Lights in the World
Philippians: Unity, Joy, Love • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Car Story
Several studies have shown that less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church.
Thom Rainer’s research team did a study several years back that only 6% of churches were actually growing. These numbers were based off of churches that were not only growing in numbers but reflecting the communities population growth.
In 2050 the percentage of the US population attending church will be almost half of what is was in 1990.
That’s just a few of the daunting numbers coming out from studies that the American church is in trouble if something doesn’t change.
If you could purchase any car no matter the year, make or model. What car would you purchase.
I want you to imagine that a man shows up at your door tomorrow morning and tells you that they are going to purchase your dream car.
The question I want to ask is: What can we do? How can we help change those statistics and be a church that not only grows numerically but has a greater impact in the world.
Lets say you go to the dealership or wherever to purchase the car and this person pays for it in cash free and clear, you get home and he hands you the keys but it gets even better.
This person hands you a card and says’ all the gas is paid for, whenever you stop to fill this car of with gas, pay for it with this card, oh and not only the gas but the insurance is paid for as well as all the maintenance.
You didn’t pay a dime for this vehicle. This person then gives you his phone number and says’ “As you’re driving the car around, I want you to tell other people about me and if they would call my number I will do the same for them.
The person leaves and you have a shiny new car sitting in your driveway. I can imagine that most of us would be in shock and completely grateful for the kindness that was shown to us.
How crazy would it be though if you pulled the car into your garage and just left it there? You had this shiny new car that had been given to you by the kindness of another person, but you decide to not let anyone know about it and hide it in your garage.
You know the car is there in your mind, but you choose not to drive the car and leave it hidden in the garage.
Switching over to today’s text, we are going to look at the gift that God gives us through Jesus Christ and that is salvation and forgiveness, but more important we are gong to look at how the gift of salvation changes our life.
So often, I think believer’s give mental assent to the truth of the gospel but it doesn’t truly change the way they live, think, or minister to others.
It’s as useless as parking a car that had been given to you in your garage and keeping it to yourself.
We are going to look at the passage this morning and see some encouragement from the Apostle Paul to the Church at Phillipi.
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.
Recap:
Last week we broke down 1:27-2:11 and learned how important it was to strive for unity as a body of believers.
Paul lovingly introduced the idea that in order to strive and maintain unity, believer’s must personally look out to other’s interests and in humility put other’s before themselves.
The passage ends with the example of Christ and how Jesus made himself nothing, and humbled himself by dying on a cross in order that we could be restored back to a Holy God.
We looked at the significance of the truth that Jesus although was fully man and fully God, but was obedient to the point of death.
I told you last week that this section would be broken down into two parts. We come to V. 12 this morning and notice the word “therefore.”
It’s essential for us to understand the fact that Paul continues his idea of practical Christian living through V. 18.
In order to understand what Paul is talking about in 12-18, let’s look at 2:5-11 again.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore mean “because of this” So because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, our lives’ should look like _______________.
Philippians
Paul is going to get very practical in these verses with the church at Philippi and we must pay close attention to the idea he is stressing to the believer’s as we walk with the Lord in our daily life.
There are three main ideas in relation to how a Christian should live and conduct themselves in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel compels believers to consistently live and grow in Christ. V 12-13
We have read where Paul has encouraged the church throughout this letter and he continues doing that in V. 12 when he says’ “As you always have obeyed, so now not only in my presence but much more in my absence.”
Paul commends the believers for living out their faith in Christ and obeying the Lord in their daily walk.
He commends them but then commands them “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
That phrase can really throw us off if we aren’t careful. We read that and think. “Wait, work out our own salvation.” Doesn’t the Bible say otherwise about salvation?
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:
Without a doubt, we know that God’s word tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
When Paul says’ to work out your own salvation, he is not saying it in the sense of earning your way to a relationship with God. Instead, he is saying once you are following after the Lord, live a life following after Christ’s example.
Paul stresses the importance of the daily walk of a believer to strive to follow Jesus and follow his example because life is tough and if we just sit around hoping that we will naturally grow in Christ without discipling ourselves, we are wrong.
I think we can all agree that we live in a culture filled with shortcuts. We like quick fixes and finding ways to make life easier.
I’m guilty of this so often. It’s much easier to drive through Chikc-Fil-A than go home and prepare a meal.
Grocery shopping has become incredibly easy with quick pick-up or you can even have groceries delivered now.
With technology advancing, life becomes easier in certain areas but our walk with Christ is much different from the quick-fix, shortcut world.
Following the Lord requires trust and obedience on a daily basis and there isn’t a magical pill or a drive-through we can go through to grow in the Lord.
We grow in the Lord by simply trusting Him, spending time with him, and faithfully following Him every single day.
What I’ve noticed as a follower of Christ is that some days will be easier than others. You may have an incredible day in your walk with the Lord and feel like you’ve reached this amazing peak but then the very next day you may feel like you want to give up and take the easy way out.
The beauty of a life with Christ is that we grow more like him everyday as we follow him and we mature as Christians the longer we live life and walk in obedience.
Paul teaches the idea of Sanctification in V. 12 and the importance of working out salvation with fear and trembling which means with reverence and sincere loyalty.
We should live a life in awe of who God is and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ.
We must fight the temptation to go through the motions and become stagnant in our walk with Christ. If we are not consistently growing, we are living a fruitless life.
In order to cultivate a garden, you have to water it and provide nourishment for the plants. Much like that, our walk with Christ has to be one of cultivation and growth.
But in order to grow we must first have a deep respect and awe for the Lord.
Listen to
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Respecting and standing in awe before a Holy God is the beginning to a life that will grow and mature.
Paul not only gives the believer’s a command to work out their salvation but he tells them their source of growth.
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Paul is not telling the believer’s they are alone in this journey to work out their own salvation because who is working in them? God.
We must be encouraged by this verse this morning because as we walk with Christ, we know that God is working in us and helping us along the way.
The struggle is real on a day to day basis but we need to take heart that God works in us to help us face the struggles and temptations.
This takes all forms of pride out of the picture because it is not by our own strength or our own will that we grow in Christ, It is God working in us for his good pleasure.
Paul taught this message throughout his ministry. Some may have looked at him as being this spiritual giant who’s faith and life was unattainable but Paul NEVER took the glory of the fame. Instead he pointed his success in ministry and life to God working in Him.
Listen to his words in
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
As we work out our salvation, we cannot take the credit but we must point to the truth that God is with us helping us along this journey of life. He is working in our lives’ even when we don’t know.
So in order to live a life glorifying to the Lord, we must simply trust.
We must trust that no matter what happens in our life, God is working in us as we work out our salvation with reverence and loyalty to Jesus Christ.
So Paul covers the truth of living and growing in Christ, now he turns to how believers should live out their walk.
2. The effect of new life in Christ is a bright and bold witness.
2. The effect of new life in Christ is a bright and bold witness.
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.
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,
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,
We see the importance of living a life striving to be like Christ and resting on God’s work within us. Now, Paul turns to giving a picture of what a Christians attitude should be in relation to living in a world that is broken and fallen because of sin.
I think we can all agree that living out one’s faith in Christ will lead to a changed life and changed behavior.
We see highlight one of the behaviors that is a result of a changed life.
Paul isn’t simply addressing one particular sin believers struggle with but the main idea that Paul is trying to communicate is that all of life should be lived out to the glory of God and when believer’s complain or argue, it brings glory away from God and onto themselves.
Doing some in depth study to the word “Grumbling” in V. 14, we see a couple differnt applications.
complaining about the situation a person is in. Looking at the context, we know the church at Philippi lived in a culture that persecuted them. Paul did not want the church to grumble or complain.
Grumbling referred to complaining about others behind their back. Whispering about others. Another way to put it is gossip.
I believe gossip is one of the most detrimental things not only to a relationship but to a church. I’ve seen friendships broken, I’ve seen people leave the church, and I’ve seen families ripped apart because of gossip.
I truly believe that Satan uses gossip to destroy a relationship and even a church.
Complaining is a way people get in other’s ears about something they are dissatisfied with and causes discord amongst a group of people.
Paul calls it as it is in this passage and say’ “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” As we grow in our walk with the Lord, we will begin to see how precious the gospel of jesus is instead of complaining or causing discord, we will live a life building others up, not tearing them down.
Paul is pointing back to stories in the Old Testament when God calls out those walking in the wilderness who utter complaints and grumble.
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Make no mistake, God hates grumbling and complaining because it’s a form of pride.
The Philippians were in a similar situation as the Israelites who were wandering in the wilderness because both groups of people were suffering.
The church at Philippi faced persecution for their faith but God’s desire for them was not to complain about their situation but to continue putting their trust in Him that He is working in and through them.
Paul Tripp is one of my favorite authors and speakers. His brother Tedd Tripp led our parenting conference last year around this time but Paul his brother gives some of the best advice when it comes to our daily walk with Christ and avoiding complaining. He encourages Christians to preach the Gospel to themselves daily.
When we preach the gospel to ourselves daily, we start to see our lives’ and our situations through the lens of the Gospel. This will not only help us live a life pleasing to the Lord but it will help put things into our perspective.
When we reflect on the Gospel we see that we are sinners that deserve death and eternal separation from God but God doesn’t give us what we deserve through his son Jesus. He gives us forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
I believe when we remind ourselves of that truth daily, we start to live our life differently. We won’t complain because we didn’t get something we feel like we “deserve” because we know that we don’t deserve anything in this life but God gives us the ultimate gift in Christ and we experience grace and mercy every time we take a breath.
There’s a purpose for not grumbling or arguing and we see that in Paul’s words in V. 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,
Notice that the believers that made up the church at Philippi are encouraged to shine as lights in the world.
Paul makes this illustration as how bright the starts shine in the dark sky.
Just as stars light up the sky, believers are to shine in a dark world for the glory of the Lord.
All of us have some type of influence as far as others are watching the way we live, the way we talk, and the way we handle situations.
Whether its your kids, a spouse, a co-worker, a friend, or whoever you are around during the day.
The question we must ask ourself is “Are we shining and reflecting Christ?”
If our conversations with others and interactions are filled with negativity and grumbling, we will not shine bright in a dark world.
Paul says’ that believer’s who avoid grumbling and arguing will be the example of Christ to a world that needed hope and needed light.
We cannot and will not be effective in our witness when we look just like the world, but we must strive to honor and point to Christ even in the midst of our worst situations in life.
My parents bought me a pack of glow in the dark stars when I was in 3rd grade and I thought those stars were the coolest things in the world.
I went home and my parents help me stick the stars on the ceiling above my bed.
Once the lights went out in the room, the stars would shine bright but the stars would eventually lose their brightness, however there was a cool way to get them to shine bright again.
There was a trick that if you shone light on the starts with a flashlight, they would recharge themselves somehow and become bright again.
I look at that as the same way we live a life bringing honor and glory to God in a dari world. We must submit our lives’ to God and find our hope and joy in him above all things and when we do, we will shine bright in a dark world instead of looking and acting like the world.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The goal in shining like stars is not to puff ourselves up with pride but to point our lives’ to our heavenly father.
When we gaze on the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, we will live our life in a way that points to him.
I had godly men pouring into me and discipling me and
Now more than ever, we must shine bright because people need the hope of Jesus Christ. We cannot get into the mentality that it’s us verse them.
Sitting around and complaining about the world will get us no where, but investing our live’s with others and loving others as Christ has loved us will be effective because God is working in and through us.
Notice what Paul says’ to the church in V. 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.
Holding fast to the word of life is holding on to the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.
Paul knew that if the church did not hold onto that truth, they would be useless in a dark world.
As Christians, we carry life and hope to the world by taking the message of Jesus to others.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
We must cling to
Our prayer should be that we are filled with the word of life so that we can share hope and love with others that there is life in Jesus Christ and nothing else.
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”
Paul concludes this section of the letter to the church at Philippi by discussing the
Paul ends this section of the letter by giving a picture of sacrifice.
3. Sacrificial living results in trust and rejoicing.
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.
Notice Paul’s priority in this letter. It is the Philippians faithfulness above his current situation.
Paul was more concerned with and more passionate that the church at Philippi would be effective for the sake of Christ over his own safety and even his own life.
We know that Paul is in prison and he was suffering for his obedience to Christ, now he is telling the readers of this letter that even if he is to be poured out as a drink offering, he will rejoice.
Paul wasn’t sure at this point if he would be killed for his obedience to Christ but knew it was a possibility.
Poured out as a drink offering alludes to wine being poured out onto the ground for sacrificial ceremonies and Paul knows he may very well die for the sake of Christ but instead of being afraid, He rejoices that he might be poured out as a drink offering.
Paul ends this section by encouraging the believers to share in his example of pouring out their lives’ in service and rejoicing with Him in their suffering.
All of this points back to Jesus example in v. 5-11. Jesus didn’t complain or grumble but laid down his life and took the form of a servant.
Paul gives a clear picture in this passage on how we should respond to the evilness and brokenness of the culture.
it’s not to retreat and hide inside a church building or our homes but to live our life in a way that we shine bight for the glory of God and expect that we may suffer for our faith in the Lord, but we can rejoice knowing that we are being obedient to Jesus and his example of humility.
Growing in our walk with Christ is growing in humility.
In conclusion, Paul shares some very practical ways we should live our life in light of the good news of what Jesus accomplished for us.
We live our life under the umbrella of the cross.
The cross ignites us to humble ourselves and seek to glorify God in all we do.
We consistently live and grow in Christ as we work out our salvation, we live a bright and bold witness to a dark world, and we trust and rejoice in who Christ is and what he has done for us.
Giving mental assent to the truth of who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross is not enough. The truth of the gospel changes our life and once we experience new life in Christ, we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
We should want to live out our Christian faith and tell others of the hope that is found in Christ alone.
Just as Paul encourages the church to live out their faith, we must do the same today. You never know who in your life needs the grace and mercy of Jesus.
Will you bow in prayer with me.