Baptism -- Michelle Saladin 1/31/10

Sunday, January 31, 2010

BAPTISM: MICHELLE SALADIN

This morning we have the privilege of sharing in Michelle’s baptism. Praise God! It was almost six months ago that Michelle first came here. She responded to an invitation to come to Vacation Bible School, and she has been coming ever since. Many of us have had the privilege of watching her, responding to her questions, and encouraging her to keep looking to Jesus. This morning let’s look again at that Jesus whom Michelle has come to see as Lord and Savior.

Perhaps we could structure our study time this morning along the lines of two simple questions…

1. Whom do we baptize?

2. Why do we baptize?

So lets’ begin with that first question…

I. Whom Do We Baptize?

A. The One Who Has Seen Jesus

Baptism is intricately connected with Jesus of Nazareth, the one in whose name we baptize. Remember that Jesus Himself was baptized. And who was it that baptized Him? That’s right -- John the Baptizer. Let’s read it in Matt. 3:13-17…

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

John said that it should be the other way around. Surely Jesus should be baptizing him. But Jesus said, “No, let it be this way, so that we can fulfill all righteousness.” It was right for Jesus to be baptized, even though John didn’t understand it at the time.

But who was this Jesus? And why was He born into this world? There is a lot of confusion about that, and we want to make sure that we are not confused. How can we make sure we are clear on who Jesus is? By looking at the Word of God, which points to Jesus. Paul made it clear that there are those who preach “another Jesus.” We don’t want another Jesus, but the Jesus who is revealed by God in His Word.

Jesus, who was in form of God, emptied Himself, took on the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:6-7). Jesus was fully God, but He left the glory of heaven and became a man. He didn’t just look like a man; He was a man. When Jesus was baptized, He identified with us. People were flocking to the river to be baptized by John the Baptizer. John said that his baptism was a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk. 1:4). But Jesus didn’t have any sins. Nevertheless, He by being baptized He identified with us who do have plenty of sins. Later on, it would become clearer how fully He identified with us.

So how did Jesus come into this world? As a baby, just as we all came into the world as babies. And what kind of life did He live while He was on the earth? By the way, how long did Jesus live on this earth? About 33 years. What was His life like? He faced all the problems that we face. His life wasn’t easy. Herod tried to kill Him when He was first born, and it didn’t get any better. So how did He live? How would you describe Jesus’ life?

Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness and holiness. Righteousness -- He always did what was right. There were no exceptions. We sometimes think of that in terms of not doing wrong. Today I didn’t disobey my parents, I didn’t use any bad words, I didn’t get angry at anyone. But Jesus’ righteousness was far more than that. When we think of Jesus, we don’t think of the things He didn’t do, but the things He did do. It was right for Jesus to heal those who were sick. It was right for Jesus to teach people the truth about God, about sin, about life. It was right for Jesus to confront the religious leaders and tell them they were wrong. We could go on and on, but let me ask you this question. Why was it right for Jesus to do all these things? Because that is exactly what His Father God wanted Him to do. Jesus once said, “I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). Whatever was pleasing to the Father, that is what Jesus did -- always! That is perfect righteousnss.

We might also note that Jesus was holy. And what does that mean? Holy means “set apart.” Jesus was set apart to God. He was set apart from all other human beings. Though He was a man, He wasn’t like other men in the way He acted and thought. Jesus was like God His Father; that could not be said of any other man. Jesus was in a class all by Himself.

Go back to the last night that Jesus had on earth. He was there with His apostles and He made that great statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). He didn’t stop there, but He went on to say, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him" (14:7). Phillip answered, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (14:8). Then Jesus responded, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" (14:9).

Jesus revealed God perfectly. If you want to know what God is like, just look at Jesus, because Jesus is the “express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3). And what is God like? Yes, He is righteous and He is holy. That is exactly what we see in Jesus. We also read in the scripture that “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8,16). Do we see that in Jesus? Perhaps that is the thing that we see most clearly. Even Jesus’ love was an expression of righteousness and holiness. It was right for Jesus to love; that was His very nature. And it expressed His holiness, in that His love was set apart; no one loved like Jesus loved.

Can you think of a few expressions of Jesus’ love? He gave Himself freely to all kinds of people. Rather than looking down on certain people, He was willing to associate with them. One of the charges against Jesus was that He was a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 11:19). He deliberately befriended such people, because He taught that it isn’t the healthy people that need the doctor, but the sick people. He unashamedly said that He came to call sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17). Nor did He refuse to associate with children, even with infants whose mothers brought them to Jesus. When His own disciples tried to turn them away, Jesus said, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 19:14). When Simon the Pharisee confronted Jesus because He was allowing a notoriously sinful woman to anoint His feet, Jesus didn’t back down. He commended that woman and said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). Yes, Jesus demonstrated the love of the Father in a marvelous way.

But that isn’t the half of His love. The greatest sin was confronted by an even greater love. As Jesus continued to live and minister among the people, the religious leaders hated Him more and more. They were the ones who had been looked up to as being the godly examples, but now along comes Jesus, the Son of God, and lives a life that is very different from the life of the Pharisees and Saducees. His example made them look bad, and they hated Him for it. Their hatred was so intense that they plotted to kill Him. Though they used every ungodly method they could think of, they did indeed engineer the crucifixion of Jesus. They convinced the common people to cry out for the release of a criminal named Barabbas and to say of Jesus, “Crucify Him.” Pilate, the Roman governor, bowed to the pressure and sentenced Jesus to be crucified on a cross.

And what happened on that cross? Yes, Jesus died, but that is only what we can see from the outside. The Word of God tells us far more about what happened on that cross. Why don’t you young ones help me out. What happened on that cross? [At this point, be flexible. Start with where they are and move through the meaning of the cross.]

Yes, Jesus died for our sins. Why is that important? What is so bad about sin? That’s right, it separates us from God. How bad does a sin have to be to separate us from God? Any sin. Often people will say, “I know I am a sinner” without having a great understanding of how bad sin is. Think of it this way. Try to list some of your sins in your own mind. Choose some of the bad ones -- not just your actions, but your thoughts. I’ll give you a little time to think. Now let me remind you that every single one of those sins was against God. When you disobeyed your dad, the sin was far more against God than against your dad. Why? Because God is the one who told you, “Honor your father and your mother” (Ex. 20:12) and “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). And God is the one who made your dad and you. Your sin was mainly against God, and that is the way it is with every sin that you have ever committed. When you do something wrong, it hurts your parents, even if it isn’t directly against them, because they are your parents. They are the ones who have raised you and instructed you. That’s the way it is with God, but a hundred times moreso.

Let me put it another way. Remember how God made Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden. They had everything they needed and more. The Lord only asked them to not do one thing, and what was that? They were told not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they did it anyway. What was so bad about them eating the fruit? They disobeyed God. They were saying, “God, we don’t trust you. We think we can figure out what to do and not do without any word from you. We don’t need you, God.” Every time you sin, that is exactly what you are telling God. You are declaring that you don’t need Him anyway; you can make it on your own. What do you think that does to the God who created you?

Did Jesus ever sin like that? Not one single time. Then why was He the one who died on the cross? That’s right -- He took my place. Jesus took my sin upon Himself. The one who had never sinned became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (II Cor. 5:21). That Jesus who was perfectly righteous and holy hung there on that cross, taking my punishment on Himself. The very Son of God cried out from that cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Listen to me. That’s what sin did. That’s how bad sin is.

There is no forgiveness of sin outside of Jesus Christ. Surely God would not have put His Son on that cross, if there had been another way for you to find forgiveness of your ugly, God-hating sin. I praise God that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me (Rom. 5:8).

But that isn’t the end of the story. The Jesus who died and was buried rose up from that grave. The good news is that He will never die again. When He rose, God was saying that His death on the cross had accomplished everything it was supposed to accomplish. It was sufficient to reconcile sinners to God. And we will talk more about that in just a moment.

Now back to our question: Whom do we baptize? The one who has seen this Jesus, the real Jesus who was sent by God to die for our sins. But it isn’t enough to see Jesus clearly. Let’s ask the question again and complete the answer. Whom do we baptize?

B. The One who has been born again, who has repented and believed, and who has been justified through faith.

Don’t let that big sentence scare you. Let me break it down, beginning with the new birth. Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee, one of the religious leaders, came to Jesus and gave Him a compliment: “We know that you are a teacher from God because of the miracles that you do.” But Jesus came right to the heart of the issue and said to Nicodemus, “Unless you are born again, you will never see the kingdom of God.” He went on to say that Nicodemus would have to have a new birth, a spiritual birth, if he was going to enter God’s kingdom. This is where we get the term “born again.” It can also be translated “born from above.”

All of you us have been born physically. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. But in order to be a part of God’s kingdom, we have to have more than just this physical birth. We have to be born spiritually. Why? Because we come into this world spiritually dead. God brings to life those who are dead in their trespasses and sins. It’s a good thing He does that, because dead people cannot do anything for themselves. Praise God that He is able to give life. Just as God is the one who brings physical life, so He is the one who brings spiritual life.

But how do we know that God has given someone this spiritual birth? Jesus explained it like this when He was talking to Nicodemus: “The wind blows wherever it wants to. You can hear the sound of it, but you can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going. That’s the way it is with the one who is born again, who is born of the Spirit” (paraphrase of John 3:8). No one can see a person actually be born again, but the evidence can be seen.

And what is the evidence? There are lots of answers to that question, but the key evidence is repentance and faith. The person who receives life from above will repent of his sins and trust his life to Jesus, who died and rose for him. We have talked about repentance and faith many times. Repentance literally refers to “a change of mind.” It goes something like this: “I thought I could handle things all right. Maybe a little help from God, but I thought I could do better and things would be okay. But I realize that there is nothing I can do to make myself better. I am in trouble, if something isn’t done. I change my mind. I need a Savior.” Faith is the other side of the coin. It recognizes that Jesus, who died and rose, is the one and only Savior. When a person has faith, he throws himself on Jesus as his only hope. Basically, he now wants the God who gave His Son for him to direct his life from now on.

And what happens when a person puts his faith in Christ? He is justified. He is made right with God. His sins are washed away and the righteousness of Christ actually becomes His. He is a new creation in Christ. It isn’t because he has done anything good; it is simply the result of his faith in Christ.

So we baptize people who have seen Jesus clearly. As a result, they have been born again, have repented and believed, and have been made right with God. But now comes our second question….

II. Why Do We Baptize Them?

A. As a presentation of the gospel…

So why is a person baptized? One might say, “We are baptized because that is what God says we are supposed to do.” While it is true that we are to be obedient, it would not be the same if God told us to lie on the floor and roll over three times. Actually being put under the water and raised out of the water pictures something very specific. It is so simple that a child can understand. What happens if a person goes under water and stays for a while? He dies. Well, being put under the water is a picture of death and burial. Whose death and burial? First of all, that of Jesus. And if going under the water is a picture of dying and being buried, then what is pictured by being raised out of the water? Resurrection. Whose resurrection? The resurrection of Jesus. When we baptize, we are presenting the gospel in a picture form. When we preach from the Bible, we give the gospel in a form that can be seen. When we baptize, we give the gospel in a form that can be seen.

B. As a picture of a new life with Christ…

But why is it that we seek to baptize only those who have been born again, have repented and believed, and have been made right with God? It is because baptism is more than a presentation of the gospel; it is also a picture of what has happened to the one being baptized. When Michelle is put down into the water this morning, she is testifying that she died and has been buried with Christ. When we raise her up out of the water, we are picturing the truth that she has been raised to live a new kind of life, His life.

We see both this idea of gospel presentation and personal testimony in Rom. 6:1-6…

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

It is not baptism that saves the person. The act of baptism has no power to change a life. Regeneration (being born again) and justification are inward works that the human eye cannot observe. Baptism is an outward picture of that inward work. It looks back to what has taken place -- death to the old life -- but it also looks forward to what will take place -- walking in newness of life.

C. As as act of obedience…

We have looked at the meaning of baptism, but we must not overlook the fact that baptism is also a part of the pattern given to us by Jesus Christ Himself. Let’s read it in Matt. 28:18-20…

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

The command is to make disciples of all people groups in the world. And what do we do with them when they have become disciples? We baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we teach them to observe everything Jesus has commanded. As long as there is a need to make disciples, there will be the need to baptize. When we read the book of Acts, we read repeatedly of the same pattern -- they believe and then they were baptized. As a church, we follow this pattern with joy.

D. As an act of surrender for the believer…

Earlier we read about the baptism of Jesus in Matt. 3:13-17. As Jesus identified with us in His baptism, now the believer identifies with Jesus in his own baptism. As we have seen, baptism demonstrates that the one baptized has died with Jesus and has been raised to live in Jesus.

Now I want to remind you again that when Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Those words have great meaning. They are taken directly from the scripture. “This is my beloved Son” comes from Ps. 2:7. Psalm 2 was recognized as a royal Psalm, a kingly Psalm. It emphasized the fact that the Lord’s Messiah would be a great king. These words pronounced over Jesus announced that He would indeed be a great king.

But the words “in whom I am well pleased” did not come from the royal Psalm. Rather, they are taken from Is. 42:1, which was one of the suffering servant passages (of which we know Is. 53 best). While Jesus would be a great king, the road to kingship would lead through great suffering. Immediately after His baptism, the Spirit would drive Jesus into the desert to be tempted of the devil. There Satan would tempt Jesus to take a shortcut to glory, to avoid suffering, especially the suffering of the cross. Of course, we know that Jesus resisted that temptation. As time went on, it became clear that Jesus was focused on Jerusalem and His own crucifixion. He would go on to glory, but the road to glory would involve great suffering.

It seems to me that when Jesus was baptized, He was saying “Yes” to this divine plan. “My Son, you will have to endure suffering and death on the cross before you are received back to heaven. I will have to crush you on that cross and lay the burden of men’s sins upon you.” By being baptized, Jesus was saying “Yes, Father.” No wonder His Father was pleased with His beloved Son.

When Michelle is baptized this morning, she is acknowledging that the way to glory leads through suffering. Though there is great joy in being a new creation in Christ, she understands that walking in newness of life will invite suffering and death. But praise God that His grace will be sufficient for Michelle, and for all of us who are His.

BAPTISM -- Michelle

God Is Working in You -- 1/24/2010

Sunday, January 24, 2010

GOD IS WORKING IN YOU

Phil. 2:13

This morning we come to Phil. 2:13. But we can’t study verse 13 by itself. Every verse fits in a context, and that truth is most obvious with this verse, because it begins with the word “for.” You could translate it just as easily “because.” Read verses 12 and 13 together: “Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for (because) it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Did you catch that? Work out your own salvation, because it is God who works in you.

Last week we focused on verse 12. From that verse, we emphasized the fact that God commands us to work out our own salvation. God expects us to work out in daily life the implications of the salvation He has given us. God has worked it in; now we are to work in out. Remember that there are three aspects to salvation. We were saved in the past; that is justification. When we were justified, we were forgiven of our sins, the righteousness of Christ was imputed to us, and it was all by grace through faith. We are being saved in the present; that is sanctification. We are continually being set apart to God. We will be saved in the future; that is glorification. The time is coming (and coming soon) when we will see our Lord face to face. All sin and sorrow will be gone. Yes, that will be glory. Now in this continuing process of sanctification, we are to work out our own salvation. We realize that justification was only the beginning. Now we are to work, labor, toil to bring our salvation to completion. This was true of Paul himself, the one who said at the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7). As we look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13), we work to be set apart more and more to our Lord.

Now when we hear those last few statements about working and laboring to be like Christ, something about that makes us a little bit uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Well, it should. Those statements are absolutely biblical. That is exactly what Paul tells us to do. Nevertheless, they make us feel a bit uncomfortable. Why is that? It is because it isn’t the whole story. How can we work out our own salvation? Who are we? On the one hand, we can say, “We are new creations in Christ Jesus” (II Cor. 5:17). But on the other hand, if only God could save us, who are we to think that we can work out our own salvation?

I. God Is Working In Us

The solution is in verse 13. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Yes, work out your own salvation, because it is God who works in you. You can do it because God is working in you. God not only worked the salvation in us in that we were justified, but He is continuing to work within us. We must not give the impression that God justified us, but we are the ones who sanctify us. And that brings us back to the question with which we began last week: Who is responsible for our sanctification? Who is responsible for this continual process of setting us apart to God? Is it our responsibility? Or is it God’s responsibility? We will deal more with that question, but first let’s look a little more closely at verse 13. We focused on verse 12; now let’s focus on verse 13.

“It is God who works in you.” Just think about that for a moment. It is God who works in you . Who is this God who is working in us?

Gen. 1:1… “In the beginning God…”

Gen. 1:3… “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.”

Ex. 3:13-14… "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Ps. 2:1-5… "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."

Ps. 11:4… “The Lord is in his holy temple , the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

Ps. 90:2… “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Ps. 96:3-5… "Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."

Is. 6:1-3… "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

Is. 40:12-18… "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. 17. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 18. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?"

Is. 45:18… "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."

Is. 46:9-10… "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

Hab. 2:20… “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Rom. 11:33-36… "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

Rev. 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."

Rev. 15:3-4… "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest."

O God, who is like you? But you are working in me! The God who created the universe is working in you. The One who is over all and controls all history is working in you. The God who is all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere at the same time is working in you. The God who will reign forever and ever without rival is working in you.

Notice what Paul says here. He does not say, “For God is working on you.” Nor does he say, “God is working around you.” No, He says that God is working in you. You say, “But look at me. I am but dust. I am just one of the billions of people on this planet, which is just a speck in this mighty universe. How can you say that God, the Creator and Sustainer, the great I AM, is working in me?” I didn’t say it; God said it. Paul is not just a great man who speaks for God. Paul was the instrument of the Holy Spirit, writing the Word of God. If God says He is working in you, then you can bank on it. If He is not working in you, then you don’t belong to Him.

Let me pause for just a moment. God isn’t working in all of us, because some of you here do not yet have the Lord living within you by His Spirit. Some of you have tried hard to make yourself right with God. You live a good moral life in comparison to others. You come to services and you may even be reading the Word. But the bottom line is that you aren’t capable of making yourself right with God. Some of you wonder what to do. We tell you to repent and believe, but you aren’t sure whether you have done that. I praise God that you are honest and don’t want any phony religious experience. Listen to me. Cry out to God. Can you say to the Lord, “O God, I have come to see that I am not worthy of your salvation. I have rebelled against you and I deserve your wrath and condemnation. Lord, I can’t help myself. You are the only One who can do anything for me, but Lord, you created this universe. You made me. Surely you can break my pride, soften my heart, and give me a heart of repentance. You sent your Son to die on the cross. Please have mercy on me. Open my eyes to see your Son clearly. Don’t give me rest until I belong to you.” Can you pray like that? Do it. You say, “But that’s too hard. I thought it was easy to become a Christian.” That is much of our trouble. We are more concerned about becoming a Christian than about the glorious, majestic, sin-bearing Jesus who is revealed to us in this precious Word. Conversion is a wonderful thing, but our goal must not be conversion as much as it is Christ. Do we want to see people converted? Then they must see Jesus.

This is the great blessing of the new covenant is having God working in us. We read the Old Testament and we see God working mightily through men like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and the prophets. Through those men mighty miracles were done. Praise God. Nevertheless, we are not told that God was working in them. This is the privilege of those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. I am not trying to minimize the spirituality of those Old Testament saints, but I am trying rather to maximize the privilege of us who have the Spirit of Christ. God works in us.

The word translated “work” is not the usual word for work. Rather it is the word “energize.” Our word “energize” is simply a transliteration from the Greek. God energizes in us. Or, we might say that God energizes us from the inside out. He who has all power energizes in us.

II. What Work Is He Doing In Us?

Now if God works in us, what is it that He is doing in us? Listen to what Paul says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” God works in us both to will and to do. He begins with the willing. It is easier for us to understand the doing. Who cannot understand the idea that God works in us to enable us to do certain things? Though we might not be able to explain how He does it, we can grasp the concept of the Lord enabling us to do. But the idea of working in us to will is a bit more difficult.

Of course, there are those in the world who would lead us to believe that the willing is not a great problem. Every man wants to do the right thing, he just has trouble carrying out his want to. People may not be perfect, but in general they want to do right. Let me read again for you that passage from Romans 3. While it is true that the passage speaks of some outward evil deeds, it clearly reaches deeper than the outward acts. Let’s read Rom. 3:10-18…

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15. Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16. Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17. And the way of peace have they not known: 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Note also the use of the word “enmity” in these verses: Rom. 8:7, "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." James 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." The Greek word translated “enmity” means “actively hostile, hating and opposing another.” Before we came to Christ we all had a carnal mind, a fleshly mind. Paul makes it clear that such is hostility toward God, even hatred of God. Before we came to Christ, we were all friends of the world, which signifies hatred of God.

Do you see why God must work in us to will? He began that work when He made us new creatures in Christ. Praise His name for that, but the work doesn’t stop there. Although we are new creations in Christ, we have plenty of baggage from the past. Listen to me: God is working in you to give you a desire to please Him. When you have that desire, know that it is the direct work of God in you, and that is no small thing.

Let’s try to illustrate that truth with a specific situation. Let’s suppose that you have not forgiven someone. Normally, it is your practice to forgive. Why shouldn’t you? After all, God has forgiven you. That willingness to forgive is God’s work. But then someone hurts you really deeply. Though you wouldn’t say it, you wonder if anyone you know has ever been hurt so deeply? How could this so-called brother do such a thing to you? You find that you are unwilling to forgive him. You know you should. You know it is right. You know well that our Lord said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14-15). But the bottom line is simply this: You do not want to forgive this person. Can God make you willing? Can God work in you to will and to do of His good pleasure? Indeed, He can. And if you are truly His child, He will.

Do you see how important the willing part is? You might say, “I just don’t have the power to forgive that person.” That may be true, but the power will never be yours, as long you don’t want to forgive him. The want to must come before the doing. And this shows us the power and grace of our Lord, who works within us. It is one thing to give ability to do something; it is quite another to break a hard heart and make it willing to do God’s bidding.

It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Now we come to the other side of the coin. The same God who works in us to make us willing works in us to make us able. Aren’t you glad our God is able to do that? While there are times when we are not willing, there are also times when we truly want to do the will of God, but we seem powerless to do so. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to look back and know that it was the power of God and God alone that enabled you to do it! What a blessing! Take a moment to recall an incident like that in your life.

Peter comes to mind. Go with me to the day of Pentecost. Here we have Peter, a man who denied our Lord Jesus three times. It wasn’t like he was before a firing squad. No, he was simply asked if he was one of Jesus’ disciples, and he flatly denied knowing his Lord (three times). Almost two months later thousands of people have thronged Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Pentecost (also known as “the Feast of Weeks,” “the Feast of Harvest,” and “the Day of Firstfruits”). Peter and the other followers of Jesus have been huddled into an upper room for a week or so, waiting for the promise from the risen Lord that they would be clothed with power from on high (Lk. 24:49). Well on the morning of Pentecost, the promise was fulfilled. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and in various languages these disciples told of the mighty works of God. God gave them a desire to bring glory to His name. And now He was giving them the power to do so.

But come back to Peter, who was without doubt the recognized leader of the group. There was confusion about exactly what was happening. Some were basically asking, “What is going on?” Others thought it was time for a good joke and suggested that all these Jesus’ followers had had a little too much to drink. It was then that the apostles stood before the huge crowd and Peter sensed it was his turn to speak. Yes, he had a great God-given desire to glorify his Lord. There is no question about that; God made him willing. But don’t forget that this is Peter, the man who had denied Jesus in the presence of just one young lady. Now he is standing before thousands. It was at a similar feast less than two months before that many of the people in this crowd were crying out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Maybe Peter could pacify them a bit and say, “Hey, folks. Listen to me. We’re not drunk. We’re here to tell you about Jesus. Now we know you didn’t mean Jesus any harm when your leaders plotted to kill Him. You were deceived and used by them. Don’t be too hard on yourselves.” No, Peter knew the message he must preach. He must tell the truth. But how could he come to the point where he could say, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36)? There was only one way -- God worked in him not only to will, but also to do. God enabled Peter to boldly proclaim the truth of who Jesus was, what He had done, and how they had crucified the Lord of glory. That was the message God used to convict of sin and add three thousand souls to His church that day.

Brothers and sisters, what a mighty God we serve! That God is working in you both to will and do of His good pleasure. Notice those words “of His good pleasure.” Don’t miss that. God doesn’t work in us to will and do for any and every thing. He works in us that we may desire His good pleasure, and He works in us that we may do His good pleasure. In short, God works in us in such a way that we long to glorify Him and are able to glorify Him. What could be better than that? Isn’t that the greatest purpose we have in this life, to bring glory to our Lord? God works in us to enable us to do that for which He created us and re-created us in Christ.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out” (Rom. 11:33). Praise His name that though His ways are past finding out, He gives us more than a glimpse!

III. How Can We Put the Truth of Verse 12 together with the Truth of Verse 13?

Now let’s back up for a minute. We have talked about the God who works in us, in us who are His people. We have seen that this work consists of giving us the desire to please Him and giving us the power to please Him. When you look at it, it is really quite simple. But now we must go back to verse 12 and view verses 12 and 13 together: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

So we come back to the question with which we began last week -- Whose work is it? When it comes to our salvation, and specifically to our sanctification, whose work is it? Is it God’s work? Or, is it our work? On the one hand, the Holy Spirit says through Paul, “Work out your own salvation.” He tells us to work out the practical implications of what He has worked in and to bring this process to completion. But then immediately he says, “Because it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” So I ask you again, whose work is it?

Last week I gave a preliminary answer, suggesting that it is both. However, that answer does not tell us how to put the two ideas together. So let us gird up the loins of our minds and think seriously about this. This is that idea of paradox that we mentioned last week. If we are to work out our own salvation, then how can Paul say that God is the one who works in us? If God works in us to will and do of His good pleasure, then why should we be concerned about working out our salvation? Surely He will do it.

First of all, the first word of verse 13--for, or because--indicates that the only reason we are capable of working out our own salvation is because God is working in us. If God were not working in us to will and to do, we would never be able to work out our own salvation. As believers, we have the responsibility of working out our own salvation, but apart from Him, we do not have the power to do it. The good news is that God Himself supplies the power both to will and to do.

In practical terms, this means that I can never sit back and say, “God has promised to complete the work in me that He has started. Therefore, I don’t have to concern myself with my own sanctification. I would just mess it up.” But then I read a passage like II Cor. 6:14-7:1…

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? 15. And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16. And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Can you hear the echo of “Work out your own salvation” in the commands of that passage? Perhaps it is a thundering refrain, rather than an echo. There is work involved in cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

On the other hand, if I am going to work out my own salvation, if I am going to cleanse myself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, I must understand that it will only happen as God works in me both to will and do of His good pleasure. That is my only hope. That is my confidence. And when I look back and see that I have indeed obeyed a command of God, I can never take any pride in it. Why not? Because I know it was God who was working in me to will and to do.

A very helpful passage in this regard is found in I Corinthians 15. Let me remind you of the context. Paul has spoken about the gospel, which includes not only the death of the Lord Jesus, but also His resurrection. Then he gives a list of those who can give testimony that Jesus did indeed rise from the grave. Now listen to what Paul says about his own witness to the resurrection of Jesus in I Cor. 15:8-10…

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Notice what Paul says. With great humility he considers himself to be the least of the apostles. Then he speaks of the grace of God and how that grace was not given to him in vain. Then I would expect Paul to continue by telling what wonderful things God has done in him and through him. Instead, he says, “But I labored more abundantly than they all.” And what does that word “labor” mean? It means to labor… work hard, toil, put forth great effort. It’s a “work-up-a-sweat” word. Do you know what Paul was doing? He was working out his own salvation! But he can’t stop there; he adds, “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Can you hear Paul? “I labored more than all the rest, but it was only because God was working in me by His grace to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

There is great danger in neglecting either verse 12 or verse 13. If we emphasize the working out to the exclusion of the working in, we are headed either for despair or pride. If we don’t do well (and we won’t, if we are not conscious of God working in us), then we will fall into despair. On the other hand, if we think we do well, we will become puffed up with pride, no matter how well we may disguise it, because we don’t realize how fully the power is coming from our Lord. But if we emphasize verse 13 to the exclusion of verse 12, then we will justify a lazy life with little discipline and active seeking. We will get the idea that all we have to do is sit back and trust the Lord. Even as I say that, you see how easy it is to twist the truth of these verses. “I thought that’s what we were supposed to do, to trust the Lord with all our heart and not lean to our own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). There is nothing about Prov. 3:5 that suggests we are to wait passively on the Lord and do nothing. This is not an either/or, but a both/and.

Conclusion

I think that is a good place for us to stop this morning. It brings us to a question that I want to deal with next week. We see that the work of sanctification is both our work and God’s work. But we must ask one more question: Is one more important than the other? Can we say that the work of sanctification is all of God and all of man? We see in this passage that Paul lays emphasis on both, but is there one that comes before the other? That is the question I want us to deal with next week.

Yes, we will take a bit of a detour from Philippians, but these two verses will be our launching pad. There haven’t been many detours, but we need to take this one. We must also fit into this picture Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

In dealing with this question about sanctification and whether the work of either man or God has priority over the other, I want to approach it by comparing sanctification with justification. We will ask the question: Whose work is justification? Is it the work of God or the work of man? Is one more important than the other? In the final analysis, who decides whether a person is justified or not? Does man make the decision, or does God make the decision?

These are very weighty issues. I would encourage you to read the first three chapters of Ehpesians. You might also take a look at the end of Romans 8, as well as chapter 9. Let’s be praying that the Lord would truly guide us by His Spirit, as we look at His Word.

Work Out Your Own Salvation -- 1/17/10

Sunday, January 17, 2010

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION

Phil. 2:12-13

These past few weeks we have dealing with one of the greatest passages of the Bible, Phil. 2:6-11. What makes it so wonderful is the fact that it gives us a very concise but full picture of who Jesus is and what He has done. Let’s read it again to refresh our memory. Phil. 2:6-11…

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

There is much more we could say about this passage, and we may talk more about it later. No doubt, many times we will come back to it. I trust we have talked about it enough that as we read it, you understand the basic message and can thank God for what He has done in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, who was in the form of God, who was indeed God, left the glory of heaven and came down to this earth. He came farther down by actually becoming a man. But that wasn’t low enough; He became a servant of men. And then He lowered Himself even more by obeying His Father to the point of death. It wasn’t just any death, but death on the cross, where He bore our sins and endured the wrath of God His Father. But praise God that the cross wasn’t the final word. The One who took the lowest place has been highly exalted and given a name that is above every name. And some day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. For those of us who belong to Him, we have the privilege of bowing the knee and proclaiming Him Lord even now!

This morning we come to verses 12-13. Let’s go ahead and read those verses. Phil. 2:12-13…

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

The Question Raised by Phil. 2:12-13… Whose Work Is It?

As we begin to deal with these two verses, there is a very important question that surfaces. It goes something like this: “Who is responsible for my salvation -- me, or God?” More specifically, the question relates to sanctification. Paul was writing to believers, to those who had already been justified. That is, they had been made right with God through Christ. They had been reconciled to God. But after justification comes sanctification. Don’t let those terms scare you. Why do I use those big words? Because they are biblical terms and they communicate truth that is vital. If we do away with the terms, the tendency is to water down the truths which God meant them to communicate. Sanctification speaks of the setting-apart-to-God process in the life of the believer. There is a real sense in which we have already been sanctified, already been set apart to God. After all, the Bible calls us saints, holy ones, set apart ones. Nevertheless, there is another real sense in which God will continue to set us apart until we meet Him face to face. It is the present process of sanctification that will ultimately make us like Jesus. We are being transformed into His image.

So with respect to this process of sanctification, who is responsible? Is it God’s work? Or is it the work of the believer? This is a very important question. How we answer that question will determine much about the way we live.

From the very outset, we must acknowledge that Christians have answered this question in different ways. There are two extremes. The one extreme might be called spiritual passivism. Some have called it quietism. Regardless of what you call it, these extremists emphasize that the work of sanctification belongs to God alone. God is the one who sanctifies the believer. The believer’s role is simply to “let go and let God.” After all, we can do nothing. We have been crucified with Christ. The best thing we can do is just quit trying and allow God to do the work in us. That is the one extreme.

The other extreme, which is perhaps best captured by the Pietest movement, says that the process of sanctification is up to the believer. We must discipline ourselves to pray, study the Word, seek Him with our whole heart. God has given us the responsibility. That is why He gives us so many commands, telling us to study to show ourselves approved, to pray with ceasing, to present our bodies a living sacrifice. The key to sanctification is the spiritual devotion of the believer. The Christian life is expressed through a deep and active dedication to the Lord.

Those are the two extremes. Which is right? They are both right. The difficulty is understanding the tension between them and how they are to be balanced. That is exactly what Phil. 2:12-13 deals with. I’m not sure how long we will be in these two verses. The truths here are extremely important. May God give us grace to dig in and explore what He has given us in His Word.

The Direct Command of Phil. 2:12-13… Work Out Your Own Salvation

So we come to verse 12 and we find this direct command: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” I believe the best place to start is by making it very clear what this command does not mean. Some want to make it say, “Work for your own salvation.” That isn’t what it says. Rather, Paul says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” In other words, Paul is not saying that salvation is by works. He is not telling us that we must work hard to earn our salvation. All we have to do is go back to the clear teaching of Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast." We were not saved, not justified, by our works, but by the grace of God in Christ Jesus. So Phil. 2:12 must never be construed to mean that we can earn our salvation.

Then what does Paul mean, when he says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”? I want to suggest two aspects of this command. Down through the years, many have put it like this: God has worked it in; now you work in out. In other words, God has given you His salvation through grace; now you work out the implications in your own person life. Work out what God has worked in. God has given you a wonderful and great salvation, but now you must work out the practical implications of that salvation in daily life.

This interpretation assumes that there is something to be worked out. It takes for granted that salvation is not just an initial experience which guarantees heaven. Rather, salvation begins at a point in time but continues throughout our lives. This interpretation assumes that accompanying justification is regeneration. In other words, when you were saved, you were not only made right with God in a legal sense, but you were given new life. Jesus didn’t die just to forgive you of your sins, but to deliver you from your sins. The first promise of the New Testament is in Matt. 1:21, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." Praise God for His forgiveness of sins through Christ, but that is not the total package. Jesus came to save us from our sins, to break the power of sin in our daily lives. That must be worked out in our lives. Paul tells the Philippians and us to work it out.

The word that is translated “work out” (katergazomai) speaks of bringing something to completion. A good start has been made; now go work it out. Bring it to its fullness. We cannot miss the fact that this implies effort. Paul is making it clear that Christians are expected to work, to put forth much effort, in obeying this command. We can’t obey this command sitting in an easy chair with our arms folded, saying, “God will do it.” No, this is a very active command.

This should come as no surprise to us. All we have to do is look at the rest of the New Testament. May we never get the idea that the old covenant was one of activity, but the new covenant is one of passivity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Not only do we have the many active commands, a few of which we read, but we also have the example of Paul. Just last Sunday Jake read us that passage from I Cor. 9. Let’s read it again in I Cor.9 :24-27 (ESV)…

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Does that sound like a passive approach to the Christian life? Hardly. Paul is talking about effort, toil, labor, hard work. He makes no apology for it. And don’t forget what the same apostle Paul said toward the end of his life: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7). Again, notice that Paul fought the good fight. The word translated “fought” is the word from which we get “agony.” Literally, “The good agony have I agonized.” Paul did not lead a nice little, hands-folded life. He aggressively fought the good fight.

But I said there are two aspects of working out our salvation. The other is based on the truth that salvation is not a point in time, but a life-long process. If I haven’t emphasized that in a while, forgive me. We must understand this truth. Salvation began in the past, but it is an ongoing process now, and it will continue until we meet the Lord face to face. We were justified in the past. That is, we were made right with God. We were forgiven of our sins and the righteousness of Christ was imputed to us. And it was all through faith, not of works. Now we are being sanctified. That is, we are being set apart continually unto God. We are being conformed to the image of Christ. At the time of our death or the return of our Lord, we will be glorified. We will see Him as He is. Sin and sorrow will be totally removed from our lives. When we were justified, we were freed from the penalty of sin. As we are being sanctified, we are being freed from the power of sin. When we will be glorified, we will be freed even from the presence of sin. So do you see that salvation is an ongoing process?

In the context of that truth, Paul tells us to work out our own salvation. Every translation I checked rendered it “work out your own salvation.” While that seems to be the proper way to translate it into English, it is not a literal translation. The word that is used here reads literally, “Work down your own salvation.” The Amplified reads like this: “Work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation.” I believe that captures the second sense of working out our own salvation. We are to carry it out to its goal. We realize that our salvation is not yet complete and won’t be until we are in His presence. One pastor puts it like this: “What he is really saying is not only work out your salvation but work on your salvation in the sense that you are working on toward that moment when you will see Christ and receive the end of your faith, even the fullness of salvation” (MacArthur; sermon on Phil. 2:12). At this point, only one of the three aspects have salvation has been completely worked out. And which one is that? Justification. Our justification is complete. Through faith in His blood, we have been forgiven and we have received the righteousness of Christ. “It’s a done deal.” That is not true of the current process of sanctification. And as we are being sanctified, we are looking for that day when we will be glorified. In the current process, we are not spectators. We are actively working to move ourselves closer to the goal.

I haven’t mentioned it up to this point, but the word “work out” (work down) is present tense. That is, Paul is talking about a continuing action. This is not a command that can be obeyed once and then it is done. The idea is, “Keep on working out your own salvation.” How long will it take? It will take the rest of our lives on this earth. We are to apply ourselves to moving toward that completion. We have a great responsibility at this point.

You may say, “But I thought it was God’s work to keep us to the end? Doesn’t Phil. 1:6 promise us that God will complete the work He has started?” Indeed, He does. And we will get a strong dose of that when we come to verse 13. Nevertheless, that truth does not negate in any way the responsibility we have to keep working on our salvation until it comes to completion.

There is a doctrine called “the perseverance of the saints.” Though you will not find that exact term in the Bible, the concept is certainly there. It simply means that those who have been justified and regenerated will persevere in their faith. Though they will not always yield perfect obedience, though they will mess up, they will still life of a life of persevering faith. True believers will not renounce their faith and turn their back on God. In short, they will keep working on their salvation until they see its completion at the time of glorification. We will do it in obedience to this and many other commands from our Lord.

You may be thinking, “There sure are lots of tensions in biblical thinking.” That is absolutely true. Perhaps a better word is “paradox.” The Bible is full of paradoxes. It seems impossible for something to be true, but it is. Perhaps better to say, it seems impossible for both of these things to be true, but they are. Lord willing, we will devote some more time to the paradoxes that are brought to light in these two verses. But for now, I want us to walk through the rest of verse 12. We have looked so far only at the naked command: “Work out your own salvation.” However, you will notice that there is more to this verse than the command. Let’s examine it.

The Words that Go Along with the Command…

Let’s begin with the “wherefore.” I think the best way to catch hold of that word is to render it, “So then.” If you prefer simply “therefore,” you won’t go far wrong. Leading up to verses 6-11, we had the words of verse 5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Literally, “Keep on thinking this in you, which also in Christ Jesus.” And then Paul gives the attitude that was in Christ. He shows us how Christ thought. Now when we come out on the other side, after describing the humility and ensuing exaltation of the Lord Jesus, Paul says, “So then, as a result of what you have just read about Jesus…” We are not told exactly how the “therefore” relates specifically, but here are some ideas… “Since Christ Jesus by means of his unrestricted, voluntary obedience gave you an example, therefore…[work out your own salvation;] and since the reward which he received shows that there are great things in store for those who follow this example, [work out your own salvation;] and finally, since this highly exalted and human mediator imparts strength from heaven to all who trust in him and yearn so to live as he would have them live… therefore [work out your own salvation]. (William Hendricksen in New Testament Commentary: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon; p. 119).

“Wherefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation.” Paul refers to the Philippian Christians as “my beloved.” These were brothers and sisters whom Paul loved dearly, and he wants them to know that. Over in 4:1, Paul actually uses this word “beloved” twice in the space of one verse (“dearly beloved” at the end of 4:1, but there is no corresponding Greek word for “dearly”). Perhaps the reminder here of his love for them is due to what he is about to say to them. We will come to that in just a moment.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed…” What a word of encouragement! Paul commends them because they have always obeyed. We must not misunderstand what he is saying. We must put such statements in the total context of scripture. He was not saying that the Philippian church was unique in that it was filled with saints who had attained sinless perfection. His pleas for unity indicate that there was still a need for the Lord to work on some things in them. In chapter 4 he has to speak directly to two women and tell them to be of the same mind in the Lord. Nevertheless, Paul looks at the Philippians and he can truthfully commend them for their lives of obedience. When Paul has found it necessary to correct them and ask them to change something, they have done so. When they have come to understand an apostolic command, they have then obeyed that command.

Think about your own life. You don’t have it all together. There may be areas in your life to which you have given little or no thought. You didn’t know it was sin to make close alliances with non-believers. You had never considered the implications of II Cor. 6:14ff, but when it has come to your attention and you have studied it out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in the context of the Lord’s church, you came to see the truth and you obeyed. That is the kind of obedience he is talking about. These brothers and sisters had an eagerness to obey what God wanted them to do.

Now notice the next words in our text -- “not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation.” We need to spend some time thinking about this idea. Where was Paul at this time? Yes, he was in prison in Rome. Philippi was some 800 miles from Rome. Paul was not able to be with them. I suspect some of these brothers and sisters longed for Paul’s presence. Not only where they dear to him, but he was dear to them. But now he is giving them instructions, even though he is not present with them. When he was present with them, they were busy working out their own salvation. Now they must do the same thing in his absence.

Paul is gently reminding them that ultimately they must not depend upon Paul; they must depend upon the Lord Himself. He is not rebuking them in any way. Was it wrong for them to have such a good and close relationship with Paul? Of course, not. It is a wonderful thing for believers to have a strong and loving relationship with their leaders. Nevertheless, there is a subtle danger therein. I know all too well that Satan is an expert at taking something very good and twisting it. It is possible for Christians to become too dependent upon leaders in the church. Yes, receiving counsel from leaders and other believers in the church is important and right. Nevertheless, ultimate allegiance and obedience must be to God. The primary relationship for every Christian must be to the Lord Himself.

Let’s just bring this down to where we live. I have been a pastor at this church for almost 30 years. We have a love and respect for one another, and that is good. Nevertheless, you can’t depend ultimately on me; you must depend on the Lord. We all know that, but sometimes knowing something and living it out are not the same thing. So, for the Philippians, Paul’s absence due to being in prison was a reminder that they must depend upon the Lord. They didn’t have Paul’s presence to lean on. For many of you, my failures and shortcomings have reminded you that though you love me, respect me, look to me (along with Norman) for leadership, you must depend ultimately upon the Lord. Just over twenty years ago I failed miserably. I demonstrated a great lack of wisdom and caused confusion in the body of Christ. I had to confess my sin to God’s people. I believe it was the most painful experience of my life, not because I had to publicly confess my sin, but because I had been such a stumblingblock in the Lord’s church. But praise God that He can take the failures of man and use even those failures for His glory. There were people in this church who were likely too dependent upon this pastor. After that experience, they would never forget that I am a man, a man capable of being deceived and going astray.

Paul had confidence that his beloved brothers and sisters would obey what he was saying, even though he was not with them and had no absolute assurance that he would be with them again. He had already hinted at this same concept back in Phil. 1:27, "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ [Walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ]: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." Paul wanted to make it abundantly clear that they were to obey the command of the Lord (through Paul), whether he was present or absent.

And finally, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” This task of continuing to work out our own salvation is such a serious thing that it must be done with an attitude of deep reverence. Brothers and sisters, we are working on something that the Lord Himself has begun. Surely we don’t want to hinder this great salvation in any way. In the original text, “with fear and trembling” comes before “work out your own salvation.” It is Paul’s way of putting emphasis on it.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, we have our work cut out for us. There is no reason why we shouldn’t receive Paul’s words to the Philippians as a direct command to us. We too have been justified and are in the process of being sanctified on our way to glorification. The Lord expects us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. While we have brothers and sisters who are moving in that same direction and leaders to encourage us, ultimately we are responsible to God for obeying this command. And it is of such great importance, we must tackle it with fear and trembling.

So what should we take away from our scriptural study this morning? Let us meditate on the truth that we have much responsibility. We have a very active part in our own sanctification. If we have been just drifting along, expecting God to sanctify us, let us repent and believe what the scripture says. It says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” And then I challenge you to read and meditate long on Phil. 2:12-13. Next week, Lord willing, we will focus more on verse 13.

I must make one thing clear. For some of you, it isn’t yet possible for you to work out your own salvation, because you do not yet have that salvation. It has not yet begun. You have not been justified, made right with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. So in light of that fact, what are you to do? I can’t say to you, “So you must work to get this salvation.” No, that isn’t it.

Let me leave you with the words of Jesus. Because He had fed the 5,000, the crowds were following Jesus everywhere. Now listen to how Jesus responded in John 6:26-29…

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

There is no “work” you can do to make yourself acceptable to God. Jesus did the work, when He died on the cross in your place and rose from the grave. You must believe on Him, trust Him, throw yourself on Him. The other side of the “believe” coin is “repent.” You can’t believe on Jesus until you quit believing in yourself, trusting yourself, believing that you can handle things. As Jesus says in Mark 1:15, “Repent and believe.”