Work out your salvation
Philippians • Sermon • Submitted
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English Standard Version Chapter 2
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.
Intro.
Our journey life is actually a journey with God.
Enoch
Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.
As we progress through life, we should be on a movement toward Him, walking closer and closer to Him.
“Close to Thee, Close to Thee.”
So when we become saved, born-again, after receiving Christ, we embark on this journey. It is a journey in which we work out our salvation.
: 13
Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
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.
: 12-1
Notice how he prefaces his admonition - as you have always obeyed.
Obedience - such a powerful concept.
Christianity can be summed up in two words - Trust and Obey.
Life is all about how we obey God. That’s why He gave Ten Commandments, The Sermon on the Mount, His Word as a whole. It is our standard to obey.
From infancy, we are taught and trained to obey. Children, obey your parents for this is right.
“As you have always obeyed” - not sometimes, not when the circumstances allow, or when it is convenient, not when it is painless, but always.
“In my presence and much more in my absence” - that speaks to integrity. Doing the right thing when no one is looking. Not pretending to be spiritual in church and among church folk but at home you’re carnal but loving God and people always.
If you can be true to God when you are all alone, you are on your way to a victorious Christian life.
1. Work out your own salvation
1. Work out your own salvation
Notice Paul does not say “work for your salvation” but “work out your salvation.”
We are not saved by works -
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
not of works, lest anyone should boast.
They were told to “work out,” to put into practice in their daily living, what God had worked in them by His Spirit.
NIVSB - this is a reference to the expression of one’s salvation in spiritual growth and development. Salvation expresses itself in an ongoing process in which the believer is strenuously involved - the process of perseverance, humble service, spiritual growth and maturation.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:12–13
They were told to “work out,” to put into practice in their daily living, what God had worked in them by His Spirit.
In other words, work to manifest on the outside what God has done on the inside.
Lightner, R. P. (1985). Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 655). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
“Jesus on the inside, working on the outside, O what a change in my life!”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
As we wait on God daily, spend time with Him, we should allow the HS to identify the areas in our lives we should work on.
As we wait on God daily, spend time with Him, we should allow the HS to identify the areas in our lives we should work on.
Tongue - rudeness, gossip, lies
Unforgiveness, bitterness
Love of money
Fleshly lusts
Notice “Work out your OWN salvation” - not someone else’s! Too many times, we get worked up over another persons faults and failures.
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
:
Christian - have you ever considered that after you are saved, you should be working out your salvation?
2. With fear and trembling.
2. With fear and trembling.
When a boss is around, and you call in an employee to assess their work, don’t they come in fear and trembling? They are worried, anxious, scared of the outcome of the meeting.
Since we are servants of God, we should walk in fear of God - reverential respect for God. Not I am afraid of God that He will hit me over the head. No! He is a good, loving God but also holy.
And I am accountable to Him!
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Sadly, we have lost the sense of the fear of God in our culture. We have over-emphasized the love of God and love for God but rarely speak of the fear of God. But the love of God and fear of God are two sides of the same coin.
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
Do you fear God as much as you love Him?
When we fear God, we will walk humbly before Him in truth, righteousness, holiness and obedience.
3. God works you.
3. God works you.
God is fair. He does not ask us to work when He doesn’t.
Jesus said, “My Father works and I work also.”
You work out your own salvation because God is at work in you. In other words, cooperate with God as He works in our hearts by his HS.
This is one of the most powerful truths in our faith walk. God is working in us.
You see He began a work in our lives when He saved for we cannot come to Him except He call us by His Spirit.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
God began a work, a good work in you. We may not be that good when He started. In fact, we may be horribly bad!
But when a good God does a good work, making all things work together for good, the outcome will be good! Regardless of what the initial product was!
How does He work?
to will - He creates the desire within us to do good, be good, to do what is pleasing to Him. The Spirit of Almighty God works upon our hearts and plants seeds, passions, lights a fire in our soul. He stirs up godly desires.
to work - He empowers us. He enables us to do what He was planted in our hearts.
This is where Christianity runs away and leaves every other religious system in its dust.
God does not just leave us a standard of righteousness and holiness and then we slavishly live in legalistic bondage to fulfill all these requirements.
He transforms our hearts - removes the heart of stone gives us a heart of flesh that will obey Him.
Through that transformation of regeneration, conversion, born-again experience and the continuous empowerment of the HS, we can do what is for his good pleasure.
for his good pleasure.
Conc.
We are not in the church following a bunch of rules and regulations. We are on a journey through life with God, cooperating with Him to fulfil His purpose for our lives. And this is exciting.