Discover Joy in Christ by Being a Light in the World

Philippians 2:12–18 ESV

12 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, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:12–13 ESV

12 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, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Working Out Your Salvation

This verse isn’t saying we can do anything to save ourselves. The only way our sins can be forgiven, the only way we can be cleansed of the blight sin creates in our lives, the only way we can be made righteous in the eyes of our holy God is through the blood of Jesus Christ. The sin offering which He poured out for us on the cross is what has saved us.

So, what does it mean to work out your salvation? It means to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life to become a better vessel for God to use. It means to dig deeper into your faith. It means to become a stronger Christian. It means you are allowing Him to work in your life and allow Him to be the light which shines from the lives His Holy Spirit is guiding us to live.

2 Peter 3:18 ESV

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

1 John 5:4 ESV

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

We have to allow God the freedom to work His will in our lives.

Philippians 2:13 ESV

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

God wants to do incredible things through your life. He wants to use you in miraculous ways. He wants to do God-sized things in your life so that people can see His works through you.

However, the moment those God-sized things become about you and what you did, the miraculous ends. God has to be at the center of all you do for Him. If you take any of the credit, you have lessened what God has done through you.

Philippians 2:14 ESV

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

This simple little verse is the one that is the turning point of things going from God being in charge to us. When we start grumbling and fighting over this, that, and the other, we have allowed the focus to come off of God and the focus to be brought to us.

Mark and I for two weeks now have talked about living lives according to what God wants from us. There are ways to handle things even when we don’t agree. The fruits of the Spirit should be evident through our lives. When we find the old nature come back, like I said two weeks ago, we need to take a step back and breath.

Honestly, as soon as you find the old nature creeping its way back in, you need to stop right then and there and pray. You need to ask for forgiveness right then. You need to acknowledge, as hard as it may be for you, you have allowed Satan to take an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work through a situation instead of allowing Satan to blind you to what God is really wanting to do in your life.

Why do we need to do this?

Philippians 2:15–16 ESV

15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

The message the world sends us is twisted and wrong. Think of what the world is telling us we need to accept right now which is contrary to the Word of God.

If we aren’t careful, we take the Word of God, and we try to make it fit our lives instead of our lives being transformed through it. Our lights are to be like a city on a hill.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

When you drive at night, and you are coming up on a city where the area is flat around it, you can see the lights of the city for miles.

When going through the tunnels to arrive in Pittsburgh, it is very hard to see the lights of the main city because they are obscured by the mountains which the city hides behind. Once you get through the tunnels, you can see the lights of the city clearly.

John 8:12 ESV

12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

We are supposed to have the light of life shining from us. We aren’t supposed to walk in darkness. We are supposed to walk in the light provided to us by our Savior.

How brightly is your light shining for Christ?

What causes our light to dim?

Think about this question good and hard. What causes our light to not be as bright as it should? The Sunday School answer would be sin.

What is sin?

Wait for answers.

I think when we boil sin down, it is anything which runs contrary to the Word of God. Notice what the first part of verse 16 says which we just read.

Philippians 2:16 ESV

16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

What is the Word of life?

The Word of life is the Bible which the Holy Spirit uses to help us in our daily lives. When we hear something in a sermon, when we hear something in a Sunday School Class/Small Group/D-Group/Bible Study, and it rings true with us. When we say we are being challenged by God’s Word, and we turn around and ignore scripture, that is sin.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

How bright is your light shining?

We all struggle with sin. I would be a liar in the pulpit if I tell you I have all of this mastered. None of us do. But God is working in each of our lives through His Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Paul is telling the Philippians to be a bright and shining light, not allowing sin, things contrary to the teachings of the Word of life, to dim the light that a twisted, crooked, carnal, “me first,” “do anything that makes you feel good,” world needs to see.

Look at the example Stephen sets for us.

Acts 7:59–60 ESV

59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

What in the world is going on in this verse? Stephen is being beaten to death, but instead of begging for them to stop, he cries out to God and then asks God to forgive them of the sin they were committing. The very sin they were committing was costing him his life, and he asks God to forgive them. Stephen was one messed up dude.

He was demonstrating the life were are supposed to be living. Even in death, his light was shining brightly. He was different because he allowed the Holy Spirit to work in and through him. Steven was an ordinary man who was able to do miraculous things.

Paul puts his influence with the Philippian church on the line. If you go back to the first part of verse 12 where Paul is writing about how well they were following his instruction while he was with them, but even more so now in his absence, he throws this little bombshell at them to really encourage them try to follow the teachings they were receiving from scripture.

Philippians 2:16 ESV

16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

What would have disappointed Paul more than anything else? That the Philippians would stray from the teachings of the Word of life. That they would lose the faith they had and they would begin to follow false doctrine. That they would only hold to the scripture that fit their need at the time. Paul wanted them to be fully committed to the scripture and to each other. He wanted their light to shine so brightly, as individuals and a church that there was no doubt the Holy Spirit had not only changed their lives, but was continuing to work in and through them.

And that is exactly who will change your life. That is exactly who will change Fairlawn Baptist Church. The Holy Spirit is the one who will make you aware of areas you need to work on in your life. Areas you need to turn over to Him so He can make you into a person who more resembles Christ. He will do the same thing with our church. We need to make sure we realize we are the servants of God’s.

What would make Paul realize the race he had run was worth it and that he hadn’t labored in vain was knowing the Philippian church was following the Word God had supplied them with. That they were taking His Word and applying it to their lives. That they were allowing the Holy Spirit to transform them.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I know I’m jumping ahead, but Paul sums all of this in the last chapter of this letter to Philippians.

Philippians 4:8 ESV

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

We need to focus on the positive.

Paul ends this section of this passage by saying he would be happy knowing he had spent his life in service to the Lord.

Philippians 2:17–18 ESV

17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Paul encouraged the Philippians to be happy with whatever may happen to him. He was going to be happy if he was able to come visit them again or if he was to be killed for serving God in the way he knew he was supposed to. He also wanted the Philippians to be glad for him in whatever would happen to him.

How bright does your light shine?

How is Satan dimming the light God wants you to shine?

How is Satan using events to keep you distracted from focusing your light?

Church, how is Satan doing the same thing to us as a body of believers?

Living in the Light is so much more enjoyable than living in the darkness.

Allow the Holy Spirit to come in and take of the things He needs to in your life.

Not only will you be better for it, but the Church will be as well.