If you have your Bibles, you can turn to Philippians chapter 2.
We're continuing our trek through Philippians last, not last week, but the week before that.
Chris preached on Philippians 2, the first portion leading up to verse 12.
I will be talking today about verses 12 through 18.
And before I get started here, I'm going to pray.
Lord, we thank you, God, for your word.
Thank you that we have it, Lord, and we're not in the dark.
Thank you, Lord, that you lead us always.
Pray, Lord, that you would bless this teaching, Lord, that you would speak, Father.
You would give us more reverence for you, more of a bold witness, Lord.
You would teach us how to live a life free from grumbling, complaining.
Lord, encourage us this morning.
Lift us up.
Lift any burdens, I pray, by your Spirit.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Okay, so Philippians 2, starting in verse 12.
Before I read the text, the very first verse says, therefore, which to give some context,
what he's referring therefore to, is the past bunch of verses that actually Chris read.
So I'm just going to go back and read that as a backdrop for what Paul is about to lead into here.
So let's start at the beginning here.
So chapter 2 begins with verse 1.
It says,
Let each of you look not only...
Not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others.
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men,
and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
So that's the context for what we're about to read.
Amazing text that Chris expounded upon.
If you want to go listen to his sermon, it may help with the interpretation of the rest of this.
But Paul here starts off by saying, therefore, or since, or because of everything I've just said here,
my beloved, in verse 12,
as you always have obeyed, so now not only in my presence, but much more in my absence,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God in you, both to will,
it is God in you who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Verse 14,
Do all things without grumbling or disputing,
that you may be blameless and innocent children of God,
without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast to the word of life,
so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering,
upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,
I am glad and rejoice with you all.
Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Okay.
So here Paul is setting up his segue out of essentially giving us this image of God in Christ Jesus,
humbling himself, taking the form of a servant,
not counting equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptying himself,
him giving us this example of humility to follow in his steps.
He then exhorts them and says,
As you have always obeyed,
so now, not only in my presence,
but much more in my absence,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
That's the first thing I'm going to discuss here,
is what it means to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
But before I do,
one quick thing to note is that he says at the beginning,
a little bit of a buzzword nowadays,
which is,
he says to them that they have always obeyed.
Obedience.
You know,
it's clear in Christianity that we're supposed to obey God.
It is a little bit of a triggering thing for someone to require obedience to a man.
And here Paul says,
As you have always obeyed me,
not only in my presence,
but much more in my absence,
do such and such.
And so it's important to realize that God has
appointed authorities that are to be obeyed.
You know,
there are other places in scripture that,
um,
the scriptures say to obey your leaders and submit to them,
things like this.
And this is one instance where he references,
uh,
maybe his authority,
which can sometimes be a very difficult thing,
depending on,
uh,
your experience with leadership or your experience with authority.
But I would just say really quick,
before we head into the next portion of this,
that Paul's leadership and authority is very different,
um,
than the hurt and the existing authority or so-called authority that many of us have experienced
or can experience or other people have experienced,
because he's doing it in a way that not only is appointed by God,
but is as a father would have over his children.
You can see he starts off by calling them my beloved.
You know,
this isn't like a master slave relationship.
He prefers for it to be father and son.
And so just a quick note,
uh,
on leadership and even Paul's relationship,
the Philippians,
that he's endearing like a father.
He's not requiring things of them like a harsh taskmaster,
uh,
but he's actually representing godly authority,
um,
which requires obedience.
So,
he says,
as you have always obeyed.
So now not only in my presence,
but also more in my absence,
you know,
this,
this kind of means that,
um,
he's not looking for approval,
seeking obedience.
You know,
if you were to seek approval,
um,
there's a temptation to be more adamant about obeying when someone's there versus when they're gone.
Okay.
If you have obedience unto God,
um,
it's consistent across the board,
whether they're there or not,
you're obeying because you know,
uh,
that it's the right thing to do,
that it's from the heart.
And so Paul is affirming that.
He's saying,
not only in my presence are you doing this,
but much more in my absence.
Okay.
So
as they have always obeyed,
now much more do what?
He says,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God who works in you,
both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
That's the first thing I want to talk about is fear and trembling.
Okay.
Um,
there's probably a somewhat unfortunate,
uh,
misreading of the fear of the Lord throughout,
uh,
evangelical Christianity,
which,
uh,
fleshes itself out,
maybe in the phrase of like,
well,
you should never be afraid of God.
You know,
um,
you should,
you should never feel like you can't come to God,
which is true.
We should be able to approach God,
but it's not true that we should not fear God.
God absolutely,
without a doubt,
needs to be feared.
God is,
uh,
holy,
and he is supremely holy,
meaning that there's no one above him.
Everything falls below him.
There's no king on earth,
no government,
no nation that will contest the Lord's will.
He reigns above them all.
And,
uh,
similarly to authorities that we experience,
like governments,
or maybe take it down to local level,
like the,
uh,
local authorities,
police,
what have you.
Um,
if we regard them rightly,
we shouldn't fear them as we would,
um,
if we hadn't.
For example,
I don't,
I'm not afraid of the police or the cops because,
um,
I don't live in constant terror of them because I know what they're there for.
I know that they're there for good.
They're a good authority.
However,
if I'm a criminal,
I probably should be afraid,
you know,
because even the scriptures say,
you know,
that the authorities are not a threat to good conduct,
you know,
but to evil,
you know,
and you should stand in fear.
Similarly with God,
we should have a relationship to God as the utmost supreme authority that lives our life in fear and reverence of him,
because there is no one other than him.
If we,
uh,
die on our way home,
we will stand before the highest authority,
uh,
not only over earth,
but also in heaven.
Um,
and in that day,
um,
we will have to give an account for all that we've done.
But the question is,
how will God deal with us?
And I think it would be a mistake for us to live in such a way as though the fear of the Lord,
the supremacy of God doesn't exist.
Or maybe even what's happened is that through Jesus Christ,
the fear of the Lord is eliminated.
You know,
I think it's possible that amongst,
especially young people,
that when they come to the Lord,
what it means is,
well,
God and Christ has done everything for me.
You know,
uh,
I can just live how I want because he gave me mercy.
He loves me,
you know,
um,
which are all true.
But,
the Lord's works that he did for you
is not a license to forget about the Lord.
Uh,
we see in the whole Old Testament narrative
that God constantly was reminding them,
don't forget the God who brought you out of Egypt.
Okay?
And they,
they forgot him.
You know,
they didn't regard God as holy.
They didn't regard God with fear.
And God brought serious judgment.
Things didn't change in the new covenant
in terms of the fear of the Lord
and God's holiness.
They actually brought,
God brought them to its antithesis,
or it's,
uh,
or excuse me,
it's completion
in the new covenant
by giving man no excuse
to come to God
and to fear him
and regard him as holy.
And so,
when Paul says here,
to bring it back to our text,
he says,
work out your salvation
with fear and trembling.
Pretty much every experience
of the holiness of God
and the,
uh,
encountering God
in the,
uh,
in the Bible
has resulted in someone
actually trembling before him.
You know,
in Isaiah 6,
when Isaiah comes to the Lord,
doesn't even encounter
all of the Lord,
but just his train,
his robe,
he falls prostrate trembling.
You know,
he's immediately aware
of his own sin
in his life.
And,
uh,
what's interesting
is that God is not just
to be regarded as,
uh,
we shouldn't fear him
in a sense that
leads us to
terror always.
Like,
Isaiah trembled before the Lord
and then what did the Lord do
after he said
that he was a sinner?
He touched his lips
and cleansed him.
Right?
So,
we should live in a,
in a terror that,
in a fear of the Lord
that is right,
but not at the expense
of his other attributes,
like his mercy
and his love,
because he is the one
who cleanses us.
Right?
He's a good authority.
We shouldn't fear him
because he's a bad one,
essentially.
He is indeed good.
But what does it mean
to work out
our salvation
with fear and trembling?
I was confronted with this
as I was preparing
and I'm like,
do I live,
I ask myself,
do I live my life
as though I genuinely
fear the Lord
as the supreme authority
compared to any other authority
or person
at all?
You know?
Or do I regard man
in competition with God?
Do I say that
I fear the Lord
but really I'm afraid of
the things of this life?
And I was,
I was probing myself,
I was asking,
Lord,
give me more
genuine fear of you
as the supreme God
who rules.
You know?
Paul says
to work out
your salvation
with fear and trembling.
Similarly to
in Exodus
when
God delivers
the Israelites,
you know,
he gives them
Moses
as a leader,
parts the Red Sea,
leads them out of slavery
and
that was their salvation.
It wasn't salvation
necessarily
unto
bliss yet.
You know,
he led them
in the wilderness
and
eventually he
was going to lead them
into the promised land
but similarly to us
in the new covenant,
God has saved us
not by delivering us
out of slavery
of Egypt
but maybe
as a spiritual slavery,
right,
Egypt of the heart,
right,
and saved us
into
the new covenant
through his own blood,
parting of the
Red Sea
of his blood,
right?
And so
we should regard him
even more.
You know,
God dealt with
the,
what seemed to be
the outward
circumstantial
oppression
of
Egypt
on his people
and now
God has
not only dealt
with
those things
but in our hearts
he's dealt
with the thing
that
we never could,
you know,
and we should tremble
at the Lord
for doing this,
you know.
There was no other
person,
not in ourselves,
no Savior
out there
that could do that.
God himself
had to be the one
to take us out.
So what does it
mean to fear
and tremble?
I mainly was
thinking when I was
preparing about
the holiness
of God,
that,
do I regard
God as holy?
And just to
remind us this
morning,
not only that God
is holy,
but that holiness
means
apartness.
God is
other than
us.
We're not
like God.
You know,
the scriptures
say,
the Lord
actually rebukes
the people
in the scriptures
and said,
you thought
that I was
one like
yourselves,
like a man,
like I would
reason,
you know,
which is not
so.
A.W. Pink
says,
on God's
holiness,
he is so,
speaking of
his holiness,
he is so
because the
sum of all
moral excellency
is found in
him.
He is
absolute purity,
unsoiled by
even the
shadow of
sin.
All us
creatures live
underneath the
shadow of
sin.
We're being
saved out of
the shadow of
sin if we're
in Christ,
but God is
completely other
than us in
that he is
untainted,
not affected.
He rules over
sin with
utmost purity.
And because
of that,
we have to
regard him
as holy.
We have to
regard him
as high and
lifted up.
We have to
fear him
who is
utterly
perfect,
without any
flaw at
all.
What is
home?
Habakkuk,
Habakkuk 1.13
says,
the prophet
says,
you who
are of
pure eyes,
purer eyes
than to
see evil
and cannot
look at
wrong.
God's eyes
are purer,
so much so
that he
can't stand
to look at
evil.
He's so far
other.
We need to
treat God
this way,
Christchurch.
Not at the
expense of his
other attributes,
obviously.
but we
shouldn't
forget that
he is
always holy.
We should
fear him.
We should
work out
our salvation,
the salvation
that was
purchased by
Jesus Christ.
We should
work that
out with
reverence
and fear
to him.
I talked
a little bit
about the
narrative of
the Old
Testament.
This is
Deuteronomy
6.
In verse
10 it
says,
When the
Lord your
God brings
you into
the land
he swore to
your fathers,
to Abraham,
to Isaac,
to Jacob,
to give
you with
great and
good cities
that you
did not
build,
and houses
full of all
good things
that you
did not
fill,
and cisterns
that you
did not
dig,
and vineyards
and olive
trees that
you did
not plant,
and when
you eat
and are
full,
then take
care lest
you forget
the Lord,
who brought
you out of
the land
of Egypt,
out of the
house of
slavery.
It is the
Lord your
God you
shall fear,
him you
shall serve,
and by his
name you
shall swear.
So the
Lord is
actually to
be feared.
You know?
We should
approach God
with reverence
and fear.
We shouldn't
run away
from God
out of fear.
We should
approach him
through fear,
knowing that
he will
take us
in,
he will
accept us,
he will
love us,
he will
show us
mercy,
but we
should approach
him rightly.
Paul says
to work out
our salvation
this way.
Here's another
one in regards
to our
salvation.
Romans 11,
verse 18
through 21
says,
do not be
arrogant towards
the branches,
speaking of
Israel.
If you
are,
remember,
it is not
you who
support the
root,
but the
root that
supports you.
Then you
will say,
branches were
broken off so
that I might
be grafted
in.
That is
true,
verse 20
says,
they were
broken off
because of
their unbelief,
but you
stand fast
through faith.
So do not
be proud,
but fear.
There it
is.
Do not
be proud,
but fear.
For if God
did not
spare the
natural
branches,
neither will
he spare
you.
This is a
warning to
regard God
as holy.
He dealt
with his
chosen people,
Israel,
in a way
that he
kept telling
them,
understand
this,
that I'm
the holy
one.
All
others
might share
in holiness
resulting in
God.
Okay?
God does
not possess
holiness,
merely as
something that
he takes
up and
puts down.
God is
holy.
He's the
very definition
of holy,
right?
So we
should not
be proud,
but we
should fear.
Being grateful,
being thankful
in Christ
that we were
actually grafted
in.
This was a
miracle,
according to
grace.
Paul says
to work
out your
salvation
with fear
and trembling.
This one
really struck
me.
I was
asking myself,
I'm like,
do I live
my life so
that others,
if they were
to be kind
of a fly
on the wall,
you know,
can look at
me and say,
that guy
really,
he has a
really high
regard for
a supremacy
that is outside
of this world.
You know,
that guy
follows a
God that
is much
higher than
just the
president,
that is much
higher than
anything on
earth.
That guy
is in
submission
to the
Lord,
right?
Do we
live our
lives like
we actually
fear the
Lord?
Okay,
verse 13.
He says,
for it
is God
who works
in you
both to
will and
to work
for his
good pleasure.
So Paul
expounds,
he says,
when you
work out
your
salvation,
do it
with fear
and trembling.
And the
reason why
you should
fear and
tremble is
because God
dwells in
you.
You know,
like I was
just saying,
if God
is completely
other,
completely
holy,
that his
holiness is
so removed
from the
sinner,
he can't
dwell in
a sinful
vessel.
Paul's
saying that,
don't you
realize what's
happened in
Christ?
is that
God,
who is
so holy,
has come
down,
condescended,
wrapped himself
in human
flesh,
and then
entered by
his spirit
into you.
He's like,
you should
fear and
tremble.
God
dwells in
you.
What a
privilege to
even be a
person who
God might
enter into.
But what a
humbling thing.
You know what I'm
saying?
This is true,
Christchurch.
If God
really dwells
in us,
we should
understand the
God who
dwells in
us.
You know
what I'm
saying?
He says,
for it is
God in
you.
He doesn't
sit idle in
us,
right?
What does he
do?
He says,
for it is
God who
works in
you.
Not only does
he work,
but he
says,
both to
will and
to work,
which means
that God
transforms our
hearts,
who previously,
before he
had made us
born again,
had left us
to our own
will.
If I was
left to my
own will,
I would
only reap
corruption,
right?
I would
only,
the Bible
speaks of
sin being
actually the
bondage.
Our will is
in bondage
to sin.
I would
only choose
sin apart
from God's
grace.
And Paul
says here
that,
don't you
realize that
God is
the one
who wills
in you?
The reason
why you
can bring
him good
pleasure is
because he's
the one
who began
the good
work in
you.
He's
willing it,
you know,
to come to
pass,
right?
He's getting
those desires
inside of
you to
want him.
We should
fear.
Make no
mistake that
although we
have desires,
that the
origin of
those desires
aren't
necessarily
ours.
That
when you
realize that
the reason
that you
live your
life in a
way that
is pleasing
to God
is because
of God,
that makes
you humble.
That puts
you in your
place and
says,
wow,
like,
Lord,
apart from
you,
I don't
think I
would choose
you at
all.
You know?
In fact,
I think it
would be
to the
contrary.
You know?
So far to
the contrary
that looking
at my
life now
and the
decisions I've
made,
I can only
give you
praise.
Right?
It's both
to will
and to
work.
So God
doesn't just
change our
hearts and
then leave
us,
right?
Doesn't
make us
desire good
things and
then do
nothing,
right?
From that
place of
transformation,
Ephesians
chapter 2,
the end of
it says that
he actually
our created
purpose was
for his
workmanship.
You know?
He created
us for good
works and
praise,
right?
Again,
not wrought
by us by
any means,
but he
did it so
that we
might accomplish
something,
okay?
So Paul's
saying that.
He's like,
you don't
understand.
If God,
if God who
is holy
came down
to this
earth and
now dwells
in you,
you're not
supposed to
be idle
anymore and
do nothing,
but you're
also not
supposed to
be heaping
up things
of the
flesh that
are old
desires like
malice and
these things
because God
actually is
transforming you
both to
will and
to work.
So not
only do you
have new
desires now,
but they're
for a
purpose.
They're
for to
do the
works of
God,
right?
And what's
the ultimate
end?
What do
all these
works end
in?
He concludes
verse 13
by saying,
for his
good pleasure,
okay?
God gets
delight from
our life
that he
indwells.
You know,
it's like
this circle,
you know?
But it's
not a
circle that
we're
removed
from,
you know?
It's not
that we're
over here
and God
just like,
all right,
I'm going
to take
over and
you're going
to just
kind of sit
by and
watch everything
happen.
No,
we are the
means by
which God
actually brings
completion to
the work,
brings
some self-pleasure,
right?
And so
when we
realize,
which Paul
is reminding
us about,
that God
is the
one who
lives in
us,
that he
actually
lives,
that he's
not dead
in us
or alive
in someone
else,
right?
But he's
living in
us.
Each person
who is in
Christ,
Jesus lives
in you.
That
produces
an awareness
and humility
and fear.
You know,
I think that's
the context
that we see
that Paul
is speaking
out of.
You know,
he just got
done saying
do nothing
from selfish
ambition,
but in
humility,
right?
Jesus humbled
himself.
He emptied
himself,
right?
We ought
to realize
that he now
dwells in us,
you know,
and be humble
about that.
For it is
God who
works in
you both
to will
and to
work for
his good
pleasure.
So Paul
exhorts them
to realize
who lives
inside of
them,
right?
To regard
him with
fear and
with trembling,
to still
approach God
as he is,
not how he
isn't,
or is not,
you know.
And then in
verse 14,
moving on,
he gives
an exhortation.
Verse 14
says,
do all
things
without
grumbling
or disputing,
that you
may be
blameless
and innocent
children of
God,
without
blemish
in the
midst of
a crooked
and twisted
generation,
among whom
you shine
as lights
in the
world,
holding
fast to
the word
of life.
So real
quick,
he starts
off by
saying,
do all
things
without
grumbling
or complaining,
and that's
one of my
other points.
So fear
and trembling,
realizing
that God
is in
us,
and then
this exhortation
to do
nothing from
grumbling
or disputing,
it says.
He says,
do all
things,
not just
church
things,
not just
work
things,
not just
home
things,
right?
Wherever
you are,
as long
as God
is in
you,
that means
wherever
you go,
God
goes with
you,
right?
Do
all
things
without
grumbling
or disputing.
How
often do
we complain?
You know,
like,
seems like,
honestly,
it's the
rule of,
or order
of the
day,
rule of
the day.
Like,
if you
can go
a day
without
being around
someone
complaining,
or you
yourself
not
complaining,
it's like
missing
a cup
of coffee
in the
morning.
You know,
it's just
like,
oh man,
I didn't
get my
daily dose
of grumbling,
you know?
It's like,
it's everywhere
all the time.
Seriously,
like,
there is a
spirit
that can be
shared
in the
workforce
that looks
like,
I'll just
gripe about
whatever's
lacking,
whatever I'm
not getting,
whoever in
authority is not
doing a great
job,
and it's
contagious,
you know?
It's just
like,
if you're
not griping
at work,
like,
what are
you doing,
enjoying
work?
You know?
And,
but it's
not just
work,
it's other
areas of
life,
you know?
It's at
our home,
you know,
when people
aren't with
you,
you know,
how do you
talk about
your wife?
You know,
how do you
talk about
your kids?
How do you
talk about
your roommates?
How do you
talk about,
you know,
insert your
personal
thing to
grumble
about,
right?
And at
bare minimum,
although people
might not
see it,
it comes
out still,
right?
But I
think to
hold to
this text a
little bit
more
specifically,
in the
context of
grumbling and
complaining,
he is talking
about the
onlooking
world,
looking at
our life,
right?
So he
says,
the reason
that we
shouldn't
grumble,
complain,
is that we
might be
blameless,
and that we
might shine
as lights
in the
world,
right?
So if
Adam goes
to work,
you know,
works with
all of his
city buddies,
and all of
them are in
a huddle,
grumbling
about such
and such,
or how the
new codes
are terrible,
or the
person in
authority is
this or
that,
but he's
not
participating,
grumbling,
or maybe
he says
something to
lead the
conversation
away from
grumbling,
maybe towards
some type
of gratefulness
for something,
that's going
to be weird
to them,
right?
That light's
going to shine
a little bit,
and people are
going to be
like,
wait,
you're not
joining in
the fun,
you're not
joining in
the obvious
thing that we
should grumble
about,
right?
That's one
example,
but we're
served many
examples.
Every day
that you
wake up,
there's
opportunities
that are
directly on
your plate
to complain
and grumble,
and in the
context of
this verse,
it seems to
me that
through Jesus,
we really
have no
excuse to
grumble.
Everything
is gift,
right?
Everything
is gracious,
right?
Not to say
that there
shouldn't be
things that
we should
address,
that are
issues,
but we
shouldn't
gripe about
our life,
we shouldn't
gripe about
others,
we should,
in humility,
address those
things,
right?
So my
question to
yours is
where do we
complain,
you know?
We're a
church.
We're
striving to
be, as
the Lord
said,
which is a
light on
a hill,
right?
Nobody
takes a
light and
puts a
basket over
it.
You let
your light
shine,
you know,
he says,
right?
And
recently we
have been
talking a
lot about
culture
building as
a body.
I think
this is one
value to
throw into
the mix
of culture,
especially
given a lot
of us have
strong opinions,
ideas about
things,
not even that
any of those
are bad,
but let us
take care of
not to
grumble,
period.
or to
use the
things,
maybe that
are good
ideas,
as a way
of grumbling,
you know?
But it
also doesn't
say just
grumbling,
it says
disputing,
too,
you know?
Maybe you
avoid grumbling,
but maybe you
just like to
fight,
too.
Maybe you
like to
dispute,
maybe you
like a
good dispute,
you know?
Yeah,
some fights
are worth it,
right?
Honorable,
honorable disputes,
but a lot
of times we
can get
caught up
in stuff
that is
not worth
it,
you know?
So,
do all
things
without that,
without grumbling
or disputing.
Why?
Why do we
do that?
So that
you might
be blameless,
innocent,
children of
God,
without blemish,
in the midst
of a twisted
and crooked
generation,
okay?
So the
reason that
Paul exhorts
them to
not grumble,
not dispute,
is because
the onlooking
world already
has enough
to blame
each other
for,
right?
The church
unfortunately
has enough
egg on
her face
to be
blameworthy,
it seems,
many things,
maybe some
not true,
maybe some
misrepresentations,
maybe things
that are
actually true,
right?
Paul is
exhorting them
to live a
life that is
free from
blame,
right?
And someone
will say to
me,
like,
geez,
blameless,
innocent,
without blemish,
like,
we're sinners,
man.
You know,
like,
we're never
going to be
blameless,
never going to
be innocent,
right?
Like,
it's true that
all of us
have sin,
and all of us
can be worthy
of blame,
but Paul is
talking specifically
about your
life being
free from the
blame of the
world,
right?
Like,
Paul says
that elders
must be
above reproach,
right?
They should be
free from
reproach,
not that they
should be
completely
innocent or
free from
sin,
right?
But if the
world looks at
us and they
were to do
just a brief
survey of the
areas of our
life,
well,
they'd be like,
oh,
man,
there's really
not many
areas of
blame,
you know?
That's what
Paul is getting
at.
We know that
because he
literally says,
among whom you
shine as lights
in the world,
right?
Just for the
purpose of
staggering an
unbeliever,
being like,
what is wrong
with you?
Like,
how do you
live so free
from reproach?
Like,
I feel like my
friends are all,
like,
all of us are,
you know,
blameworthy.
He's saying,
do this in the
midst of a
generation that
isn't like this
at all.
In the midst of
a crooked and
twisted generation,
right?
This generation is
so perverse in
so many ways,
and honestly,
a lot of it
results in just
being ungrateful.
Part of the
reason why
many people in
my generation
are the way that
they are is
because a lot
of lives were
laid down for
them to live
the life of
ease and
freedom that
is now being
squandered.
A very
entitled life,
an ungrateful
life at the
root is saying,
you know,
it doesn't matter
what our
fathers did,
you know,
it doesn't
matter what
the age it
did,
I'll live my
life how I
want.
So incredibly
ungrateful.
you know,
and maybe
you're among
the ages of
that generation
and you can
see that
whoever we
are,
we're still
exhorted to
be blame-free
of this
sin of
grumbling,
complaining,
right?
verse 15
ends with
among whom
you shine
as lights
in the
world.
So that's
the purpose.
Let the
world see
our good
works and
actually turn
to God
to glorify
him,
right?
Verse 16
says,
holding fast
to the
word of
life,
so that in
the day of
Christ,
I may be
proud that
it did not
run in
vain or
labor in
vain.
So,
Paul is
building
many churches,
Philippi is
one of them,
and I think
in Corinthians,
Paul expounds
upon the
work that
each person
builds will
be tested
one day
by fire,
and only
that which
passes through
the fire
will remain,
right?
So he's
saying,
like,
if we
as a
church
are building
one another,
right,
and we
are spurring
each other
on to
love and
good works,
that's going
to result
in something
that either
is eternal
or will
be burned
up,
right?
And so
Paul's
concerned,
he's like,
hey,
don't do
anything with
grumbling or
disputing,
be blameless,
shine,
you know,
so that
when my
work is
tested,
I wouldn't
have built
you guys
in vain,
you know?
I want to
build God's
house,
not any
other house,
right?
But he
says to do
it in a
specific way,
which is to
hold fast to
the word of
life.
Holding
fast,
I love that
image.
A parallel
passage is
in 1
John 1.
I should
have written
it up here,
I don't have
it,
but it's
1 John 1,
it starts
off by
saying,
that which
we have
heard from
the beginning,
which we
have seen,
which we
have looked
upon and
touched with
our hands,
concerning the
word of
life.
There's this
phrase,
concerning the
word of
life,
speaking about
Jesus,
right?
Jesus,
the person,
not necessarily
the word of
life as the
message,
but more
specifically,
Christ as
the word of
life,
completely
embodied.
Same thing
here,
it's the same
thing in
Greek.
So,
when we read
holding fast to
the word of
life,
you can
probably just
insert holding
fast to
Jesus as
the word of
life himself.
love.
And,
man,
it is hard
to hold fast
sometimes,
you know?
I was reminded
of that yesterday,
this morning,
and,
or this week,
but we must
hold fast as
if our lives
depend on it,
you know?
The scriptures
exhort us to
fight the good
fight of faith,
not to say that
it's not a
fight.
It is a
fight.
Okay?
Which means
there will be
days that
you feel like
you have to
give extra
energy to
something to
fight,
and not
give up.
If you're in
a battle,
you can't just
call it quits,
right?
You gotta keep
fighting.
Same thing,
if you're in
the middle of
a storm,
if you're in
a boat,
you know,
the spray is
holding fast
with the
sailors'
phrase,
you know?
Hold fast!
You know,
if you're in
a storm,
okay?
Grab the
mast,
captain goes
to the
helm,
right?
We have
to hold
fast to
Jesus,
because if
we lose
him,
we lose
everything,
you know?
Holding fast to
the word of
life,
holding fast to
Jesus,
so that in the
last day,
the day of
Christ,
Paul says
that I may be
proud of you,
right?
that I may
know that it
didn't run
in vain.
If we
exhort each
other to
hold fast
to Jesus,
sometimes we
need a little
bit more
teaching on
what that
looks like,
you know?
Holding fast
to Jesus,
holding fast
to God
as our
refuge,
right?
But if we
exhort each
other to
hold fast
to Christ,
that is
a word
that in
the last
day will
not be
burned
up,
right?
Verse 17
says,
even if I
am to be
poured out
as a
drink
offering
upon the
sacrificial
offering of
your faith,
I am glad
and rejoice
with you
all.
Likewise,
you also
should be
glad and
rejoice with
me.
This last
part,
um,
I
you know,
I talked
in the
beginning
just a
little bit
about like
the dynamic
of leadership
nowadays
and,
uh,
how we
should really
look to the
scriptures
for what
godly
leadership
looks like.
This is,
this is it,
you know?
Pretty much
summed up
in,
in Paul's
fatherly
heart,
his fatherly
authority,
apostolic
authority,
he says,
even,
even if
I'm to be
poured out
as a
sacrificial
offering
of your
faith,
I'm glad
about it.
You know?
Not wasted
at all.
You know?
There's many
times where
we're,
we kind of
live our
lives in
terms of
like assessing
like what's
worthy of
sacrifice,
what's not,
should I be
poured out,
should I be
poured out,
you know,
maybe something
like that.
uh,
but Paul's
like,
if your
faith is
worthy of
me dying
for,
then I
would be
glad to
do that.
You know?
That's
incredible.
You know?
That bears
the image
of Jesus
as he
just laid
out,
who emptied
himself,
it says.
Didn't hold
anything back.
Paul says,
I'm glad to
do that.
You know?
Doug Wilson
defines
true masculinity
as the
sacrificial
responsibility
or the
glad
assumption
of
sacrificial
responsibility.
I think
that's
great
because
it's
not just
sacrifice,
right?
It's
done gladly,
right?
It's an
awareness that
the sacrifice
is totally
worth it,
right?
That it
pays way
later on.
And
we even
see that
with Jesus.
Although he
was anxious
in the
garden,
you know,
sweating tears
of blood.
The scriptures
say that it
was for the
joy set
before him
that you
endured,
right?
Do we have
that same,
do we share
in that same
vision of
Paul that
we're like,
you know what,
I'm going to
spend myself
for you,
I'm going to
spend myself
for you,
I'm going to
spend myself
for you,
not under
just anything,
but if it's
unto your
faith,
Paul's like,
I'll gladly be
poured out,
right?
we're
wrapping up
dividends
that will
go much
farther
when we
sacrifice
for God
for each
other's
faith,
right?
Spurring
each other
on to run
the race.
So Paul
says,
even if I'm
to be
poured out,
I'm glad
to do so.
But he's
not the only
one that's
glad,
he's like,
you guys
should also
rejoice with
me.
You should
be glad
with me.
Catch this
vision that
I'm trying
to convey
to you
that this
is it,
sacrificial
giving of
ourselves,
spending
the time
that seems
on the
surface
to not
be worth
it,
but knowing
that in
the end
it will
reach
eternal
reward,
right?
He's like,
catch this
vision with
me,
guys.
He's like,
I'm glad
about it.
You
likewise,
verse 18,
you likewise
also should
be glad
and rejoice
with me.
Okay?
Do we have
that attitude,
Christ church,
for one
another?
Do we have
the attitude
of glad,
sacrificial
responsibility?
Do we have
that towards
each other's
faith?
You know,
there's a lot
of things
in your life
that people
are going
to,
there's a lot
of needs
and we
can meet
needs,
but is it
unto our
faith,
right?
Is it
unto our
love for
God,
you know?
Helping
each other
to see,
like,
it's our
joy to
sacrifice
for one
another.
It's Paul's
joy here.
mix this
up here.
I'm almost
wrapped up
here.
A couple
more,
more things
before I
close.
I'm not,
like,
really good
at this.
I'm not
really good
at that.
I'm tempted
to grumble,
I'm tempted
to complain.
I imagine
most of
you share
the same
temptation.
And maybe
even Paul
was tempted
to grumble
and complain
at times,
but that
doesn't
negate the
exhortation.
It actually
illuminates it.
It shows
us that we
need God.
We need
an awareness
of God
to be
lights in
the world.
And I
think one
key thing
here is
that do
we not
just know,
but do we
regularly
meditate on
the knowledge
of the
God who
dwells in
us?
Okay?
I know
for certain
that I
don't enough.
Okay?
I know
that I
am tempted
to forget
the Lord.
But the
thing that
draws me
back is
the same
God,
you know,
that died.
Right?
That he's
the one
who will
produce these
things in
us.
And I
would just
exhort us,
like Paul is
saying,
fear and
tremble before
God because
he lives in
you.
Right?
he's at
work in
you,
both to
will and
to work
for his
good pleasure.
But meditate
on him.
Meditate on
that God.
Worship him.
You know?
Saturate
yourself with
the enjoyment
of who he
actually is,
not who he
is not.
Right?
Meditate on
that.
I'm going
to close
with a
scripture.
In 2
Corinthians
13,
really short
scripture here,
he says,
Paul is
saying,
he is not
weak in
dealing with
you.
Speaking of
God,
God is not
weak in
dealing with
you,
but is
powerful among
you.
For he was
crucified in
weakness,
but lives
by the
power of
God.
For us
also,
Christ's
church,
he is not
weak in
dealing with
us.
Okay?
But he
lives by
the power
of God
in us.
Although we
are weak
in the
body,
Christ is
strong in
us.
Okay?
Let us
go on
evangelizing
the world
by putting
away our
disputes,
our
grumblings,
our
God
and
holding
fast.
Jesus,
the
word of
life.
That we
might
actually be
blameless
in a
world that
is twisted
and full
of blame
and full
of a
blame that
wants to
be used.
People are
so eager
to blame.
Everything is
just a big
blame game.
right?
In Christ
Jesus,
though,
Jesus Christ
was blamed
for us.
Right?
He took
the penalty
of our
sin that
should have
come to
us.
Right?
So we
can live
in a
world now
free from
the constraints
and the
burdens of
sin and the
bondage of
sin.
So don't
forget,
God is not
weak in
dealing with
us,
but he
is powerful
among us.