Sermon Series: Jesus: Everything We Need 

Work It Out 

Philippians 2:12-13 

CBC 5/25/03

In a nutshell: Our culture needs more Christians coming out of the closet and working out their salvation by stopping trying to be good enough and realize that God has already done the work; allow Him to change their wills so we act like we belong to Him; and obey Him completely.

I. Introduction

A. Work

Think with me for a moment about work. What kinds of things come to your mind? If we're honest, we'd have to say that sometimes work attracts us and other times it repels us.

There are times when work is a very good thing. Work enables us to accomplish the things that we want to do. When we achieve something through hard work, we not only feel good about ourselves but we feel good about what we have achieved.

Illustration: When I'm working on a large wood working project, and have put hours and hours into making a piece of furniture, it's not unusual for me to sit back and look at it for quite some time. Why? Because I feel proud, skilled and very good about the work I did. Maybe you do the same thing with gardening or building of some sort, or taking care of your lawn, or a craft that you like to do.

But other times, work can feel like nothing more than a necessary evil.

Illustration: That's the way I feel about mowing a lawn. I hate it so much that when we lived in Missouri, on a third of an acre several years ago, I actually looked forward to winters, when the grass would go dormant, so I wouldn't have to mow it.

Work is an interesting thing. We really can't do without it. But even knowing that, it's true that at times we try to avoid it at all costs.

Joke: It reminds me of the story that we used to tell, back when I lived in Chicago. It seems that three boys were on the playground at school one day, and they were bragging about their fathers. The first one said, "My dad is so fast that he can shoot an arrow at a target and be there before the arrow hits it." The second said, "Well, my dad is so fast that he can shoot a deer with a gun 500 yards away and be there to catch it before it hits the ground." The third said, "That's nothing. My dad works for Cook county. And he can punch out at 4:30 in the afternoon and be home by 3:45!"

Sometimes work can be extremely frustrating. In fact, people change jobs because their work gets so frustrating.

Joke: Maybe you heard of the preacher who quit the ministry after 20 years and became a funeral director. When he was asked why he changed jobs, he said, "I spent 3 years trying to straighten out John and John is still an alcoholic. I spent 6 months trying to straighten out Susan's marriage and she filed for divorce. I spent 2 years trying to straighten out Bob's drug problem and he's still an addict. Now at the funeral home when I straighten them out… they stay straight!"

The bottom line is, work is a necessary part of the human existence. But when it comes to spiritual things, does work have any role to play? That's an interesting question in light of the two verses we're going to be looking at today. Because one of the key things we're told in these verses is to work out your salvation.

B. Theological Confusion

If you have your Bibles, I'd encourage you to turn to the book of Philippians, chapter two. And today we'll be looking at verses 12 and 13…

Philippians 2:12-13 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Now I'll tell you right off the bat, these two verses have been the subject of a lot of theological confusion over the years. Because on the surface, it seems to be saying that we have the responsibility to earn our salvation by what we do-our works.

But as we dig a little deeper into these verses this morning, I hope to show you that God is not telling us to earn our salvation, instead He's encouraging us to do something with the salvation that we have already received.

II. Three Things Involved in Working Out Our Salvation

In these two verses, there are three things that Paul says are involved in working out your salvation. Those are the things I want to show you this morning, because I think if we can all grasp these three things, it will make a huge difference in all of our lives.

A. God has already worked

So, here's the first thing we have to understand about working out our salvation-God has already worked.

In this regard, it's important for us to understand what is being said in verse 13, before we can understand what's being said in verse 12. So, look at verse 13 with me again…

Philippians 2:13 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Now, remember…, what we are reading was written to Christians who were a part of the church at Philippi. In other words, Paul was writing to people who were already in a relationship with Jesus Christ, where He was the forgiver of their sins. So he's not talking about a need to work for salvation. Notice the wording. He's talking about working out their salvation. In other words, he's encouraging us to work out what God has already worked in.

You see, the truth is, there is not one iota of work that we can do that will save us from the consequences of our personal sin.

In another letter in the New Testament, the apostle Paul also wrote…

Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast

Friends, understand this…, salvation from sin is something that is accomplished by God's initiative. No one in this room can save themselves. In fact, we can never be good enough to be good enough. Our common problem is sin. Everyone of us has it! And because of our sin we can never be totally righteous…, which is God's only criteria for living with Him in heaven.

Now, God knew this, so He took the initiative and sent His son, Jesus to accomplish what we could not. He lived a perfect life, and because of His perfection, He earned the right to take the punishment we each deserve, for our sin. He voluntarily paid the penalty for our sin when He allowed Himself to be put to death on the cross. Our sin can now be forgiven through what He did, not through anything we can do.

And because of His work on the cross, any person who puts his or her faith in Him to take care of their sin problem, can stand before God in perfect righteousness-the righteousness of Jesus, not the righteousness of themselves.

My favorite verse in the Bible speaks of this very thing…

John 3:16 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God began the work. He took the initiative. He loved us before we knew Him. And, God loved us while we were still sinners, living in rebellion against Him.

Friends, the salvation of a human soul is a work only God can do. You and I cannot. Because by the time we realize that total holiness is required by God for life in heaven with Him, we are already unholy because of our sin. And understanding that God is already at work in our lives delivers you and me from the idea that it all depends on us. Because it doesn't depend on us. God doesn't want us to work to earn our salvation, rather He wants us to do something with the salvation that we have been given. That's a huge difference.

So the first thing to understand in working out our salvation is that God has already worked. If you understand that, then you're ready to move on to the second thing that's involved in "working out our salvation". That's also found in verse 13. Look at it again…

B. Changing our Wills to make us Act

Philippians 2:13 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

After God accomplished the work of salvation, He didn't just sit back and let things take their course. This verse is telling us that He is doing two things on a constant basis… 1. He is changing our wills to follow His leadership, and 2. He's giving us the power we need to act accordingly.

Now if you and I are truthful, we'd have to admit that there are times when we do not want to follow Jesus. There are times when we want to go our own way. There are times when we intentionally do what we want, even when we know it is displeasing to God.

Illustration: On my way home from Mariposa last Sunday, there was a couple in a red Buick who were stopped at a stop sign on a road that crossed Highway 41, in Oakhurst. I was in the left hand lane on Highway 41, passing some slower traffic. They looked right at me, and instead of waiting for me to go by, they pulled out right in front of me. I had to squeeze my brakes hard and stop short, in order not to hit them. I was so angry that I down-shifted my bike and zoomed around them and gave them a very intense stare. I wanted to intimidate them. I wanted them to think that some outlaw biker was going to do them harm if they ever did that again. Then I realized that on the front of my windshield I had just put a big decal that said "Christian Motorcyclists Association". Some follower of Jesus Christ, huh?

I confess that to you so you know I'm not perfect. I'm a sinner just like you, and at times I intentionally act in a way that's directly opposed to the way Jesus would have me act. As human beings, we all do that!

Now, do you think that surprises God? Of course not. He knows the real condition of our hearts. You see, making me aware of how I act on my motorcycle is one of the areas that God's Holy Spirit is at work in me to change my will to be more like Jesus' will. And if you have this same relationship with Jesus, then He's doing that in you in the unique areas of your life, as well.

But at the same time, God realizes that you can't make these changes by yourself. So at the same time that He's working on your will, He is also at work in you, giving you the power to act according to His good purpose.

To simply desire to follow His leadership is not enough. Because if you don't also have the power to carry out the desire you will be continually frustrated. So God is also at work to give you the power you need to change your will.

Jesus promised the disciples that when He went away, they would receive power. They were told to go to Jerusalem and wait there until the power came. And we know from the first couple of chapters of the book of Acts, that the power came when the Holy Spirit came upon those guys. You see, when the Holy Spirit fills a person, that person has the power of God residing inside them.

I think this is one of the biggest secrets in the Christian church today. Few of us know how mighty the work of the Holy Spirit really is. Unfortunately, this third member of the Trinity seems to be neglected in a lot of churches today.

Maybe this is because the Holy Spirit has been overemphasized in some churches, to the point where some people have been involved in some really weird behaviors while claiming to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But we shouldn't let the fact that some people have misunderstood the work of the Holy Spirit, keep us from enjoying the power He wants to provide.

Because the truth of the matter is that following Jesus' leadership in your life is impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit. Unless we learn to allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives, we will never be very effective or successful in changing our wills and following Jesus' leadership. We will be like a 14.4 volt cordless drill operating on a D cell battery. The potential is there, but the power isn't enough to make it work.

Look at what Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. (NLT)

So, I hope you're getting the picture so far. -Working out our salvation first means that God has already worked. We don't have to duplicate what He's already done. -And second, we have to cooperate with the desire he puts in us to follow His leadership by depending on the power of His Holy Spirit.

C. Obey God Completely

Now we're ready to go back to verse 12 for the final thing that's involved in working out our salvation…

Philippians 2:12 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

Before I give you this third thing that's involved in working out your salvation, I want you to understand what we're talking about when we say, "salvation".

Salvation, is a process. Sometimes we forget that because of the way we use the word. When we ask someone if they are saved, what we are really asking is whether they have made an initial commitment to trust Jesus as the forgiver of their sins. But salvation doesn't stop there. Salvation is something much bigger.

-It starts by asking Jesus to forgive your sins… -But it continues with what the Bible calls, sanctification-this is the process of spiritual maturity where we are progressively molded into the image of Christ. -And it culminates in glorification-- when we receive our spiritual bodies and are brought into the actual presence of God in heaven.

If you are a Christian now, then you're in this second stage of salvation-this thing called, sanctification. This is where you and I are to work out what God has begun us. So what does that look like?

And that's what this third thing that Paul mentions, focuses on. We need to obey God completely. In other words, there is no area of our lives that can be left untouched by our relationship with Jesus Christ. God desires that, over time, every area of our lives become transformed. The longer we follow God, the more we should be like Jesus.

Now, friends, this won't happen unless we're intentional about it. We need to take intentional steps in order to grow spiritually.

Illustration: When I wanted to get back into motorcycling after being out of it for 30 years, I had to take some intentional steps. -I first had to get my wife's permission. -Once I got that, the next day, I bought a bike. -Then I took the motorcycle safety course. -Then I made an intentional decision that to afford a motorcycle, I would have to make my motorcycle my primary form of transportation. -Then I looked for a ride club, and I found out about this group called Southern Cruisers, and joined them to help hone my skills and meet people with a similar interest. -And one of the things I wanted most was to use my new hobby to honor the Lord, so I also joined Christian Motorcyclists Association. -Then I rode, every chance I could get. In reality, to become an accomplished motorcyclist, I had to intentionally make motorcycling a part of my lifestyle.

Now, when you view a hobby that way, why do we think that all we have do to be Christians is to accept Jesus' forgiveness for our sins? That's where this whole topic of this morning becomes so important! What are you intentionally doing to work out your salvation?

-Are you spending time becoming better informed about the God you claim to follow? He's given you a book to enable you to do that. It's called the Bible. Do you read it? If so, how often? Do you try to understand what it says? There are a lot of ways you can do this. The Bible is the one book that has been written about more than any other book in history. There are books you can read about the Bible to help you understand it.

-Are you spending time in prayer? That's another place where you will discover how to obey God completely. It is a place where you intimately connect with God. It is a place to surrender to His desires. It is a place of worship. It is a place where you can receive spiritual strength.

-Or are you seeking to apply the truth that you receive from Bible studies, Adult Enrichment classes, and the sermons that are preached each week? Do you take the time to evaluate your lifestyle in light of what you learn that God says in his Word? Remember, it is the whole of our lives that God desires, not just some parts.

This third thing-about obeying God completely-reminds me of something I heard at the very first Promise Keeper conference I ever attended.

I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I've stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals! I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, live by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let go, or slow up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops. And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear.

III. Conclusion

Friends, what we're considering this morning is something we all need. In fact, this is what our culture needs more than ever before. More Christians who live in Bishop…and parts north, south, east and west of here are needed to com out of the closet and start openly working out their salvation. -We need to stop trying to be good enough and realize that God has already done the work; -We need to allow Him to change our wills and start acting like we belong to Him; and -We need to obey Him completely.

I love the way The Message paraphrase translates Paul's words in Romans 12:1-2. Because it sums up these three things that are necessary to work out your salvation, very well. I put it on the front of your worship folders this morning…

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you, is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, and develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2 The Message paraphrase)

Friends, God wants us to offer Him, more than occasional acts of devotion. -He wants the everyday lives we live. -He wants both our hearts and our minds. -He wants us to be fully devoted followers of His Son Jesus. -He wants the salvation He provides to permeate every attitude, action, habit, and relationship that we have.

And the good news is that he is at work in us to enable us to work out that salvation.

Amen (Invitation) Jesus I know I am a sinner and I need your forgiveness. I believe that when you died on the cross and rose from the dead, You did those things for me. I accept the exchange of my sin for your righteousness. And from this day on, I want to follow you as the leader of my life.