Today we continue our first big conversation called The Ultimate Guide to Life and Love, our big study of Philippians and today I get a chance to talk to you about something that is often missing in our spirituality. In so many ways what we are talking about today can be the missing ingredient to so many Christian lives in our culture today. It can also be something that many Christians misunderstand, and because it’s either misunderstood or simply ignored for many people Christianity can feel like shallow, and like a pretty empty experience on a personal level…and maybe the bigger tragedy is that Jesus isn’t shared with people around us who need the love and redemption of Christ as much as we all do. Today we are going to talk about working out our salvation, and it’s important to take note here, I didn’t say you are working for your salvation but that you are working out of your salvation. But before we get into all that I do want to talk about last week, because not only was it an important message but Paul’s message just keeps building and building, doesn’t it? So last week we read Philippians 2:5-11, which was so good…
Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NIV
Last week was a really important message to me on a personal level because this concept of the attitude of Christ that Paul would say we must have, is a life and attitude of humble obedience, and while I always would have read that and agreed with that, I think as life on this planet has continued to push in hard on me, I can truly see something that we all must see. That when we have the attitude of Christ, when we can humbly obey, we can live with peace, and joy, and freedom even with all the world throws at us, which is a lot. This attitude of humble obedience means that we will live a life of trusting God and living out the plans and purposes God has for us even though it won’t be easy, or even make sense at times. We live in a world where people are so hurtful, they are jealous and envious, selfish ambition is all around us, people let us down and disappoint us, they are living in their own worlds with no interest in listening to us…and that’s just the people, the world just pushes in so hard, and life throws so many challenges, and so much pain and disappointment our way and I wanted you to see, that what allows us to experience life to the full, in the middle of all that mess, and pain, and confusion is this attitude of Christ that we are told by Paul (who’s life was really hard by the way) that we must have. We took time to look at Jesus’ life and just some of the challenges and painful moments that He walked through with humble obedience, and I wanted you to ask you an important question, and that question was do you fight life, or can you trust God? It’s hard to trust God in this world where life is hard, things don’t seem to ever work out the way we want, and even our hopes and prayers can feel like they aren’t being answered. When we have the attitude of Christ and live in humble obedience, we experience the full life God designed for us, and we can walk in step with God’s plan for our lives because we are living out God’s will…so even when it doesn’t totally make sense, or feels painful, we trust and know that God has us right where He wants us. We make life so much harder when we fight life, and we fight life when we refuse to take on this life of humble obedience…this attitude that we must have. Then Paul continues and we get into what Ken, and I will be talking to you about over the next two weeks.
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. NIV
So, we have a lot to jump into with this scripture, while it’s one big sentence there is plenty to talk about, with two very big ideas for sure. Next week Ken will continue talking to you about the importance of obedience and surrender next week, but what really stood out to me is that idea in verse 12 that we are to continue to work out our salvation. So, we all understand the importance of working out right…I know the older I get the more important a good physical workout would be for my health, but those workouts seem to be getting harder to do, and much harder to recover from than they did years ago! But I think we would all agree that working out is important for our physical health. Well one of the things that we really get excited to talk about with you early and often at MRC is the fact that when it comes to our Spiritual Health it’s just as important that we are working out and growing in our faith. I love what Paul says to Timothy here in the Message version…
1 Timothy 4:6 You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the Christians there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. 7 Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God — no spiritual flabbiness, please! 8 Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. 9 You can count on this. Take it to heart. MSG
Our spiritual health is a big deal, Paul says that a disciplined life in God makes us fit both for today and forever…and we know that while most people don’t care about or are really worried about the concept of forever as they enjoy today, eternity is a very long time, while today in comparison to forever would be less than the blink of an eye. You know I told you as we were getting started here today that we would talk about something that is often missed in our faith, and this is it. The concept of Christianity is not something you show up and do on a Sunday morning to ensure you’re going to Heaven today, it’s not a checklist of things you can’t do anymore, Christianity is a way of living our lives each and every day. It’s a lifestyle. This is often missed or forgotten or maybe just misunderstood, that our faith is active, it’s a way of living our lives…it is not something that gets in the way of how we want to live our lives, it’s not something we are stuck doing on a Sunday morning a couple of times a month, it’s a way of living. Some people get frustrated when they hear Ken or I start to talk about serving and sharing the love of Christ with people, they think we do this to leverage people to do things…no, we are just asking those who call themselves Christians to actually be a Christian. People get tired of hearing us try to lead them to a personal walk with God and spending time with God and wonder why we continue to push in on that so often, well I will tell you it’s because we are asking you to be Christians. So, if you call yourself a Christian, that means that you are living this out, there is no such thing as a non practicing Christian. Christianity is a lifestyle. So, let’s go back to our Scripture and start really breaking it down.
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. NIV
So, Paul is showing us how to live out our faith and to do that we are to obey and to follow Jesus, working out our salvation, as God works in us, willing and acting according to His purposes…which is just an awesome thought. Next week Ken will really be hanging out in this concept, but I did want to show you a special little note for studying Paul’s writings…and it’s a key word he uses when he is building off something he has already said…and we saw it as verse 12 started…the word is ‘Therefore.’ Anytime we see that word ‘therefore,’ that is Paul’s way of saying, look back to something he has just previously written, and what did Paul just tell us?
Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NIV
So, we are to have the attitude of Christ. Jesus lived a life of humble obedience, fully trusting God’s will and living it out…therefore He is now exalted to the highest place of honor and given the greatest name above all names. When we see that word therefore, we look back and we can clearly see what Paul is teaching can’t we? Like I said Ken will hit this therefore, which takes us back to humble obedience and surrender really hard next week, but I want to keep thinking through this concept of this active lifestyle of our faith. Paul is constantly pointing us to how Jesus lived. Last week we spent a lot of our time looking at the life Jesus lived, He is the example, He shows us how it’s done. He challenges us to live as He lived…did you know that in the Gospels Jesus says over 19 times the phrasing “follow me.” Remember, anytime we see something on repeat in Scripture it should be sending off signal flairs to us that it is really important, and something said by Jesus over 19 times would be an extremely big deal, and Jesus says follow me, live like I lived, Jesus who served and loved and brought his strength to the world, over 19 times challenges us to follow Him…to live out our faith as He showed us how. The model is Jesus, and our faith is active and a way of living our lives. Christianity is a lifestyle so remember that when MRC challenges you to serve and spend time with God we aren’t challenging you to do things for our sake, we are challenging you to be a Christian.
So, as we move towards my main point today, I did want to point something out here that really catches my eye. Paul says this in verse 12…
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 NIV
In the NLT verse 12 reads this way…
Philippians 2:12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. NLT
Paul says that you always obeyed and followed my instructions when I was with you, please keep doing that when I’m not around. Remember where Paul is writing this letter from prison. He isn’t with them right now, and he says something here that I really wanted to touch on because it really stood out to me. The real test of spiritual maturity is what happens when you are alone, when no one is looking, or when none of your Christian peers are watching you. Let’s take the term Spiritual Maturity away and just talk about maturity for a moment. What is the test for a child? How do they behave when mom and dad aren’t around? I mean, how many of us when the kids were young would sneak up on them once and a while just to see what they were up to? I know one of the funniest things for me would be sneaking into the kitchen when I would hear cabinets and drawers opening as my youngest Sydney figured out that she could use draws as a ladder to get on the counter and reach the cookies and candy in the top cabinet! She wouldn’t do that if mom or dad was in the kitchen but would sneak in there and make that climb to the candy when no one was looking! Ha, it’s cute when they are little, but it’s immaturity.
We see this in adults all the time to…at work we work harder when the boss is around and slack off a bit when the boss isn’t around. We clean up our language and our behaviors around our Christian friends, or church family and we act really good when the Pastor or the Pastor’s wife is around right? The true measure of our maturity is seen when no one is looking…and the same is true with our Spiritual Maturity. Paul is saying just because I’m in prison and not there for accountability doesn’t mean you should not continue to live out your faith. We obey and follow Jesus when everyone is looking, and when no one is looking. So, before we move on, take a moment and think about your life…are you the same person everywhere you go? Are you the same person at work, at home, and at church? Are you the same person when people are looking that you are when no one is looking? This is an important marker of your spiritual maturity.
So, let’s get into the big point of the day. What does it really mean to work out our salvation? Our verse of the day said this…
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. NIV
So, what does that really mean? How do I work out my salvation? Well, this is the part that some Christians really twist up and get confused in and I want to make this tremendously clear! This is NOT us working for our salvation. A lot of people think they must work for their salvation, but we don’t work for our salvation, Jesus did that hard work right? Let’s look at a couple of fun words in Scripture on this idea of who does what to earn our salvation.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. NIV
Titus 3:4 But—”When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” NLT
Our job is to simply believe, and Jesus takes care of the rest…
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. NIV
I want you to clearly see this…we work out our salvation, we do not work for our salvation. That is Jesus’ job, and far too many people can quote John 3:16, and Ephesians 2:8 but continue to try to work for their salvation…and anytime we do that we are minimizing Jesus Christ and what He did for us on The Cross, and anytime we minimize Jesus and what He did for us, we are now walking in religion, which leaves us tired, self-focused, and well…not walking in the attitude of Christ that Paul says we must have.
So, if it’s not about working for our salvation what does it mean to work out our salvation? Well, let’s switch over to The Message version and read our Scripture again…
Philippians 2:12 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. 13 That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. MSG
Well now we are getting somewhere, we are to work out our salvation and here what do we see? We live a life of responsive obedience to God’s commands…and we are to live with a strength, and fresh energy, that comes from the love of Christ in us. So, we are to live with joy, and energy and freedom because of what Jesus did for us, and with a focus on God and what He wants for us. This energy comes from God and gives us a passion to live differently and remember being a Christian is more than just showing up at church or following some checklist of dos and don’ts…it’s a lifestyle. But sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing isn’t it? We have discussed how hard and disappointing and challenging this world is, so how do we find this energy? Well, we find it with God focus, and constantly rallying around what Jesus has done for us…we focus on the gift of grace and the amazing work of Jesus Christ for us, the undeserving sinners that we are…Scripture tells us this is what we center and rally around to stay energetic and focused and living out our faith…you know, being Christians.
Hebrews 12:1 Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. 2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! MSG
So you could say that working out your salvation is being a Christian. It’s active, it’s a lifestyle, and it all starts with what Jesus did for us on the cross. If you want to work out your salvation, we have to do a couple of things.
First – we must clearly understand that we aren’t working for our salvation, that is Jesus’ job not ours. Our job is to believe then rally around what Jesus did for us on The Cross.
Second – this is really going to shock you, we must walk in a daily, and consistent relationship with God. This means that we are staying connected to Jesus, because we know that apart from Jesus we can do nothing…we know that because Jesus told us that right?
John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. NIV
We stay connected to Jesus in prayer, in reading and focusing on God’s word, and centering our lives and focusing on Him.
Third – we understand that to be a Christian is a lifestyle, it’s active, it’s a way of living. Christianity is more than showing up to church on a Sunday, it’s actually a way of living that leads us to that elusive life that the full that Jesus told us He came to provide for us. Remember over 19 times Jesus tells us to follow Him…we are to follow and obey, it’s a way to live our lives.
Fourth – we understand that an active life in Christ means we love, we serve, we trust God, and we walk in the attitude of humble obedience that Christ had and modeled for us. Far too many Christians can’t hear what Paul is showing us, aren’t listening to what Jesus called us into, and aren’t willing to work out their salvation…they don’t understand what it truly means to be Christian and because of that their faith is shallow, their lives are empty, and they spend their days wondering when their churches will finally give them the thing they need to experience a full life in Christ…while the church and Scripture keep pointing to loving, serving, and living different…while most people hear that and wonder, what else the church has for them. Christianity is a way of living, it’s not just checking some boxes, it’s transformation love and a way to live that brings depth and purpose to our lives…and far too many Christians are missing that and waiting for the Pastors or churches to bring another way to find the kind of life they keep reading about in Scripture…always hearing the message and asking, what else you got?
So, as we close here today I want you to take some time and reflect, really personalize this today with some questions.
- How do you view your faith? Is it a lifestyle, or just a box you need to check on Sundays?
- Would you say that you are working out your salvation?
- When you think about your spiritual journey would you say that you get caught in the trap of trying to work for your salvation?
- Think through your Spiritual Maturity right now. Are you the same person everywhere you go? Are you the same person in front of your church friends or your pastor that you are at work, or out in the community?
- When you hear the church talk of serving, bringing strength to others, and living out this life of love…how do you perceive that? Is it something the church does to manipulate people to do things for the church or could it be asking you to actually be a Christian?
- Are you connected to God daily? Jesus says if we aren’t we can’t do anything.
- Were you at one time really passionate about living out this active life of a Christian but over time you have gotten flat, or tired of it? When you find yourself in those moments, do you rally around and focus on Jesus and what He did for you on the Cross?
- When was the last time you really spent time focusing on what Jesus has done for you and the gift of grace in your life?
Listen, we love you and we want to see you living out your faith. We want to see you energetically working out your salvation, but you can’t work out something that you aren’t allowing God to work in you. Please center your life on Christ and practice your faith. It’s more than just a label, or something we do on Sunday, or some tool churches use to try and get us to do things for us, it’s a lifestyle where we follow and obey and it leads to peace, and joy, and that life to the full things we are all looking for.
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. NIV