Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Shine Brightly

Text:

Intro: Several years ago we headed out to the Smokey mountains for our December vacation, but we didn't get far when the warning light for our battery came on.

I pulled into Advance Auto in Madisonville to get it checked.

Sure enough, it was bad.

While they were installing a new battery, I noticed the mother of all flashlights.

It's the kind that Tim Taylor would be proud of.

It was on sale and I had to have it.

It put out a whopping 5 million lumens.

There's a warning on its label about not pointing it toward someone's eyes.

I have with me up here several different types of flashlights.

They are all different, but their function are all the same.

Their purpose is simple, to produce light and nothing more.

Producing light is what they do, but this is also true of Jesus.

Jesus said in , am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

We know He didn't mean that He was a human flashlight, so what did He mean?

A light's purpose is to illuminate the surroundings so that we can see the physical world around us.

Without physical light we would be unable to see ourselves, our families, and the world we live in.

In Jesus' case, He provides, not physical light, but spiritual light.

He enables us to see the spiritual world that is otherwise invisible to us.

He enables us, in a sense, to see God.

He told Phillip in , “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Jesus enables us to know God, the Father, to know what He's like and to know His will for our lives.

Jesus also enables us to see our spiritual condition.

He enables us to see that we are sinners, separated from God, facing damnation, and in need of a savior.

He basically shines spiritual light on our spiritual condition.

However, according to Jesus, He is not the only one who provides spiritual light in this world.

In the Sermon on the Mount He told His disciples, You are the light of the world.

A city set on a hill cannot be hidden ().

You might say this large 5 million lumen flashlight represents Jesus, and these other flashlights represents different Christians.

We who are Christians are lights in two different ways.

First, we are followers of Jesus.

We are to pattern our lives after Jesus.

This means we will be so different we will stand out like a bright light on a dark night.

Secondly, we are to speak truth.

We are to stand for what is right and confront that which is wrong based on the Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit uses righteous living and words of truth to convict those who are living in sin.

It's why we are often criticized and persecuted for simply speaking the truth and living according to the truth.

Paul encourages the Christians at Philippi to live in such a way so they shine as lights in the world.

In our text today Paul urges the Philippians to shine as lights and he tells them how to do it.

But these words are not just for them, they are also for us.

They are for our instruction, for our good.

Please turn to the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 12-18.

Page 1248 in the pew bibles.

READ TEXT: .

There are certain truths in this passage that we need to grasp.

Paul wants the Philippians to realize their role in salvation, have a good understanding of their salvation, be encouraged by the support given to them in regards to their salvation, be willing to accept their responsibilities that accompany their salvation, and to stay focused on the reward that salvation will ultimately bring them.

First, their role.

I. Their Role in Salvation

Look at verse 12 of our 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…

Two things stand out in this verse, the words obeyed and work out.

The Philippians had obeyed the instructions given to them by Paul when he was in their presence.

Paul was working under the inspiration of God.

God had chosen him to write most of the New Testament.

He would start many of the churches in the infancy of Christianity.

The people of Philippi seemed to sense this.

Paul wants them to realize the role they must play in their salvation.

This is true for all Christians.

We have a role to fulfill.

We have specific things that we are to do if we want our Christianity, our salvation, to produce the fruits God wants, we want, and the world needs.

The first thing they and we must do, is believe and obey God.

Christians have to believe and obey the Word of God.

We can no more fill our role assigned by God, if we don't believe and obey God's word, than we can fly an airplane, yet refusing to accept and obey the instructions provided by the aircraft company that built the plane.

He tells them they need to obey and work out their salvation.

But what does it mean work out. it doesn't mean working to earn their salvation.

It means applying it to their lives.

It means tapping into the power that is made available through salvation.

It means searching out the truths of God's Word and then, by faith, acting on it.

It means learning what God wants from us by Bible study, being a part of a Bible class, and learning from other Christians.

Sadly, many are giving up on Christianity and religion as a whole because they have had a bad experience.

They may have failed to experience the life changing effects that Christianity promises.

The problem, however, is not that Christianity doesn't work or that Christ's power is not effective.

The problem is that many of us don't know the role we are to play in the overall plan of God, and others simply choose not to fill the role God has laid out for them.

In William Barclay's commentary, he writes, The great tragedy of so many of us is that we are never really any further on.

We continue to be victims of the same habits, slaves of the same temptations and guilty of the same failures.

But the truly Christian life must be a continual progress, for it is a journey towards God.

Listen to me.

Don't give up on Christ and the Christian faith.

Instead of giving up, get serious about it.

Get involved.

Get into the Word.

Find out what your role is as a believers and then work at it.

Put time into it.

Be willing to sacrifice a few things for it.

Come to church even when it's not convenient.

Take notes during the message.

Join a Sunday School class.

Come for our Wednesday night Bible study.

We are to live a life of obedience and put some effort into it, which means to work out your salvation, for we are the lights of the world, according to Jesus.

But we also need a good understanding of our salvation.

When Paul says they should work out their salvation in fear and trembling, he is basically urging them to have a good understanding of their salvation.

If we truly grasp the seriousness of salvation, there will be some fear and trembling.

II.

Their Understanding of Salvation

In his later years Billy Graham was asked if he ever felt nervous and fearful when preaching before crowds numbering in the tens and hundreds of thousands.

He said every time I speak I tremble because I understand that without Christ people will spend eternity in hell and this book that I preach from has the only hope for them.