Working Out Salvation with Awe

Philippians 2:12-18

Philippians 2:12–18 CSB

12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.

We are all called to live on the outside what Christ has made real on the inside.

With affection, Paul encourages the Philippians and us to make our salvation reality in our lives.

Paul’s care comes thru, so this is not a harsh or angry command but rather a command motivated by love.

My dear friends and compliments their past obedience

Obeyed even in absence—unlike Israelites-- Deut. 31:27 “27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are rebelling against the Lord now, while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after I am dead!”

God’s commands are always to provide for us and to protect us

Provide salvation to only treat us with a sadistic joy?—Does not match the God of the Bible

Work out your won salvation; not work for your own salvation

The power of a single word—we are not called to earn our salvation.

This relates directly to obedience as Paul has just referenced

This is to the body (your (pl) salvation), not just individuals—live as a people of God in Philippi

Make the beauty of God evident in the way the you live as individuals and a church

In other words—live out what is true of you.

You have been redeemed from sin

You are a new creation.

You have a hope that is real and eternal and is not based on your works, but the work of God

You have an inheritance in heaven that is undefiled and incorruptible

You have been forgiven by the holy God of the universe of every sin you have committed or will ever commit

You are a child of God and one day will be like him

You cannot be loved any more or any less by God than you are

At the same time—work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

This is serious business—living in such a way to walk worthy of the gospel

“Not slavish terror, but wholesome, serious caution. This fear is distrust; it is tenderness of caution; it is vigilance against temptation; . . . it is constant apprehension of the deceitfulness of the heart.” Marvin Vincent

“A nervous and trembling anxiety to do right.” Lightfoot

This is a healthy, reverential fear that shows proper respect for God

He is not “the man upstairs” or “the big guy” or “the boss man”

He is the holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty

He is the one who created universe by his word

He is a consuming fire to those who refuse to bow the knee to him in his life

He the one who was willing to sacrifice his son so that we might live eternally with hime

He is unlike anything or anyone we know and deserves to be treated with reverential fear and awe

He is the God who is working in you to will and to work according to his good purpose

The desire to obey comes from God

The deed of obedience come from God

He is the one working in you, but what about my responsibility? Paul said for us to work out our salvation.

Is it God working in us or are we working it out? The answer is Yes to both

We are called to work but the desire and ability to work come from God, but we are still responsible

“Paul makes no attempt to reconcile divine sovereignty and human free agency, but boldly proclaims both.” A. T. Robertson

So if in obedience we are to work out our salvation, how does this look in the world we live in, in the “already but not yet” between our coming to know Jesus and the day we will stand before him?

Working out salvation means our lives are in stark contrast with the world around us.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing. The ESV sayings without grumbling or disputing. (no loopholes)

Remember we have said unity is one of the areas that Paul seems to be addressing—he does this directly in chapter 4.

Obedience is willful—remember Jesus who willfully became human and obeyed to the point of death on a cross for us.

Go back to the controlling statement that Paul makes in Phil. 1:27 :27 Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, in one accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel,

Illustration: Contrast again is the with the children of Israel during the Exodus who did nothing but complain about everything God did rescuing them from slavery and the hand of pharaoh.

Application: When we complain as citizens of heaven, we do one of two things —doubt God’s sovereignty or his goodness.

If you do live without grumbling or arguing then you will be “pure and blameless children of God—what a motivation.

Live outside what is true inside--let the world see that you have been changed.

“Blameless “relates to our observable conduct and “pure” to a heart that is innocent of sin

Contrast with the children of Israel Deut. 32:5 “5 His people have acted corruptly toward him; this is their defect—they are not his children but a devious and crooked generation.”

“Shine like the stars”—light in total darkness: Daniel 12:1-3 “1 At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. 2 Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

How? by holding to the gospel-by bringing it to others

This is not a defensive—holding it so no one will take it away

But rather holding to or trusting it completely so that it is seen in your life—you give evidence to the gospel in the way you live—you are stars in a world where you are surrounded by darkness.

Application: reality is we will not be perfect but let us be repentant and live as if we believe the forgiveness and grace of God. Let us turn to the Holy Spirit to empower us to live pure and blameless. Act as if this can become more of who we are thru his power.

We can stand out from the world in the way stars do in dark of the night by living lives that are not characterized by grumbling and arguing but are willfully submitted to the authority of God. We obey, as Jesus did who did not think his position and prestige was something to be grasped or exploited but rather covered it with humanness and obeyed all the way to sacrificing himself for those who know him. He was and is the light of the world, and so through him we are called to be light in the darkness to point the world to him by living as he did in willful obedience to the Father.

Paul’s Unselfish Plea

Paul want to boast or brag on the day of Christ in the Philippians

The day of Christ refers to that final judgement where we stand before God and declared not guilty and receive the fullness of the salvation we have been promised through Christ.

Paul wants to know on that day that he did not waste his life working for the Philippians to know the gospel and their not truly believing it

He wants to be able to rejoice in the salvation of the Philippians—his boast will not be his greatness but in the salvation of the Philippians. This is a desire of one who loves them, who has made it clear that though the idea of dying and being in the presence of God is the greatest thing he could hope for himself, he wants to stay in this world so that he can serve them.

He is putting them before himself

Just as Jesus did.

Just as he is begging them to do.

His boasting is not in him but in them

Paul brings up a truth on which all need to reflect

There is a day of Christ and all will stand before him.

Like Paul some will be able to point to Christ and say they are forgiven because they have trusted in Christ : John 3:16 “16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 1:12 “12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,”

What will be your claim before God on that day.

Heb 9:27 “27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—”

What will you trust in to claim your innocence before a holy God—your own goodness—Romans 3:23.

Romans 3:9-18 “9 What then? Are we any better off? Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, 10 as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. 13 Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips. 14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, 17 and the path of peace they have not known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

There is one hope and his name is Jesus—the Son of God. He came to die so that you might live. 2 Cor. 5:21 “21 He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Jesus made it clear that there is hope in him and him alone. John 14: 6 “6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Paul says the same in his letter to the Romans. Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Today is a good day to take a first step of obedience to God and trust Jesus and Jesus only for the forgiveness of sins and to begin walking with him for the rest of your life.—It is the best way to live and the only way to die.

Paul goes further in his love and commitment to these Philippians whom he loves—even if I die---Poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith—I am glad and rejoice—there it is again here in Philippians

I do not care if I die serving you if only you live out your faith, if only you live out on the outside what is Christ has made real on the inside—if you live a life worthy of the gospel.

He tells them they should be glad and rejoice with him if he dies in this way.

Why because God is glorified by gospel-centered people who walk the walk. Those people give glory to God by their very lives because everyone will see the grace of God in our lives—it is the only way we live for God because without his grace, we are lost and rebellious.

Ephesians 2:4-7 “4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, 5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

We are all called to live on the outside what Christ has made real on the inside.

We are saved by grace alone and by faith alone by the God through Christ and then we are empowered by the Spirit of God who indwells us as believers to work out—to live out the reality of that salvation in our lives.

One of the most powerful evidences of that salvation is the body of Christ and the individuals it living without grumbling or arguing as we walk in obedience to Christ

The results are we will stand blameless and pure before Christ on the day of judgement because it will serve as evidence that our faith in Christ was real.

doug@fbcmascoutah --If you do not know Jesus, if you have not trusted his sacrifice for your sin, then on what basis will you stand before him on that day? Trust him today.

Ultimately, God will be glorified by our lives lived worthy of the gospel—of his mercy and grace—because all the universe will know our redeemed lives are from him. Glory be to God