Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
Notice Paul didn’t say, work for your salvation, or toward your salvation, but work out
your salvation. According to verse one of this book, he is writing to those who are already
saved.
A man comes to the gates of heaven and is met by St. Peter. "What do I have to do to get in?" Peter says, "It takes a thousand spiritual points to get into heaven. What have you done?" The man begins to recite his accomplishments: "I went to church every Sunday, attended every prayer meeting and fellowship dinner, read my Bible each morning and shared the gospel with everyone I met. What is more, I tithed ten percent of all I made, sang in the choir, cooked Thanksgiving turkeys for the Senior Citizen's dinner and EVEN HELPED WITH THE JUNIOR HIGH BAPTIST YOUTH..." For two hours he went on reciting an awesome list of all he had done for God. Peter looked at with love and said, "That's very impressive! It will add up to one spiritual point." The guy was flabbergasted! "You mean to tell me that everything I've done, the sweat I've poured, money I've given and time I've spent is only worth a SINGLE POINT?? "I've got one point and it takes ONE THOUSAND to get into heaven? LORD, HAVE MERCY!!" Peter replied, "Oh, that will be worth the other 999. You can come on in." 1
We know the Bible teaches us that our salvation comes only by God’s grace and mercy, not by any of our works. Jesus is the only way to heaven. Someone has said, the Christian life is not a life of ups and downs but rather a life of ins and outs. God works in, and we work out The phrase "work out" means to carry to out to the goal, or to carry to its ultimate or final conclusion. As a student works out a math problem, we are to bring our salvation to its ultimate conclusion: being like Christ As a miner works out the silver or gold buried deep in the mine, so we are to work thru all the difficulties of life to bring our life like Christ! As a farmer works out his fields to bring about the goal of a bountiful harvest, so we are to labor faithfully t become like Christ! 2
I-WORK IT OUT WITH COMMITMENT: V-12, “obeyed”
1-Paul was aware that obedience to Christ was the key to living the Christian life.
2-There is the problem of obedience in our homes, in our schools, in our government, and even in the Church. But God requires it, and if we fail to obey Him, He will take us to the wood shed.
3- William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony of pilgrims, insisted, "Those who believe in the Holy Scriptures are bound to observe its teachings. Those who do not are to be bound by its consequences." 3
4-You have probably seen such signs many times. When a company takes over another company, there is often a sign placed outside the premises announcing, "Under New Management." No sign so accurately summarizes what takes place in Christian conversion. When Christ takes over a life, that life is literally "under new management." How hard it is to learn this lesson, and to acknowledge the new authority in our lives! How hard it is for those who have obeyed the flesh, to obey the Lord Jesus Christ! But that is required in being a Christian. 4
4-These Christians were obedience not only in Paul presence, but also in his absence.
II-WORK IT OUT WITH CAUTION: V-12, “fear and trembling”
1-Paul doesn’t mean that they might lose their salvation, but that they must use it in the proper way to honor God, and respect Him.
2-A little boy who got saved, said to his friend, I got a new heart? His friend said, let me see it?
3-The world is asking us the same question, if we say we are saved, and got a new heart, they want to see some changed actions in our lives. They should see our living for Jesus, not the devil.
4-For us to do this, we must have an awe for God knowing He is judging us.
5-I read a story about C.T. Studd told by his roommate. His roommate woke to find him in the corner of the room reading the the Bible by candle light. He asked him why was he doing this at such a late hour? He replied, I felt like I was not close enough to God, so I was reading His Word to see if I had disobeyed any of His commands. (He had learned what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.)
III-WORK IT OUT WITH CONFIDENCE: V-13, “God which worketh in you”
1-It means God is giving you the strength or the power to walk the Christian life.
2-When I was in the Air Force, I had to work town patrol for a few months while stationed in Okinawa. It was a real rough job, for we had to deal with the Air Force, the Army, the Navy and the Marines when they came to town. I remember one time, my partner and I were called to this bar to break up a fight, I went in and told them, they had better straighten up or they would be in trouble. You say was not you scared? no, because my partner working with me was a 6’4” paratrooper, and so I was confidence we could handle the job.
3-It is the same way in the Christian life, I don’t live this life alone, I have a heavenly ally, and His name is God which worketh in me to help me overcome life’s battles.
IV-WORK IT OUT WITH CONTROL: V-14, “without murmuring and disputings”
1-We are not to be controlled by the flesh or the old man and get involved in debating or complaining but practice the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
2-Many would not like Paul ‘s preaching, for sometimes it is negative, as he is here.
3-But may I remind you, you cannot crank you car up unless you have a negative and positive cable connected to your battery. Also in our Christian life, we need both the negative and the positive.
4-I would always tells my three girls to stay out of the road while playing. That was a negative statement, but it was for their good. God also has to tell us some negative things but it is always for our good, for God knows what best for you and I.
VI-WORK IT OUT WITH CONSECRATION: V-15, “blameless and harmless”
1-When it says, “be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke”, it is talking about our character as a Christian in the world.
2-When it says we are to be blameless, it means to deal with the sins in our life. We could not be blameless if we were both a Christian and a drug dealer.
3-Harmless means we are pure or sincere. The young people of today would say, “he is real.”
4-If you and I are without rebuke, it means, we are without blemish.
5-While at Mobile College, I heard a peachier get up and give a testimony of something that happen in his life. He was working part-time at an service station after school. He said, he had tried to witness to his boss but had no success. One night he was changing tires on a car and was putting the full hub caps back on. He said, when he would take his rubber hammer and hit them at top, the bottom would pop out, and when he hit them at the bottom, the top would pop out. He got angry and took his rubber hammer and threw it against the wall in a rage. At the same time, his boss walked in and said with a loud voice, “oh preacher, I am surprised at you.” He said, he had lost his testimony concerning this man because he was with rebuke before him.
VI-WORK IT OUT WITH COMMUNICATION: V-15, “shine”
1-He says first of all, we are to “shine as lights in the world.” He is talking about our influence on others concerning showing Christ to them.
2-A preacher once said in a revival meeting that he had a man who worked near the Church in a store. He had talked to the man about being saved but he had not reponsed. One Sunday, this man came to Church and during the invitation, walked down the aisle and got saved. The Preacher said what was it that changed your mind? was it my sermon? or the choir special? what was it? He said, no, it was none of those things but it was your 12 year old son. I watch his play sometimes in the park across from the store. I know you son is the star pitcher on the team. I have noticed on Wednesday night when the chimes begin to play indication it is time for prayer meeting, that your son, no matter what the pitch is, no matter what the score is, he throws down his glove and heads for prayer meeting. He said, preacher, if Jesus means that much to a 12 year old boy, I want him too.
3-Second, Paul says, we sometime must “hold forth the Word of life.” We must take the Bible and communicate it to those who are lost.
4-Sometimes they will get saved, other times, they will not. But our job is just to hold forth the Word and leave the results up to God.
VII-WORK IT OUT WITH CELEBRATION: V-16, “Rejoice”
1-Someone has said, “joy is the flag which is flown form the castle of the heart when the king is in residence there.” And in the same way, when Jesus is abiding in our hearts, joy will be overflowing in our lives because Jesus has and does make the difference.
2-As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of them." 5
Conclusion-Are you allowing Jesus to work out His glorious salvation in you? Is there anything hindering your spiritual growth? If so, repent and make things right with Jesus,for it is Jesus and only Him who has saved us.
Rodney "Gypsy" Smith trusted Christ in November, 1876. Reaffirmed his decision a few days later in a Methodist chapel. An old man asked if he had trusted Jesus and nothing else. The lad replied, "I cannot trust myself, for I am nothing. I cannot trust what I have, for I have nothing. I cannot trust what I know, for I know nothing." 6
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