By Letting God Work in Us
Becoming Light Bearers in the Darkness • Sermon • Submitted
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
“Shining as lights in the world” is a daunting task, especially living in a world that is becoming increasingly crooked and perverse. But our key verse for this series provides both "direction" and "hope"
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
We have already begun to see some things about the "direction" we need to go. In the last couple of weeks we have looked at...
Our need to “work out our own salvation” first!
Our need to do so "with fear and trembling"
But in verse 13, we see something that should give us a tremendous amount of hope.
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
“For it is God who works in you...”
We are not alone in our efforts to “become light bearers in the darkness”!
Look at Paul’s words in
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
“...He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”
But it seems as though the church at Philippi needed additional reminders, look at what Paul tells them just 2 chapters later.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Say it with me. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You see saints, one of the things that we often struggle with as Christians, is that we begin to believe that it is up to us to change the world, or our community or even our family, we believe sometimes, that just by showing up and pressing for and demanding godliness, we will cause things and people to change through the power of our own will. When things fail to change we try harder, believing that if only we are more forceful things will change. In reality it is not up to us to be strong in our selves. The true strength, the true power comes from God. When we lay down our own will we can then be the agents of change that God desires us to be. But it is important to understand some fundamental things about this power of God that strengthens us.
In this lesson, I shall endeavor to accomplish three things:
Increase our understanding and appreciation for the power God makes available to the Christian
Suggest the source and purpose of this power
Propose the means by which we can be sure to allow God's power to work in us
Let’s start out then, by looking at this “power” upon which Paul seems to be so dependent.
THE "POWER" AVAILABLE TO THE CHRISTIAN
THE "POWER" AVAILABLE TO THE CHRISTIAN
THE POWER PREACHED BY PAUL
THE POWER PREACHED BY PAUL
Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Along with other things, Paul wanted them to know "what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe" (vs. 19)
Note that Paul says this “power toward us” is “according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ...”
“when He raised Him from the dead”
“and seated Him at His right hand...”
The power available to you and me as believers, is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! How is that even a thing? How could we have experienced that same resurrection power that Jesus had? I think that the greatest miracle of all isn’t raising the dead, but it is the bringing the living dead to new life!
The greatest miracle happens when those who “were dead in trespasses and sins” are made “alive together with Christ...and raised us up together”! - cf. Ep 2:1-6
The Divine power which raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is necessary to forgive sin and regenerate the sinner!
Don’t believe me? Jesus said so Himself when healing the paralytic
So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house.
Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.
And look at the other part of that… “seated Him at His right hand”. The right hand is the place of authority! And when He said, “that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” What was He addressing? Right, their inward reasoning that Jesus was committing blasphemy by claiming to have the authority to forgive sins. So with God’s resurrection power, come the authority of God!
MORE POWER PRINCIPLES OF PAUL
MORE POWER PRINCIPLES OF PAUL
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Then he hints at the source and purpose of this power
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
We’ll get back to that later in the lesson, but let’s keep going. Paul goes on to elaborate further in his "doxology" in Ephesians
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
THE POWER THAT WORKS IN US!!!!
Check out the words he uses to describe this power:
“exceedingly”
‘abundantly”
“above all that we ask or think”
Do you think Paul was just a little bit excited about the power of God working in us? Yes, there is power available beyond our imagination that is at work in us, if we will only access it!
But what is the source of this power, and what is its purpose?
THE SOURCE AND PURPOSE OF THE “POWER”
THE SOURCE AND PURPOSE OF THE “POWER”
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
THE SOURCE IS GOD'S “SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN”...
THE SOURCE IS GOD'S “SPIRIT IN THE INNER MAN”...
Paul said in Php 2:13, “it is God who works in you”
What do you suppose this could be? Does it not stand to reason that this is the very indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians?
Jesus promised it, and John explained it
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Peter preached it on the Day of Pentecost -
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
And Paul wrote about it to the Romans
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
And also to the Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
So then, the Holy Spirit is the “instrumental agent” by which God indwells the Christian
in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
He is “source” of power.
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
THE PURPOSE OF THE POWER IS TO PROVIDE "STRENGTH"...
THE PURPOSE OF THE POWER IS TO PROVIDE "STRENGTH"...
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
To be “strengthened with might”
But why? What is God’s purpose?
To “work out your own salvation”
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure.
To “put to death the deeds of the body”
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
To “glorify God in your body”
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
In other words, to empower you to be able to become light bearers in the darkness!
But notice carefully in our text (Php 2:13), that God “works in you both to will and to do”
So, not only is the power of God there to help you do the right thing, it’s there to actually help you to WANT TO DO the right thing. It is there to motivate right action!
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
But saints, as wonderful as this power to will and to do is, it only works for us if we actually know how to access it.
ACCESSING THE POWER AVAILABLE TO CHRISTIANS
ACCESSING THE POWER AVAILABLE TO CHRISTIANS
THROUGH PRAYER...
THROUGH PRAYER...
In other words, ask for it! Perhaps, it’s never dawned on you before that this was something that you could ask for and that this is one of those prayers that God always answers. Paul did it for the Ephesians
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
So then how could it be anything but appropriate for us to ask for it for ourselves?
Those who “wait upon the Lord” are promised what? And what better way to wait upon the Lord than through prayer?
THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD...
THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD...
In instructing the Ephesians to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might", he tells them to “put on the whole armor of God”
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Indispensable to this armor are such elements as:
Truth
The gospel
Faith
Each and every one of these is obtainable only from hearing, studying and knowing the Word of God! In other words, going to church, doing your personal devotions and then letting the Word go deep into your Spirit
But look at that passage again! The Word itself is described as “the sword of the Spirit”
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
The sword is definitely a weapon that is used to defeat the enemy and lead others to a saving knowledge of Jesus, but it doesn’t end there. Even we who are saved retain unevangelized areas in our own lives that need to be set free by that same Word of God. There are areas of unbelief in our lives that we must overcome!
We know that through the Word of truth, we have been born again - but do we know and believe through that very same Word of truth, we will save our souls?
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
So allow the Word of God to be an avenue through which God strengthens us in the inner man, and to work in us, both towill and to do for His good pleasure!
And finally, as a well known shoe manufacturer says …
JUST DO IT!
JUST DO IT!
We receive a lot of help through the Word of God and prayer and dare I say it, we probably primarily need the help in the area of strengthening the “will”, But the ultimate demonstration of God's power is to be seen when we “just do it”, but it won't be seen until WE decide to do it and then do OUR part so that He can do His!
Isn't this what is implied by our key verse?
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for His good pleasure.
God is at work in us (through His indwelling Spirit), but only if we are also working out our salvation with fear and trembling!
So it is by FAITH that we believe that the power to do God's will is there, and it is by FAITH that we act upon it!
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
If Christians are NOT “becoming light bearers in the darkness”, perhaps it is because God is not at work in us. If such is the case, it would only be through lack of faith on our part.
Our lack of faith to believe in God's Word about the power to do God's will that is available to Christians through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Our lack of faith to access that power through prayer and the Word
Our lack of faith to do simply what God says to do, trusting Him to provide both the ability and the willingness.
But from our key text, we know that it is in keeping with God's “good pleasure” to empower us to do His will.
So then, let's do all that we can to have “God work in us”, so that we
can truly "light bearers in the darkness"!
can truly "light bearers in the darkness"!