Choice 4 I

I NTEGRITY TO AYOUR@ SALVATION

AC@ We have learned that it takes the courage to be different.

AH@ Holiness is being able to recognize your own salvation and rejoice in it.

AO@ One Purpose - For Christ.

AI@ Integrity to AYour@ Salvation

Webster describes integrity as: AStrict personal honesty and independence; completeness, unity.@

Other meanings: Credibility, fidelity, honor, innocence, nobility, honesty, morality, principle

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. (NIV)

Verse 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

The apostle carefully informed the Philipians that they were responsible before God for their own salvation.

Responsible for their own salvation? What does that mean?

Oh no! Another CHOICE you have to make.

They could not lean upon him, so his absence should not make a difference in whether or not they were faithful to God.

Have you ever leaned on someone? Husband, wife, mother, father, sister, etc.?

Have you ever gotten the feeling that you were close to violating your self?

Possibly to the point of putting your self in spiritual danger?

Have you ever felt that you could have done a better job of taking care of your self spiritually?

You know children will act out when you are not looking. Examples

How about adults? Do they act out and just are polished at hiding it?

AWork out@

1) to perform, accomplish, achieve

2) to work out i.e. to do that from which something results

Glen Onorato - Roy Lucas Body building Work out in the gym,

Martin Jimenez - Singers Work out on Amusic practice - singing@

Work out in the garden

Work out in the lawn

Work out a problem

Work out a bug in my computer

Work out a solution

AWork Out@

contains the idea of carrying out something to an ultimate conclusion.

Verse 13 for it is God who works in you (God working in you) to will and to act according to his good purpose

In this process, which obviously is a reference to the work of sanctification (grace, blessing, thanksgiving)(God working in you), the attitude must be one of serious caution. God of course, not only gives us the will to please Him, but also the ability.

So, verse 12 describes human responsibility and verse 13 divine responsibility.

It is never Aeither/or.@ The scriptural approach is not Alet go and Let God,@ but Aget in there with God.@

In a sense you Christians:

Awere saved@ the moment you believed;

you Aare being saved@ as the Holy Spirit applies sanctification process in your lives;

and you Awill be saved@ at the resurrection.

Look at verse 14 ADo everything without complaining or arguing, A

After carefully instructing the Philippians about the necessity of allowing the sanctification (grace) process to work, Paul added that they should do so without Acomplaining@ and Aarguing.@ Complaining is an onomatopoetic word (gongusmon), a word in which the sound resembles its meaning. It refers to undertone complaining and is constantly used in the Septuagint for the abundant complaining of the Israelites in the wilderness when they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan.

Have you ever eaten to much of anything? Pineapple in Dominican Republic in 1964.

Manna pancakes in the morning.

Manna bar for energy during the hard days journey.

Manna burger for lunch.

Manna - cotti for supper.

Manna split for dessert.

Manna in the morning , Manna at the noontime, manna as the sun goes down.

Manna, manna, manna!

AV - murmuring 3, grudging 1; 4

1) a murmur, murmuring, muttering

1a) a secret debate

1b) a secret displeasure not openly avowed

AArguing@ relates to ill-natured controversies.

1261 dialogismos {dee©al©og©is©mos'} from 1260; TDNT - 2:96,155; n mAV - thought 9, reasoning 1, imagination 1, doubtful 1, disputing 1, doubting

1) the thinking of a man deliberating with himself

1a) a thought, inward reasoning

Instead of complaining and arguing about the process through which the Holy Spirit takes us, Christians should become Ablameless and pure.@

Verse 15 Aso that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe@

ABecome@ shows the progressive nature of the experience . ABlameless@ literally means Afree from defect,@ and Apure@ has the sense of Auncontaminated.@

All this beautiful process takes place in a Acrooked@ or Adepraved@ generation. Christians live in a real world rather than growing in a Agreenhouse@ setting.

Verses 16 Aas you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. (NIV)

LIFE: life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

Titus 3:3-8 3 At one time we too were foolish (foolish literally means ASenseless, without spiritual understanding), disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.(NIV)