. You desire to change but you feel completely unable to do so. Believer listen to this words, God has promised to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure. Don't give up. Don't quit. God has promised that He will change you and His Word is true.

What so often discourages us is that we have not made the progress we desire. But what is so important is the direction we are going. Rather than complete transformation overnight we should see sanctification as a long obedience in the right direction. Sometimes in our Christian walk there will be great growth in grace but what so often characterizes our sanctification, is a steady walk. And sometimes it is a slow crawl but what matters most is are we drawing close to God. Conformity to Christ is not a sprint but rather a steady journey. And it is on this journey that God has promised He will sustain us.

This is what Jesus Himself has promised to us. He will not leave us as orphans, without one to help and guide us. He is alive, today, at the right hand of the Father, making continual intercession for us. He rules and defends us from all of His and our enemies, and He reveals to us God’s will for our salvation. The ascended Christ has poured out the Holy Spirit as our Helper.

Our Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are all working powerful to not only save us from all our sins but to make us holy. Our great God changes both our desires and our actions. Every aspect of our being has been effect by sin and therefore God is changing everything about us. God is concerned about our actions, thoughts, and even our hidden desires that no one else knows about, be conformed to Christ.

And He receives glory in all of this. As He changes us to become more like Christ, the work that seems impossible happens. He demonstrates His great power in and through us as we changed each and every day.