SERIES: Philippians: Cheerful Sounds from a Jail Cell
The Ins and Outs of Practical Christian Living [i]
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Note: This sermon was preached in Wichita in 2019 as part of another series on Philippians and is being substituted for the earlier sermon.
Introduction: Josh called yesterday and whispered the news that he had a bad case of laryngitis and asked if I could substitute for him this morning. I didn’t exactly freak out because I was already on the schedule to preach next Sunday and I had already done the bulk of my preparation. But it does mean that we are preaching these two texts out of order.
In evangelical theology two words are rarely used together. Those are “work” and “salvation.” “Grace and salvation” go together, as do “gift and salvation,” and “faith and salvation.” But not work and salvation! True, liberal theologians often put them together, as do Mormons and Roman Catholics, but not we evangelicals! We instinctively go to Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.” And of course, there are scores of other verses we quote to establish that salvation is not something we earn but something we receive. That’s basic to our whole theology and worldview.
And that is why a phrase in our text today seems problematic and immediately raises questions. In Philippians 2:12 Paul says, “Work out your salvation.” Well, let me put you at ease; I don’t think we need to be concerned about Paul’s evangelical credentials. We’re going to discover that this text is not only not heretical; it is thoroughly orthodox and imminently practical.
In our journey through the book of Philippians, we are skipping today to chapter 2, verses 12-18. Next Lord’s Day Josh will preach on Paul’s amazing hymn in the first half of the chapter concerning the person and work of Christ. It speaks of His pre-existence, His deity, His incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His exaltation. Nowhere in the Bible will you find all those truths more beautifully summarized. But the purpose of that hymn is not just to offer us profound theology; it also has a very practical purpose.
That purpose is introduced in verse 5 with this exhortation: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” and then the Apostle goes on to describe the willingness of Jesus to abandon His awesome status with the Father, to become one of us and die for our sins. The point is clear: Jesus is the premier illustration of how we should behave toward one another in the Body of Christ—i.e., with humble, selfless, obedient service.
But that’s not the only evidence of the practical purpose of the hymn about Jesus. What immediately follows makes the same point. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now….” I’ll bet you’ve never seen a letter or a book or even a chapter in a book begin with the word, “Therefore.” That wouldn’t make any sense. “Therefore” always connects what has just been said with what is about to be said. Paul is basing the very practical advice he is about to give us in today’s text upon the illustration he has just used. Jesus demonstrated exquisite obedience to the Father, “Therefore, you must continue to obey.” In essence here’s what the logic looks like:
Major premise: We are to have the same attitude as Jesus.
Minor premise: Jesus demonstrated selfless, humble obedient service.
Conclusion: Therefore, we should work out our salvation in selfless, humble,
obedient service.
So, with that understanding of the practical context both before and after the hymn will you please stand, if you are able, for the reading of God’s Word. While my text is only verse 12-18, I want us to begin our reading with verse 5. Philippians 2:5-18:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so 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.
Now for today’s text:
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.
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.”
As I intimated earlier there is little doubt that the one phrase that catches our attention in verses 12-18 is “work out your salvation.” But please note that Paul doesn’t urge us to work for our salvation, or to work at our salvation, or even toward our salvation. Rather we are to work out our salvation. You can’t work something out if it’s not already in. In fact, just adding the next phrase should put to rest any fear that Paul has gone over to the dark side: “Work out your salvation for it is God who works in you.” God is the initiator of our salvation; we are the responders. If it weren’t that God loved us first none of us would love Him at all. If He didn’t seek us, none of us would ever seek Him.
Now the primary structure I find in this text is a basic command to work out your salvation followed by three incentives to carry it out: we should do it for the sake of God, for the sake of the world, and for the sake of those who have invested in us spiritually.
We should work out our salvation in practical Christian living for the sake of obedience to and love for God. (12-13)
Notice how Paul approaches the Philippian believers: it is with encouragement. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now.” He not only affirms his deep love for them, but he also praises their past obedience in an effort to produce continuing obedience. People need encouragement. Children do, spouses do, employees do, church members do. In fact, most people are far more motivated by encouragement than by criticism or rebuke. I’m sure Paul could have found some things to criticize them for, some areas where they weren’t measuring up. And, of course, he was not above chastising when it was called for. But he prefers to tell them how proud he is of their obedience.
Further, he affirms that their obedience has not been selective, i.e., they were not just obedient when he was with them but even in his absence. Paul’s presence was undoubtedly a powerful motive for righteous living. After all, he was an apostle, a brilliant theologian, and a powerful teacher. But now that he is a continent away, in prison to boot, there might be a tendency for the Philippians to relax their commitments. You know the old saying, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” But Paul is encouraged that the Philippian believers haven’t done that.
He then uses their past and present obedience as a motive to continue in obedience. And that brings us to the command itself: “work out your salvation.” What does that mean? I tried to come up with some other ways of saying the same thing:
Live out who you are in Christ.
Allow the Gospel you profess to fully possess you.
Be sure the transformation of your inner life is evident in your outward
experience.
Don’t treat your salvation as just a fire escape from hell.
Don’t be satisfied with anything less than growth and progress in your
Christian life.
And especially, give attention to your relationships in the Body of Christ.
I add that last point because throughout this book of Philippians relationships seem to be uppermost in Paul’s thinking. Let me try to demonstrate that. In 1:27 he presents his big idea for the whole book: “Let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ.” That’s where the title for this series came from: Gospel Worthy Living. Then in his subsequent exhortations Paul addresses over and over of the need for unity in the body of Christ. He speaks in 1:27 of standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the Gospel. Then in chapter 2:2 he urges his parishioners to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” He goes on to say they are to look out not for their own interests but for the interest of others. Even the amazing hymn about the person and work of Christ which we read earlier focuses on the fact that Jesus rejected selfish individualism in His incarnation.
Later in chapter 4 Paul will address two individuals in the church who have gotten into a nasty spat. He will tell the leaders of the church to help them resolve their differences and achieve unity. I don’t think it’s any exaggeration to say that the overall theme of Philippians is unity in the church for the sake of the Gospel. That, friends, is principally how we are to work out our salvation.
Notice, too, that we are to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling.” Why? Because this is serious business. Paul may not be present, but God is, and we should be in awe of Him and our responsibility to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel. Whenever we really love a person, we are not afraid of what that person may do to us; we are afraid of what we may do to them. We do not want to wound the heart of the other person. This fear and trembling do not send us running from God, paralyzed at the prospect of punishment. Rather they drive us to God to seek His help, and for good reason: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
The task of living the Christian life is a daunting task; in fact, it is literally impossible on our own. But God is there to help us both to will and to work. That means He is able to give us the desire to do the right thing and then the ability to do the right thing. We need both, don’t we? Sometimes we struggle with the desire. We get discouraged or we get distracted. In fact, sometimes, if we’re honest, we become apathetic and just don’t care. But more often we sincerely want to do the right thing but just can’t seem to pull it off. Paul says, God is at work in your life to help you want to do the right thing and then, more importantly, to help you actually do it. That’s an amazing promise, isn’t it?
Now there’s one more phrase I want us to consider before moving on to our second major incentive, and that is “for his good pleasure.” Why should that be of concern to us? Because God’s good pleasure or purpose always leads to our benefit. God is our creator, our Father, our friend, and everything He asks of us or brings into our lives is ultimately for our good. I know that’s hard to believe at times. When we lose a loved one or go through some serious illness or a period of joblessness, it’s hard at the time to see any purpose to it all.
But God never allows anything in the lives of His children that doesn’t have the potential of maturing us and making us more like Jesus. I think that’s the major reason the book of Job is in our Bible, or the story of Joseph, or the story of Daniel—to remind us that the worst circumstances you can imagine can be useful and beneficial in our lives because God is at work in us for His good pleasure.
So far we have seen that God Himself is our first and highest incentive to work out our salvation in practical Christian living. But there’s a second major motive offered to us here:
We should work out our salvation in practical Christian living for the sake of the lost and depraved world we live in. (14-15)
Look again at verse 14ff: “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.”
Let’s start with Paul’s description of the world he lived in. He calls it “a crooked and twisted generation.” Many of you weren’t alive in the 60’s. I was in college and seminary then and recall thinking that the world was literally going to hell in a handbasket, that society couldn’t fall into worse depravity than we were experiencing. Viet Nam protesters were blowing up government buildings and seizing control of universities. Hippies were turning on, tuning in, and dropping out by the hundreds of thousands. The sexual revolution was promoting free love and abortion on demand. It was downright scary!
But I was wrong when I thought things couldn’t get any worse. As bad as things were then, we could never have imagined that not just abortion, but infanticide and euthanasia as well, would be openly advocated by elected politicians. We could never have imagined that same sex marriage would become legal throughout the country, and that the people who hold to traditional marriage would be excoriated as bigots and Neanderthals. We couldn’t have imagined that half the states would be legalizing marijuana or that candidates of both major political parties could admit to blatant promiscuity without paying any price for it at the polls. We couldn’t have imagined the vilest profanity being used not just in Hollywood but on network TV. We couldn’t have imagined major Christian denominations hiring openly gay clergy and celebrating divorce.
It is in that kind of society that God calls His people to be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish so that we can shine as lights in a dark, dark world. These three character traits are worth examining in a little more detail. The first, “blameless,” expresses what the Christian should be to the world. His life should be such that no one can find anything in us to undermine his witness. The second, “innocent,” expresses what the Christian should be to himself. It is used, for instance, of wine that is unmixed with water or metal which has no alloy in it. When used of people, it implies absolute integrity. The third, “without blemish,” describes what the Christian should be in the sight of God. The word is used in connection with sacrifices, where it has the connotation of “fit to be offered on God’s altar.” In other words, the purity of the Christian’s life must be such that it will stand even the scrutiny of God
The person I think of first when I read words like blameless, innocent and without blemish is Daniel. We are told in Daniel 6 that the government officials under King Darius “tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally, these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.’” And by that they meant that they’d have to use religious bigotry to find fault.
Think for a moment about how you would fare if someone went through all your letters and papers, wiretapped all your phone calls, checked all your internet sites, followed you everywhere you went, and interviewed all your acquaintances concerning your moral character. Would you survive? Daniel did.
Now is Paul calling for perfection? No, I don’t think so, but he is calling for something beyond the ordinary. He’s calling us to be men and women of integrity, to stand above the crowd. I was studying in Nehemiah recently and came across a fascinating statement in chapter 7:2 where it says that Nehemiah “put Hanani in charge of Jerusalem because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.” I like that. That’s a great epitaph. That’s what Paul is asking for here in Phil. 2: we are to be men and women of integrity who fear God more than most people do.
But isn’t it interesting that he introduces these expectations with a rather unexpected command, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Is that the main thing that enables us to be blameless and innocent in His sight? Well, I don’t know if it’s the main thing, but it’s certainly an important thing, especially when it comes to unity in the Body of Christ. Grumbling or disputing is not something you typically do with yourself; it’s something that involves other people. And Paul says, “Stop it!”
I can’t help but believe Paul had the Israelites in mind here when he speaks of grumbling. When the Israelites were in Egypt they grumbled because they were in Egypt. When they got out of Egypt they grumbled because they were out of Egypt. They grumbled because they didn’t have enough to eat. When God gave them supernatural food they grumbled because it wasn’t meat. They grumbled for 40 years in the dessert and when they finally arrived in the Promised Land, they grumbled about that.
And what do we grumble about? Well, just about everything. Take a typical Sunday morning. We may grumble about the weather, the slow driver in front of us on the way to church, the distance we have to walk from the parking lot, the way people are dressed, the length of the prayers, the temperature in the sanctuary, and of course, the music. And that’s all before the preacher starts meddling.
And what do we dispute about? Just about everything. We love to argue about fine points of doctrine that don’t make a hill of beans difference in the ultimate scheme of things. We argue about the decisions of our leaders, about budget priorities, etc. Now this is not intended as a rebuke to this congregation, because frankly, First Free has had a relatively peaceful and harmonious existence. We’ve thankfully never had a church split in the 69 years since we were founded. But grumbling and disputing is sadly often in evidence in the evangelical church at large.
In the past several years the founding pastors of four of the largest and most prominent evangelical churches in the United States have resigned as major conflicts enveloped those churches. One of them, Mars Hill in Seattle, with 4,000 in attendance three years ago has actually closed its doors, the members have scattered, and many have abandoned the Church altogether. When grumbling and disputing begins to characterize the family of God it is impossible for us to shine as lights in the world.
Now Paul is not saying we should never express ourselves if we see something that isn’t right in the church or that we should never try to correct wrongs or improve the situation we find ourselves in. Constructive criticism should always be welcome in the church and is extremely valuable. But there’s a huge difference between constructive criticism and a complaining spirit, an argumentative spirit, an unforgiving spirit, a divisive spirit.
Friends, this command to “Do all things without grumbling or disputing” is just as much the Word of God as “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” or “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” or “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” These negative attitudes or grumbling and arguing simply must be dealt with or we will never achieve the positive characteristics of being blameless, innocent, without blemish.
And why is that important? Because we are in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation and we need to shine as lights in the world. Some Christians have opted out of this responsibility. The monastic movement taught that the way to be really spiritual was to remove oneself from the world. Even today certain sects isolate themselves, fearing contamination by the world. But that’s not God’s way. We are to be in the world but not of the world. He has put us here as lights in the world.
And you know something about light? The darker the surroundings, the brighter the light appears. Five years ago I was privileged to take an 8-day float trip through the Grand Canyon. At night we would camp on a sand bar, a mile deep from the rim. With no light pollution from any artificial source the most amazing thing happened—the stars shone with a brightness you could not imagine!
Jesus, of course, is the light of the world, but as we follow Him, we become little lights in the darkness. We need to live in such a way that the broken world around us will sit up and take notice that God is doing something supernatural among us. And the most important evidence of that is love and unity in the Body. Jesus was speaking of us when He prayed, “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20, 23).
Our text goes on to say, “you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.” I think the NIV captures the thought even better: “You shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” The world desperately needs light, and we have the only lantern that’s able to show them the way. The Psalmist wrote, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” It’s also the instrument through which we light up the world around us.
So far we have been urged to work out our salvation in practical Christian living for the sake of our love for and obedience to God and for the sake of a dark world that desperately needs light; now finally at the end of verse 16 Paul gives still a third incentive:
We should work out our salvation in practical Christian living for the sake of those who have invested in us spiritually. (16-18)
Look at verses 16-18: “… 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.”
Paul is speaking here as their pastor, as the one who introduced them to Christ, taught them the Gospel, and nourished them in their faith. He exhorts his Philippian friends to live godly and productive lives so that when Christ returns, he, Paul, will not have to face Jesus empty-handed. He will have trophies to lay at His feet.
Is that selfish? I don’t think so. I think everyone involved in ministry, lay or professional, has at times wondered whether his efforts are really worth all the work and trouble and heartache. As God measures success, what have we really accomplished? This is a legitimate biblical concern, friends. Do you remember Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90:17? “Establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands.” Every one of us deep down desperately desires to make a difference, to leave a mark.
Paul is confident that when Jesus comes, his efforts will be vindicated if his parishioners continue to work out their salvation in practical Christian living. In fact, even if he ends up being martyred (which is what he is referring to when he speaks of being poured out as a drink offering), that’s OK with him so long as they remain faithful. He will consider all his sacrifice to have been worth it. What an evidence of humility on Paul’s part! And what an encouragement and incentive his words must have been to the Philippian believers!
How do we apply this incentive? Every one of us who knows Christ in a saving way owes a debt of gratitude to those who prayed for us, witnessed to us, taught us, encouraged us, or even rebuked us. That may include our parents, o a spouse, a pastor, a S. S. teacher, an evangelist, a co-worker, maybe even a stranger. We don’t want to disappoint those individuals who brought us to Christ and over the years faithfully encouraged us in our faith. So that should be an added incentive to continue in obedience, to continue to work out our salvation, especially by demonstrating love and unity in the Body of Christ. In fact, this morning I want to encourage you to write a note or make a phone call to someone who has ministered to you—to thank them for their sacrifice and service.
Just before Christmas I received just such a note from a person I remember in name only. She attended this church back when I pastored here the first time but no longer lives in Wichita. Allow me to read a portion to you, with her permission:
Dear Pastor Mike,
The reason I am writing is because of a recent conversation I had with George and Marjean Fooshee. I mentioned to then that there were two of your sermons that have stuck with me throughout the years. George suggested that I write you and thank you for those sermons. He said you would probably be glad to receive my letter and it would be an encouragement to you.
The first sermon series that was significant to me was the one on the book of Job (this was in 1981). I recall that you stressed that everything that happens to us goes through the hand of God. Not long after the conclusion of that series I faced a horrific incident in my life. My father was living with me and my husband. One evening following our evening meal I heard a strange noise coming from my father’s room and I went to check it out. The door to his bedroom was ajar and I peeked in. What I saw was something I hope no one else ever has to see. My father had a .45 automatic gun pointing at his head. I yelled, “Daddy, NO,” as I ran toward him to try to knock the gun out of his hand. I was too late. (I will spare you the next few sentences)
Almost immediately one phrase kept going through my mind, “Everything goes through the hands of God.” Those words sustained me for a long time, and I will never forget them.
The second sermon series was the one you preached on “significance.” Even today I try to remember how important it is for a person to feel or be significant. It has helped me in my relationships with people I worked with as well as others in my life.
I told George that you might be offended that I only recall two of your sermons specifically. He told me that you would probably be glad that I remembered those two. I do thank you for all the years you faithfully preached God’s Word.
Friends, she was right; I was glad she remembered even two sermons from four decades ago, and I’m so grateful she took the time to write. I read that to you this morning, not because I need to hear from you, but because there is surely someone who needs to hear from you—telling them just how much their ministry has meant in your life. Take the time.
Conclusion: Today we have learned that work and salvation are not antithetical to one another. We are not to work for our salvation or to work at it, or work toward it, but to work it out in practical Christian living. How about it? Are there attitudes you have exhibited toward one another or toward your pastors or the elders or anyone else in the church that have been detrimental to the unity of the Body of Christ? Have you been a complainer, a grumbler, an arguer, and are there ways you can channel your criticisms into constructive ideas? Can you find ways to encourage rather than discourage your fellow-believer?
For the sake of God, for the sake of a lost and broken world that needs the light, and for the sake of those who invested in your spiritual life, I urge you to work out your salvation.
DATE: March 3, 2019
Tags:
Works and salvation
Perfectionism
Encouragement
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[i]I borrowed this title from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Philippians, Be Joyful.