Philippians 2B

• Last week, the Apostle Paul expressed to the Philippian church what true humility and service looked by describing Christ as the ultimate example.

  • Paul mentioned in his example of Christ, how through Jesus’ humility (emptying Himself) and obedience to the Father that we too are to put on that type of attitude.

    • That a mindset of humility and service, submitted to the plans of God, both individually and communally, aids in experiencing true joy.

    • In other words, biblical joy is not circumstantially motivated, rather it is experientially participated in.

    • That regardless of who you are around, what you’re facing, and what you’re going through, an attitude set on Christ and Glorifying God provides fresh perspective.

  • And it is from that perspective (having eyes for eternity) in which our ability to live well for the Lord, leads to being rewarded well by the Lord.

    • Tonight, we continue in Paul’s train of thought as he provides exhortation towards the believers to continue in a manner that Glorifies God.

  • Remember, in Chapter 2, Paul’s focus is on the believer’s service as a servant of God towards one another in Christ and to the world. (How to live for Christ!)

    • This type of service requires one to have a mind of humility like Christ and a sense of otherness over self.

  • And as Paul showed us last week, Christ exemplified humility to the fullest in His obedience to the Lord, even to the point of death on the cross.

    • That through the gruesomeness of the cross would come the joy set before Him – and that joy was to be glorified with the Father.

    • And as we will see, this means of living for Christ in a dark and sinful world can be a joyous walk with the proper perspective.

  • If I were to provide us our outline of thought, we will see the following things:

    • 1. Work “out” not Work “for” (vv.12-13)

    • 2. My Hope and Stay (vv.14-16)

  • If I were to put a tag on our text tonight it would simply be: Right Doctrine leads to Glorious Doxology.

    • With that being said, I invite you to meet me in Philippians 2:12-13, for the reading of the word of the Lord.

Philippians 2:12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

• So, Paul, off the heels of this beautiful exhortation of Christ’s glorification by way of His obedience to the Father, now moves to the believers’ practical application. 

  • This application being that the believer is to continue in their obedience unto Christ, whether Paul was with them or not.

    • And the way that Paul expresses this very firm truth is done with such compassion that is tied to their shared reality.

    • He begins by letting them know that because they have this shared reality of salvation in Christ, that they are his “beloved”.

  • This is key, because it further confirms that Paul is speaking to a group of believers in Philippi.

    • Furthermore, it confirms why these brothers and sisters can “walk in such a worthy manner”. 

    • That because they are saved, they have been enabled by God to walk in progressive sanctification.

    • As I mentioned last week, a non-believer would not be able to ascertain this ability to live in such a way, nor would they have the desire to do so.

  • So, Paul, continuing his previous thought, reminds them of their obedience to the Lord, as when he first arrived to them in Philippi, up to this point.

    • Now notice what Paul says, he mentions “as you have obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence…”

  • So, Paul’s issue is not that they haven’t been obedient to the Lord, his encouragement is that they continue even in his absence.

    • That whether Paul returned to them in person or was never able to see them again, he desired that they remain steadfast in their faith and in unity with one another.

    • The idea here is that there is a constant ongoing dependence on the Lord!

  • In other words, their obedience should be rooted in Christ who is ever present with them by way of their fellowship with His Spirit.

    • Family, our obedience to the Lord shouldn’t be, what I call, “Light switch Christianity”.

    • Meaning, the moment I’m in front of the pastor or church leadership I behave in this manner or act a certain way.

    • But the moment I leave the church, I respond in a manner that doesn’t reflect Christ having done a new thing in me.

  • Paul is saying that our lives should be consistent in every season and area of life because we have the very Spirit of God indwelled in us.

    • Therefore, it should be that our motivations and mindsets should be affected by this reality of knowing what He has done in our lives and is actively doing through our lives!

    • This is why Paul says these words in verse 12b, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”

• The word “work out” is the Greek word katergazomai which means to bring about a result by doing something.

  • Now for some, if you’re not careful, this text could easily sound as if you must “self-will” yourself and your desires to “do better”.

    • In other words, it (salvation) becomes a self-willed growth, rather than a Christ-enabled growth in submission to His word and Spirit.

    • This is not what Paul is saying!

    • For if our salvation was a means of us doing something in our own strength to achieve something, then it fails to be a “divine work” of God.

  • Paul tells us this about the gift of salvation in Christ in Ephesians 2:8-9:

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 
Ephesians 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

• So, this begs the question, “If salvation is a gift from God and not of any effort or merit of our own, then what tense of salvation is Paul referring to?”

• Well, through the simple process of elimination, we can eliminate Justification being expressed here because that work is done by God alone.

• We can eliminate Glorification because that work is done by God alone and is finalized through the removal of the believer from the presence of sin. (Death or Rapture)

  • Therefore, it only leaves us with one option: Paul is speaking about progressive sanctification.

  • And it is this work too, that is accomplished by God, yet also requires the participation and partnership of the believer to live it out!

• In other words, the emphasis on sanctification is not on working for something, but rather working out something.

  • This means that, as believers in Christ, we can live, behave, act, and think like Christ because of what we positionally possess by His grace alone.

• The believer has been enabled to live in such a way that pleases the Lord and brings glory to God.

  • That where we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, we now are able to live to the Glory of God because the Lord, by His Spirit has turned us on!

• Did you notice in verse 12b, how we are to work out this middle tense of salvation? Paul says with “fear and trembling”.

  • What does Paul mean regarding working out the middle tense of salvation with “fear and trembling?”

  • Paul is speaking to the reality of the Holiness of God. That in knowing God’s Holiness it also helps us recognize our lowliness and need of Him.

  • Psalm 110:10 tells us this:

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.

• The writer of this psalter mentions that the fear of the Lord is directly tied to wisdom.

• And as we discovered earlier in our time through Philippians is, wisdom is applied knowledge.

  • This is why the writer says, “a good understanding have all those who “do His commandments””

  • Therefore, we should be evaluating our lives and motives, because a failure to do leaves room to fall into sin.

• We shouldn’t desire to give the enemy any room in our hearts and minds to wreak havoc in our fellowship and walk with the Lord.

  • Because the moment that we give the enemy room due to our lack of submission to the word of God, is the moment our frail flesh gets the best of us.

• I remember when I was old enough to stay at home by myself, my parents would leave me with certain chores to be done upon their arrival.

  • The goal was that all chores should be done before turning on the television – however, when the opportunity presented itself, I snuck in some TV time.

    • I had gotten so good doing this that I knew I could get what I wanted done first and manage to hustle the chores before my parents arrived.

  • One day, this self-assurance I had in my plan, failed.

    • As I was watching my cartoon of choice, I heard the garage door going up and hadn’t begun doing the dishes.

    • Needless to say, there was a great deal of fear that arose because I did not follow my parent’s instructions.

    • And in the end, it cost me more heartache, all because I failed to abide by their instructions.

  • Paul, in the same way, is imploring these believers in Philippi to obey the Lord and seek to serve and live as unto the Lord, even if he were not there.

    • And he mentions that this is to be done because, it is God who is at work within them, both to will and to work for His good pleasure!

  • Paul wasn’t at work in these individual’s lives, God was!

    • Your Pastor, elders, small group leaders, or even your favorite bible teachers are not actively at work in your lives – God is!

    • And because God is at work and has accomplished such a great work on your behalf, we should take hold, in partnership with God, with what He is working out in us!

  • And even when there are points in our walk where we are weak or even unwilling to walk it out two things will occur.

    • 1. We will either seek the help of the Lord through prayer to enable us with what we need to accomplish this growth, or:

    • 2. The Lord will allow certain circumstances in your life that will cause you to depend on Him as He uses that situation to respond accordingly.

    • Because at the end of the day, God is for God!

  • I mentioned seeking the Lord in prayer for the motivation and opportunity to work alongside the Spirit in your growth because prayer is a powerful spiritual resource.

    • I love what Dr. Stanley Toussiant said about prayer. He said that: “Prayer is nothing more, nothing else, nothing less, than asking God for something.”

    • He mentioned that the purpose of prayer is: That God may be glorified!

    • And when asked “What is God’s Glory?” he responded: God’s glory is anything that makes God seen!

  • Because we are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10), our very lives are to express who He is!

    • Therefore, if as believers we are not walking in obedience and submitted to the word of God, we diminish God’s glorious opportunity to shine forth in our lives.

    • The question that we have to ask ourselves is: “Is the image of Christ exuding from our lives or is it more of ourselves?”

    • We must learn to exchange our own personal glory for the glorious radiance of Christ to shine forth in our lives.

  • As we discussed last week, which dog in the fight are you going to feed? Will it be that of the flesh or that of the Spirit?!

    • What’s so powerful about this text is that Paul says that the Lord is actively at work to will and to work within us for His glory!

  • The word “will” is dealing with our motivations and desires to do something.

    • Whereas the word “work” is the Greek word energeo which is where we get the word energy from.

    • And this deals with the power that activates the work within us to truly live and do for Christ.

  • And when we consider this work being activated in the life of the believer, we realize that it is the Holy Spirit that energizes and enables the believer.

    • So, I want to quickly highlight some important qualities regarding the role that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the believer.

• We must first understand that the Holy Spirit is not some type of mystical force or energy ball, rather the Holy Spirit is a Person.

  • This is often missed because of improper teaching of doctrine and denominational emphasis.

    • The Holy Spirit by some is seen as an “it” and not a “He”, therefore our ability to understand the Spirit’s role becomes either diluted or distant.

  • Scripture, however, explicitly states both the role and responsibilities of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. For example:

    • 1. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers (1 Corinthians 2:12)

    • 2. The Holy Spirit is a Teacher (John 16:12-15)

    • 3. The Holy Spirit promotes Christ and not Himself (1 John 2:27)

    • 4. The Holy Spirit is our guide (Romans 8:14)

    • 5. The Holy Spirit assures us our salvation and position (Romans 8:16)

    • 6. The Holy Spirit guides and directs our prayers (Ephesians 6:18)

    • 7. The Holy Spirit Sanctifies us (1 Peter 1:16; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

  • So this progressive work within the believer’s life is all accomplished through and by the Power of God to conform us into the image of Christ! (Romans 8:29)

• Ultimately, it is God, who in every tense of our salvation is at work to bring about His intended purposes through our lives.

  • The work of salvation is initiated by God being that He has made it possible for men and women to be saved through the person and work of Christ alone. (Justification)

  • The work of Sanctification, without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit could not enable men to overcome the power of sin in our lives.

  • Lastly, it is the power of God, that will glorify our broken and sinful bodies and exchange them with incorruptible ones when we see Him face to face. (Glorification)

    • It is at every point of our salvation in which God is clearly seen and His power, powerfully at work!

    • It is not our glory but God’s that is made known because of what He has graciously done. 

    • Paul says these very words in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6:

2 Corinthians 3:4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 
2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 
2 Corinthians 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

• So, Paul is going to double down on his point by emphasizing, in verses 14-16, why a position of servanthood, humility, and unity, like Christ, is essential.

• Check out verses 14-16.

Philippians 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 
Philippians 2:15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 
Philippians 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

• Paul tells the believers in Philippi that they are to do “all things” in such a way that reflects Christ, upholds the witness of His word, and provides sound testimony.

  • As a result of this way of Christlikeness, Paul in turn will be able to find joy in the fact that the gospel he brought to Philippi worked mightily in them.

    • Paul does this by beginning with the words, “Do all things”.

    • And he says this considering everything that precedes this statement.

    • So, it could be read as, “Since these things are true, do all things without grumbling and disputing.”

  • Notice, Paul doesn’t say do “some things”, or “a few things”, rather he says do all things without grumbling or disputing.

    • The way in which we serve one another and those around us should be done without grumbling or complaining.

    • The way we should choose to respond in times of trial and circumstance should not reflect that of grumbling or complaining.

    • The way in which we engage with the non-believing world should not be as that of the world but of Christ.

• Years ago, the trend within evangelicalism was the bracelets in black and white that had the acronym W.W.J.D (What Would Jesus Do)

  • And for many Christians, that bracelet became this badge of honor identifying themselves as followers of Christ.

    • And in doing so, the purpose of the bracelet was to show that in all that we do, say, live, and behave, we want to do it through the lens of Christ.

    • How would Christ respond to this situation or that situation?

  • Paul would make the point, in few words, a badge or piece of memorabilia is not what identifies you as one who lives for Christ – your life and living is proof!

    • That when we respond in such a manner that does not boast the efficacious work of the cross of Christ, we leave no room for Christ to be magnified!

    • The results of a grumbling and disputing Christian simply display an attitude that Christ is not enough or that the Spirit’s empowerment is not enough.

    • Furthermore, this worldly response provides poor witness as to the mighty deeds of God throughout human history and creation itself.

  • As a matter of fact, Paul’s reference here to “grumbling” goes even further back than the 1st century church-age believers.

    • Because Paul’s use of this response is provided in the example of the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings.

  • That where the Israelites had been set free from the bondage of Egyptian captivity and enslavement, God by His power and grace freed them. (Exodus narrative)

    • From their freedom, He leads them through the Red Sea, where they were able to witness the destruction of their oppressors.

    • While traveling, the Lord provided them manna from heaven which would satisfy their need of hunger.

    • His guiding them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night allowed the ravaging animals of the night to be disbanded.

    • Yet in all of God’s provision, they managed to grumble under their breaths, wishing to go back to captivity.

  • Even with the Lord sending spies to scout the land that He was giving to them, they responded in an unbecoming manner. (Numbers 13-14) 

    • That where they were to provide evidence of what they saw, they mixed their evidence with their emotions (what they felt).

    • That where they should have trusted the Lord for what He had done for them before, they should have taken Him at His word.

  • The grumblings of men simply confirm a lack of dependence and trust in the Lord’s ability to work and will in our lives!

    • We will either assess the situation and ask the Lord, “Lord, how should I respond in this season?”

    • Or we will fold into our feelings, responding in our flesh, and fail to allow God’s Glory to be maximized in our situation.

  • In other words, the believers' response should be so “counter-cultural” that it causes the world to look at us in a peculiar way.

    • And this becomes Paul’s point, because he mentions that in our refrain of grumbling and disputing with one another it displays something different.

  • Paul says that we will “prove ourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God…”

    • That word “prove” in Greek is ginomai which means to come into a new state of being or to become. To assume a certain state or condition.

    • In other words, when the believer comes under the weight and authority of the word of God and the influence of the Spirit, we will look more like Christ.

  • Friends, the goal of sanctification is not to look like a better or more improved you!

    • The goal is to look more, think more, act more, and do more as Christ richly lives in you, by His Spirit!

    • And the only way that this can become fully realized outside of the positional reality, is when we put in the work through submission.

• I often use the example of the gym. Most people have a gym membership where they can go to work out and meet certain health goals.

  • The holder of this membership has access to the entire gym and its privileges.

    • You have access to the machines, the trainers, the classes, etc.

    • However, if you do not utilize the privileges that you are exposed to, you can never see the transformation you desire to see.

  • So what it looks like for a believer in Christ is you going into the gym, watching others work, yet you become content in knowing what you have access to.

    • The true transformation in it all is when you can put yourself under the weight of the equipment and utilize each machine accordingly.

    • Each machine is meant to target a particular muscle, and consistency in the use of that machine, overtime, develops you more.

  • How can a believer in the Lord Jesus ever experience true joy in their lives if they never participate in the life that they have been given?

    • If you choose to not tap into the game, suffering in your life will always seem unfair!

    • If you choose to not tap into the game, everyone else will always be the problem and not your need to grow!

    • If you choose to not tap into the game, circumstances will always be seen as an inconvenience and not an opportunity!

    • If you choose to not tap into the game, service to others will always be seen as a burden and not a blessing!

    • If you choose to not tap into the game, humility will look like a position beneath you and not a proper position for you!

  • If we want to see through a Christ-prescribed lens and live as Christ lived, we must put on the mind of Christ and get out of our own way!

    • Because notice what Paul says, that when we respond in a proper Christ-like manner, we will be “above reproach”.

    • In other words, the allegations of others, both inside and outside the church and the world, will fail because of your uprightness before the Lord and others.

  • Paul mentions that these Philippians, and all believers for that matter, should appear as lights in the world.

    • The first thing that comes to mind when you hear of the believer being a light in the world is Jesus’ teaching at the Sermon on the Mount.

    • And within the context of Jesus’ teaching, while the people were still under the Law, His audience and ministerial focus was Israel, specifically.

    • Because it would be that Israel being a light to the Nations by which the Messiah would come out of.

  • So, Paul is making an applicational point to Jesus’ contextualized teaching and his point is that because you have the Spirit of Christ within you, represent Him!

    • Jesus says these words in Matthew 5:14-16:

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Matthew 5:15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

• So the biblical principal for the church believers is:

  • Just as Israel was to be a light to the Nations and sharing the Messiah with the world, so should the Church represent Christ, because they have His Spirit in them! (Isaiah 42:6)

  • The purpose of light is to illuminate the dark areas so that what has been hidden or seeks to hide can be revealed.

  • And the problem with the darkness being exposed is that darkness hates the light.

  • You try turning on the lights first thing in the morning without being warned about it – you’d be grumpy too!

  • And with light illuminating dark places, it will render disdain and hatred from those who love to dwell in the dark.

    • And Paul makes clear that the reason you can be a bright light in this dark and perverse world is because you are “holding on to the word of life”.

  • It is the Spirit of God that gives life and brings life to dead things.

    • Furthermore, it was through the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ that you and I responded to His truth.

    • This means that the Gospel is not only convicting, but the outworking of the word of God is illuminating.

  • You can’t read through this book as a believer and not be convicted and changed!

    • And what this convicting message of the gospel will do is establish truth which, by default, brings about division.

    • You will either respond to truth or hide from it!

• Finally, it’s in verse 16 that Paul mentions that as the believer remains steadfast in the word of the Lord, there is great hope that comes from it!

  • And Paul uses the Philippians as an example of his joy in the Lord on the day in which all believers will be raptured with Christ in the clouds.

    • That as Paul stands before the Lord at the Bema Seat Judgement, he will be able to know that the time spent with the Philippians was time well invested.

• It’s that anticipated joy that you have as a teacher, where you have spent hours every week preparing and training your students for a test.

  • Day by day, month by month, you work tirelessly to make sure that student is prepared for the state exam.

    • Because it’s that exam that will determine a promotion to a new grade and graduation for seniors.

    • And it’s the moment those results come back that as you glance at the paper you see that the students’ exceeded mastery level, that you are overjoyed!

    • The time spent and long hours you put in have finally paid off!

  • Paul has this imagery in mind, that as He is evaluated and judged before Christ that his labor was not in vain.

    • Because as the lives of those Paul touched are impacted, that credit goes to Paul’s efforts as a minister of the Gospel.

    • But most importantly, God is glorified through the work of the Gospel that has gone forth through Paul’s ministry.

• How is your life impacting others around you to the point that your witness carries weight?!

  • When people see you are they able to connect you to a positive image of Christ or is that image marred by lack of Christian Character?

    • Will others who you are around want to know more about Jesus because of how they have engaged with you?

    • Or will their desire to know the Lord be a “turn-off” because your life and the life of Christ, don’t seem to quite match up.

  • If that is the case, the good news is, God is not done with you yet!

    • Because, if you still have breathe in your lungs, there is still work to be done.

    • Let’s Pray.