Good morning, used to the East Lake and other friends watching from around the country or maybe even outside of the country. I don't know. These things are being recorded on YouTube so it's hard to know who is watching. In any case, I hope your week has been a good week and this morning we continue with our short series on the book of Philippians. We're picking up chapter two, the middle of chapter two verses 12 through 18. If you recall, we ended where Paul in Philippians 2, 1, 3, 11 ended that particular passage with this highlight of Christ's humiliation but his exaltation as well and then Paul mentions how after Christ goes to the grave and rises again that God elevates him or exalts him to the highest of all places. And as we're going to be reading from verses 12, you see that Paul is in fact continuing from that aspect of Paul mentioning that this is how Christ was humiliated but also exalted by God and then he says we encourage the church to have the same humility as Christ. Have the mind of Christ which is yours by faith and so Paul is going to be picking from that. My sister is going to be reading, Eunice is going to be reading the Spanish for us from Philippians 2, 12 through 18 and then I will be reading the English passage as well.
Salvation with Timor and Timbler, because God is always in you both wanting to do it so that your good will be fulfilled, do everything without sin, nor do you understand, so that you are untouchable and pure, children of God, do not blame in the middle of a generation, tortured and depraved, in which in them you burn like star in the firmament, maintaining the word of life, so in the day of Christ I feel that I have not ever run my work in vain and although my life is out of frame about the sacrifice and service that produce suffering, I am happy and share with all of you my joy, so also you are happy and share your joy with me. Again we're reading from the book of the Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 through 18. Would you now hear the reading of God's holy word? 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, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 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, 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, 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. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Would you pray with me? Lord we thank you again for your word. Would you use it to encourage us, to fill us with hope, and to help us to understand it, believe it, and be transformed by it. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. You know I most of you know, all of you know that I come from a country that's known for its long distance runners. I often when I meet people, new people, they usually ask me, so do you run? And I usually respond, yes, and then they say, do you run marathons? And I say, no way. I don't think have the discipline to run a marathon. That's a hard thing to do. And I also know that there's some of you here in the East Lake that love to run, maybe half marathons or just a full marathon. I don't know, but we all know that if you're going to run a marathon, you must be prepared to train hard and prepare for it. Otherwise you're not going to survive, not even the first mile, because running is exhausting, isn't it? If you've ever run and I like to run, not marathons, it's exhausting. And long distance running requires a lot of discipline. It requires hard work. Physically, mentally, you have to be all in to be able to do it. You see, it's possible for us to sit on our couches and read books or read statistics or read stuff about running. Read, you know, do some research and what would it take for me to win a marathon? I mean, we can even go buy the resources, right? Go buy the best shoes, the best running shoes money can get you, but the truth of the matter is, even if you bought the best shoes that money can buy you, they will not save you when it comes to running a marathon. If you are not training and prepared, nothing will save you. Not even if you have some kind of blood in you, it's not going to work. They also have to work hard. They have to train. See, Paul loves using the image or the metaphor or the analogy of an athlete in all his epistles. He uses one in the text that we just read towards the end. He uses this analogy many other times in his epistles. And I think it's really a fitting metaphor for the Christian life, for good reason, because the Christian life is a lot like running a long distance race. That unless we get out into the field, unless we get out and trained and be prepared, we will never learn, we will never grow, we will never know how to run. That we are in training as Christians always in training, as we live out our Christian life here, and now growing in the likeness of Christ by resting in what he has already done for us, but also as active participants of what he's doing in our lives. That we rest confidently in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, but also actively pursuing Christ's life conduct in everything. That's what Paul has been telling the church in Philippine. That's the example that Paul gave to the church in Philippine verses in chapter 2 verse 5 through 11, telling them about the humility of Christ that he did not consider a quality of thing to be grasped and all those things. And then he told them to have this mind of Christ. Now Paul is telling the church, this is what Christ's likeness, this is what the mind of Christ looks like. And the first thing I want us to see in this verses, especially verses 12 and 13 is this, that God is at work in us, but we must do. The God is at work in us, but we're called to do, to work. And so again, in light of the great truths that Paul has been expressing and writing to the church in Philippine, he now points them to what it looks like to live out the theology, to live out the theology. It would be worthless, right? Even for us as a church, if all we talked about what the great truths of our faith and those great truths had no application whatsoever for how we live. As James Montgomery Boy says, he says doctrine always leads to practical Christianity. Doctrine always leads to practical Christianity. And so this is how we ought to live in community, because when we reflect upon the cross, upon the humiliation and the exaltation of Jesus Christ, Paul is saying it must lead us to seek reconciliation with one another as those who confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And the first application that he gives to us here is in verse 12. He says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed so now, not only in my absence, but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. He says, therefore, as you have always obeyed obedience, is this active thing, you know, actively listening to God and doing what he tells us. And the example of Christ's obedience, who obeys all the way to the cross and dies on the cross, provides for us what it looks like for us to have the mind of Jesus Christ. Yet Paul is affirming, he says, my beloved, he's not criticizing, he says, as you have always obeyed, so Paul is not being legalistic, Paul is not, you know, trying to criticize the church and fillify into obedience, but actually pointing to them of this relational obedience, if you will, that it is because you know Jesus, it is because you are becoming or you are like him, it is because you are serving him. These are the things that ought to guide you as you obey Christ. Obedience is this complete submission at a submission to God's will. And it's a response to what God has already done in saving us. He's urging them to continue. He's not saying begin to obey, but he's saying, continue or in this obedience because truth be told, obedience is hard. It's not the easy road for those who come looking for instant gratification or emotional excitement. It is not for the religious tourists who come seeking for the thrill of religious experience everywhere they go. It is rather for the pilgrims who take the hard road of following in the footsteps of Jesus by being obedient, who being obedient went even to the cross. And Paul is saying that the way to continue in this Christ-like obedience is by doing what? What does he say? Work out your own salvation. And that language of working out is really the language of keep producing, keep creating, keep bringing out, keep achieving something. Paul, how do we then work out our salvation when we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus? That's what you tell us. How do we do that? I think you know, for us to understand what this means. We first need to realize the context of what Paul or why Paul is talking about, you know, working out your salvation with Ian Trimbley. The context is church unity. The context is God's people coming together as the body of Christ and disregarding vain glory and conceit and all these things and being united as one. Not the context. This is not some self-help salvation where we somehow work for our salvation but rather because you have already been saved because God already dwells in you because the the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. You are now supposed to strive towards expressing your salvation in how you live as a believer. It's an outworking, it's an outflow, it's a byproduct of your faith in Christ Jesus because the truth is we cannot earn salvation. Our salvation neither can we be perfect or cheap perfection on this side of heaven. Those are two truths. I think Paul must have been feeling like Moses felt as Moses was addressing God's people before entering the Promised Land and he's about to die and he's giving them his last remarks. He's reminding the people of God that God had not chosen them because they were many or because they were mighty but because God loved them with no other explanations. These could also be Paul's final words to the church as he's in house arrest. This could be the only final words that he asked for them and so he's encouraging them to know that they have been saved from their sins that God has delivered them from darkness into his marvelous light. Now they ought to live like it by working out that salvation in their conduct in how they live. Know that you have been saved. Now go live out that life. You know scholars always debate and there is so much debate in fact when I was preparing for this passage nobody would agree as to whether Paul is speaking or working out your salvation in a corporate sense meaning you know the salvation that we have in Christ that we are being saved and we will be ultimately saved as a corporate body of Christ. So is he speaking of salvation in an individualistic sense that you know we need to work out our personal spiritual growth which is my responsibility for me. I think it's both. I think there's a sense in which every one of us has a responsibility as an individual Christian to pursue holiness and to pursue the things of God because the Holy Spirit is at work in me working in me and sanctifying me and that God is always at work in the church in the context of unity pointing to the fact that God is at work corporately in the church uniting us that we are saved we are being saved and we will ultimately be saved. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling with fear. Why must we fear? See this is not fear of living up to the of failing to live up to the expectations that God requires of us. This is not terror it is not dread but fear of God Himself. This is Godly fear that Paul is pointing us to. It is not the fear of a lost sinner before a holy God and not ought to be a terror and dread but a fear of a true child of God before the most loving father. Not fear of what he might do to us when we slip but of the hurt that we may cause him when we don't live a life that is pleasing in his presence. Paul is saying that the fear that we ought to have must lead us to a humble submission in all and reverence. That's the fear that Paul is pointing us to in all and reverence to the God who highly exalted Christ and that is the same God that is at work in all life. That's the fear we ought to have. It's this kind of fear which I believe dispels selfish ambitions and vain glory that so quickly ruin church unity. That's it. So Paul is saying so friends now you can obey you can submit to God you can fear God because God is at work in you God is at work transforming and renewing your mind and your heart. He's the one who began the good working you don't forget that and because he began the good working you he will sustain it but ultimately he will bring it into completion and we can rest in that truth right as as Christians today. We can rest in that truth because when we are discouraged that we are not growing as we as much as we want to grow and we're thinking oh goodness I have so many idols in my own heart and they're being exposed and I feel like I should be 20 years ahead of my time in terms of my spiritual growth we can be encouraged that God is still at work sustaining it but also bring its completion even when you think that your spouse is not as sanctified as you want her to be know that God is you at work in her life because the work of building community of faith is his hard work right but the hope is that God isn't only working in me but he's working in you he's working in all of us that is presence never leaves us that God will never let his people go he never sleeps and he tirelessly works in our lives and his work is effective. He says for God he says for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure two aspects that Paul actually brings out here in terms of aspects that are at work or it actually if you will when we're working is the will and the deed and by the way those two things the will and the action itself they are our downfall what do I mean due to our sin we either cannot bring ourselves to do the right thing or even after we have chosen the right thing to do we fail to do it the struggle is real isn't it but even when I've chosen the right thing to do and I know that's the right thing I'm supposed to do I should find myself not doing it why because sin has corrupted both the power to choose but also the power to accomplish what I've chosen to do and yet God yet God affectionately and ceaselessly isn't work in us both to will and to work to recreate our wheels so that our wheels align with his will that's how we work that's the work we're called to do and yet the good news for all of us is that God doesn't just work on those whom he thinks they'll he will have or he will receive a favorable response or I'm seeing so and so has a better chance of listening to me and doing what I want him to do that's not how God works or you've done it all by yourself but all you need is just a little bit of a boost from God so now God is going to come and give you a little boost no he works for his good pleasure his divine will his free choice because he wants to and because of that nothing and no one can stop his ongoing work he he that works sanctifying you our wheels must be bound to God's will for us to be able to work on being crust like he's at work and the truth is apart from the Holy Spirit's work you know our wheels we really don't have any free will as far as spiritual matters are concerned right I cannot choose God you cannot choose God we cannot choose God he chooses us it's only by his grace that he is able to stoop down and reach to us and then we are enabled to see the way and walk in that way Paul tells us also in Romans three nothing else can bring humanity to God unless he was not even coronavirus unless God act to make people come to him no miracle on the face of this earth is going to bring anybody to him nothing only God acting brings people to himself again although God cannot be satisfied by any good works that come from us he is satisfied and pleased with the good that is done by believers through the power of Christ within as Paul says in Ephesians 2 8 through 10 the truth is we work because God works we work because God works God is the infinite worker the one who is able to empower and make or finite work an expression of God's work himself and so it is God's work in us which propels us which empowers us which gives meaning to everything that we do otherwise everything would all be in vain amazing isn't it and then in verses 14 to the end so that's God is at work in us and yet this is what he's calling us to do the work that we're being called to do secondly God is at work in us but we must be the idea of being then who then do we become if God is at work in us and again obedience is the way we enter our submission to God is the way we enter in experience into the totality of what God is doing in us okay since he is at work he is doing it all we must do it all did you hear that this is not a God is doing 80% that you're doing 20% of 50 50 now this is 100% God doing and 100 percent us doing it's a total response to his all to his all sufficiency so Paul says do all things without grumbling or without disputing do all things that working out our salvation mean doing all things for the glory of God yes even eating and drinking Paul says elsewhere for follows there's no compartmentalization of our lives you don't have a sacred life that you show up on church and now I'm going to be a nice person and then when I go back home that's my secular life and I'm going to act in a different way no for us as Christians our whole life must reflect when we are as followers of Jesus Christ so what do we do with slogans that we hear all the time like let go and let God get out of the way so that God can do it go as far as you can then leave the rest of God or God helps those who help themselves all those are not biblical slogans they are contrary to what the Bible calls us on our reliance our dependence on God it is all because of God's presence with us effectively working in us that we can be that we can be the children of God the people that serve him and live for him isn't it interesting that Paul says do all things he gives no specifics but then he says what to do all things without grumbling and without disputing Paul is calling us with this outward display of an inner nature we have a new new nature in us right a new heart that Christ has given to us and so the goal is to live without complaining or disputing so that we may show ourselves he says to be children of God that the the great glory of Christian ethics that it calls us to be what we are Alec Motier says I love it that the great glory of Christian ethics is that it calls us to be what we are I think these two words complaining and disputing really remind us in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers chapter 14 right remember the Israelites in the wilderness and they've been rescued and here they are they're complaining to Moses and to Aaron and they actually want thing to go back take us back to Egypt where we had meat and leeks and cucumbers and all these things they forgot about the slavery right take us back we don't like it but the problem was not just complaining to Aaron and Moses was really a rebellion against God himself would redeem them now Paul doesn't tell us what the church in Philippi was complaining about but it seems that they were complaining but all we know is that the church in Philippi was being persecuted is it possible that the church in Philippi was complaining and disputing because of their suffering I think it's something for us to ponder especially as we do with this virus that's causing so much hurting to ponder today as we suffer if we're complaining before God so he says do all things that are complaining so that we may be blineless children of God isn't something I mean this is not something that's unachievable Paul is not speaking of some wishful thinking he's actually telling them this is a present reality you are children of God so be who you are that God through his son of adopted you as his children the question is what then are you going to are you going to do about it you already in Christ you belong to him what are you going to do what must be your way of life and he's saying that our actions must must must must live or you know that there are actions and how we live must be the proper outgrowth of the life of God in the child of God but then when our conversations when our speech when our life is filled with or lays with complaints and personal attacks then we lose credibility as children of God right look let me just spend a little bit of time you're talking about what grumbling means you know because we we use that word and maybe we don't even know what what it is to complain before God grumbling as someone puts it is self-complaining it is unbalanced criticism of small matters it is impatience or having being impatient with others or towards what we don't understand it is expressed outwardly what about disputing disputing is inward right it happens inside it's an attitude of mind and heart it corresponds to outward display of our yes complaining of our grumbling and so these two words really kind of cover all the actions towards others and to our thoughts about them complaining and disputing is what reveals our refusal to submit ourselves to Jesus as a world word it's a rebellious heart a rebellious heart that's never satisfied with God's blessings it's a rebellious heart that says keeps on asking for something more it's never enough I need something else you give me this but I need something else it's never enough for us and so in a positive way Paul encourages the church and he says the way the child of God is to be blingless and innocent in verses 15 that we're called to not to unjustly criticize others but to make sure that we are not living in such a way as to invite criticisms from others I mean it doesn't matter what people think about us yes it does matter sometimes we think right it does matter what people think about us it will call to remove any causes for others to make accusations against us and sometimes yeah I think it's hard for us to you know not not have false accusations laid against us we can't avoid it but we shouldn't live in such a way that others are unsure of who we are the call to be blameless that has to do with how we appear before God our Father Himself do you know that this is why Jesus saved you but the Holy Spirit is doing work in you so that in the end you're presented before the Father as blameless as unblemished which is the character of Jesus Christ Himself that's having the mind of Christ and so we demonstrate who we are when we become blameless and pure and without fault in the way we relate with others and that we are to express the reality of who we are in our life and in our conversations but notice how difficult it is for us to be and to live this way you realize it's hard I'm sure we all do right because Paul tells us to do all these things to be blameless and pure to do and not to complain and not to dispute but what is our setting he says our setting is a crooked and twisted generation and then Paul uses this beautiful illustration of us being life goodness gracious how are we going to be lies in such a crooked and twisted generation lies here of something that does what it does what it has to do by being what it ought to be did you hear that light if something that does what it has to do by being what it ought to be and that's our foundation for doing that's our foundation for being and like the light we must be if we are to do if we want to do if we want to serve God if we want to be if we want to do the things that God is calling us then we must be we must be the children of God we must be the light if you want the Lord to use us to bear witness in our community we need to set aside everything that divides us so that we may be what he wants us to to be and of course the brightest and the most glorious of all lights is what he has already indicated to us it is Christ himself who comes exposing our sin illuminating our hearts and minds the one who keeps on transforming us so that we may bear witness of who he is see friends we are the shining light in Eastlake community do you believe that that you are the star in Eastlake you are the shining light may God grant us favor so that we may shine brighter each day because Jesus is at work in us he wants us to be this shining light illuminating the way home for those that are lost in this crooked generation lost in their sin you know just like the sailors in in pause days who do not by the way have GPS systems to guide them to go into the harbor they relied on on stars in the middle of the night to prop their course to a safe harbor I pray that God would not would not let us retreat into our exclusive church only clubs where we claim nobody else can come in here and we do not want to go into the world because we don't want to be contaminated the God would help us so that we may bear witness of his glorious thing that is given to us to love our neighbors and to love them well as one pastor said quote truth leads to action and there is no value to a mountain top experience unless it helps us to live in the valleys speaking of Christians you know retreating into the mountains and somewhere too high so that they're not contaminated with the world you are a star a light that should shine be visible in your community let those around you see you see your faith in word indeed let them see you not that they may praise you and glorify you but so that they may see Jesus and glorify your father who is new is in heaven this is who you are be live act who you are and instead of complaining and disputing proclaim the word of truth the word of life as Paul puts it hold fast to the word of life in verses 16 Paul says because without this word of life it's impossible to be the kind of follow us the Jesus wants us to be we will not be able to shine as lights in a dark world we cannot also make that claim that we're holding fast to the word of life and not have the mind of Christ we cannot be the light and not shine if we are the light we must shine and Paul in verses 16 through 18 which is kind of difficult as he's giving this expression of pouring of light basically in a sacrificial light and then talking about rejoicing whether he's dying or not or whether church is going to die because of persecution we don't know what Paul means at least I do not know but the idea is that time will come when after all the obedience and pursuit of Christ when Jesus comes and finds us faithful not because of what we've done but because of what Christ has been doing in us that all the work all the things that we have done and everything that we have been will be worth it and this is what is going to guide us against being overwhelmed by the miseries of this life when the Philippian church is dealing with persecution and we find ourselves dealing with our own share of suffering the question becomes what will keep us grounded in Christ so that we are not tossed and turned by the ever changing circumstances of life today the truth is the only thing that's going to keep us grounded is holding fast to the word of life so that we may effectively hold it out and Jesus does promise that he will hold us fast. A friend of mine now I'll go share the story a story about a group of ladies that were studying in a Bible study and they came across the book of Malachi chapter 3 verse 3 which says he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver and so the ladies were so confounded and befuddled by this passage and they wondered what does this really mean in terms of God's character and his nature it's a one of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and then she would come back and report to the Bible study so she made an appointment with the silversmith without telling the silversmith the purpose or the reason why she wanted to find out more about silver refining she came and visited him and sat there and she watched the silversmith as he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up and the silversmith would explain to her that he held to he had to sit there and he needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest it was the only way to burn away all the chaff and all the impurities and so the woman sat there and thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver and then she asked the silversmith is it true that you have to sit here the whole time in front of the fire when the silver is being refined and the man answered absolutely yes and he said not only do you have to sit here but I actually have to keep my eyes on the silver every moment I cannot leave I cannot take my eyes off of it because if the silver was to be left in the fire just for a little while longer it would be completely destroyed and the woman sat there and silence just thinking and then she had this big question that she asked of the silversmith and she said so sir how then do you know when the silver is ready and the silversmith smiled and looked at her and he said that's the easy part that's the easy part when I see my image reflected on the silver friends isn't it amazing that God is patiently working on us adjusting the heat and clearing away the scum until his face is reflected on us that he's making us into his beautiful children he's maturing us through every trial and everything else that we face so that one day he may present us before the Father as blameless pure children of God may that be true for us now we count it all joy as we keep working it out working out our salvation with fear and trembling pray with me Heavenly Father we do thank you thank you for your word that you are truly at work refining and purifying us for your glory as you continue working in all lives we pray that you will give us the grace the strength the endurance and the patience to keep working because you are at work in us you pray this in Christ's name. Amen