Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sermon Type: Expository*                                                                                                                                                                                        

*Title*: Is your flashlight on?

*Passage: Phil 2:12-17*

 

*Subject~/Compliment*: Living for Christ requires much work.

*Proposition*:  We must shine as lights into the world!

*Purpose:*  I want my audience to be motivated to shine as lights into the world.

* *

*Interrogative*:  How do we shine as lights into the world?

*Transition Sentence:* We must shine as lights into the world through doing these two things: being obedient and being willing.

*Introduction*

 

            Have you ever been in a cave?

Did they shut the lights out for you?

In Mexico, we would always go to the caves in Monterrey.

They would shut all the lights out and show you how dark it is in the cave.

It was scary to not be able to see your hand in front of your face.

It was so dark that you would have no hope of getting out of the cave without light.

When the tour guide turns on his flashlight, it is like a light of hope and safety.

With that light we can get around and see where we need to go.

We are to do the same with our lives.

Brethren, we must let our lives be a light that shines to the wicked world.

The world is dark and has no light in it except someone shines the Gospel of Christ to it.

We live in a sinfully dark universe, and we need to illumine it.

It is our job to go out into the world and give out the Gospel.

We must shine as lights into the world.

*Transition Sentence: *We must shine as lights into the world through doing these two things: being obedient and being willing.

*I.*

*Be obedient.

Phil.

2:12-16a*

 

*Explanation*:  Here Paul is giving the Philippians three different commands on what they must do to shine as lights into the world.

When Paul says, “as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,” he is not saying anything about them stopping their obedience.

He wants them to continue their obedience.

The Philippians had not only done a good job at being obedient while Paul was present, but they were even more obedient while he was gone.

The compound verb for obey,/ hupakouō,/ (where we get our English word acoustic) has the basic meaning of placing oneself under what has been heard, and therefore of submitting and obeying.

A believer obviously must listen to God’s Word if he is to be obedient to it, so this is indirectly an appeal for believers to continue to study and obey Scripture.

Paul’s first command then is for them to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.

*A.

Work out salvation with fear and trembling.

V.

12*

 

*1.

Explanation~/Argumentation*:  Much debate has taken place over this phrase.

Many men have argued about what this is supposed to mean.

The question is a valid one: how is the balance weighed between God doing the work in salvation and man doing the work in salvation?

On the one hand, quietists stress God’s role in sanctification, to the virtual exclusion of any human effort.

Pietists, in contrast, emphasize self-effort at the expense of reliance on God’s power.[1]

Some have said that man does all the work for salvation, and that God just shows us the way.

Others have said that man has no part in it at all.

Both arguments are seen in scripture.

I believe it is a combination of both arguments; there can be a resolution between the believer’s part and God’s part in sanctification.

There is a specific continuing command here to keep on working.

Man is responsible to respond to what he hears about the Gospel, then respond to it, and obey.

God draws us to himself, and must justify us and sanctify us.

The believers role is to very minimal to the role God plays in salvation.

The believer is responsible to continue in what he has learned and obey.

They were to continue and to put into practice in their daily living what they had been commanded to obey.

Verse 13 shows that even though man is involved, God is the one ultimately in control of everything.

The same dual emphasis is found throughout the New Testament and a consideration of the pertinent texts is helpful.

Peter, in his second letter, reminds believers that: According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that /pertain/ unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make /you that ye shall/ neither /be/ barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:3-8

* *

*2.

Explanation*:  The phrase “with fear and trembling” was a very common phrase in the Old Testament.

It does not mean to dread God or to be scared of him.

The phrase is there to remind the Philippians of whom they are and who God is.

It shows mans defenselessness.

It should cause believers to have a serious dread of sin and yearning for what is right before God (cf.

Rom.

7:14ff.).

Aware of their weakness and the power of temptation, they should fear falling into sin and thereby grieving the Lord.

Godly fear protects them from wrongfully influencing fellow believers, compromising their ministry and testimony to the unbelieving world, enduring the Lord’s chastening, and from sacrificing joy.[2]   

 

*3.

Application*:  The obvious application is for the believer today to continue to grow in Christ.

The sanctification process is not over until we are lying in the grave.

Have you been growing in Christ?

Have you been obeying with a fear and reverence to God, or have you been obeying because that is what everyone wants you to do.

Your obedience is a direct relation to shining as lights in this world.

You must be obedient to be able to shine in this world.

A life that is marked by disobedience and laziness will not be effective for giving out the Gospel.

However, a life that is marked by obedience and service will be a life that can shine into the darkness of this world.

*B.

Do everything without murmurings and disputings.

V.

14*

                       

*1.

Explanation*: Here Paul tells of things we are not to do when working out our salvation.

He said to do all without murmuring and disputing.

This is another common phrase in the Old Testament.

The first term, “murmuring,” is talking about grumbling.

This is what happens when someone responds disgruntled.

Paul is telling them to do everything without grumbling against the decrees and will of God.

This causes the believer to live in self-denial and self-renunciation.

The second term, “disputings,” could be interpreted questionings.

It carries the idea of evil reasoning, disputes, or doubting.

Murmuring is mainly emotional, while disputing is intellectual.

Paul is trying to get across that there should be a unity of spirit: of one mind and one accord.

He mentions that frequently in this epistle (2:2; 4:2).

What is supposed to be here instead?

There should be a willingness to trust God in every situation.

Paul is trying to show the Philippians that it is futile to complain, but well worth it to rejoice.

As the apostle emphasizes throughout this letter, it is an attitude of determination to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil.

4:4; see also, e.g., 1:4, 18, 25; 2:18; 4:1).

* *

*2.

Illustration*:  This summer I worked for OREMEX ministries taking teenagers down into Mexico each week.

The number one response that people had was that they complained too much about what they did not have when the Mexican people are so content with the little that they do have.

It never surprised me that almost everyone saw this point, because we are such a spoiled society.

* *

*3.

Application*:  We must not be murmuring and disputing in our fellowship today.

There is probably no problem bigger in the American churches than murmuring and disputing.