The Ins and Outs of Christian Living

a man prays God as you're standing to make your way to the book of Philippians chapter 2 tonight faster Perry has leading us in the series on these past Wednesday nights on a call to spiritual growth and maturity and development and we've been blessed over these weeks this afternoon he had to rush to be by his father's side at the hospital his father's having a setting surgery tonight so we're gonna be covering pastor Brodus and his family in prayer tonight so I'm filling in tonight I'm filling in and so y'all be nice to the guest preacher tonight who's filling in for the main speaker tonight briefly I don't want to step on what he's teaching I want to add my two cents say something hopefully helpful to you about the matter of how we can grow in our Christlikeness out of Philippians to father in Jesus name would you please open our eyes now we may behold wondrous things from your word and you give us understanding we will obey your word and keep it with our whole heart for Christ's sake amen Philippians chapter 2 is where I want to focus tonight and I want to highlight verses 12 and 13 of Philippians chapter 2 therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure a man miss God's words you may be seated fellas thank you I want to label the message tonight the ins and outs of Christian living the ins and outs of Christian living I don't know if you know the name Johnny Erickson tada she is a great Christian woman who has spent her adult life in the wheelchair after tragic diving accident as a teenager not long after this accident she met a man in the hospital who had a severe limp and they developed a friendship as he would hobble down the hallway pass her every day with the aid of a walker he looked forward to the day when radical surgery would correct his ailment and he would be able to walk freely again the surgery happened sometime later when Johnny visited the hospital again she saw that same man with a cane limping down the hallway she commented to one of the doctors that it is unfortunate that the surgery did not work to which the surgeon replied that the surgery was a complete success the fact is he is still walking with that limp merely out of habit and I submit to you tonight brothers and sisters that we continue in sin after we are saved mainly out of heaven in Christ we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness the power of the old self has been broken and we are free to live in obedience to the will of God we are empowered by Christ to be what God wants us to be and to do what God wants us to do but old habits die hard they die hard for lame men and they die hard for Christians as well mark it down Church it's a bad habit to live for self rather than others it's a bad habit to retaliate when someone hurts you it's a bad habit to indulge in our sinful and appetites it's a bad habit to live for self rather than God when we are born again a radical surgery if you will a heart transplant takes place and we struggle to drop our old sinful head in fact we spend the rest of our lives taking off the old garments of sin and putting on the new garments of righteousness Philippians chapter 2 verses 12 and 13 emphasize two important dynamics of this process of sanctification a one hand there is human effort on the other hand there is divine energy eighty Robinson the Greek scholar comments of this text that Paul had no sympathy with a cold and dead orcs orthodoxy or formalism that knows nothing of struggle and growth he exerts as if he were an Arminian in addressing men he prays as if he were a Calvinist in addressing God and feels no inconsistency in the two attitudes Paul makes no attempts to reconcile divine sovereignty and human free agency but boldly proclaims both I want to submit to you tonight a fresh simple and radical way to view your process of spiritual growth I contend tonight that your Christian experience is not to be a life of ups and downs it's to be a life of in-and-out God is working in you and you are to work out what God is working in are you in here with me tonight that's the message of the text Philippians chapter 2 verses one through five is a call to spiritual unity verse five specifically gives an essential requirement for living in spiritual unity as brothers and sisters in Christ Paul says have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus that is let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus the following verses lay out for us the mind set of Christ we are to emulate verses 6 through 8 specifically focus on what is called the humiliation of Christ where Christ unbowed himself took on the form of a servant and was obedient to the point of death even death on the cross but note verse 9 which shifts from humiliation to exaltation it begins in verse 9 with this important word there for God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name but then drop down to verse 12 which introduces another conclusion to the humiliation of Christ it says in verse 12 there for my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure these two verses church teach us how to get off the roller coaster of life's ups and downs to experience the power of Christianity's ins-and-outs to exhortation I would lift quickly number one be committed to working out your own salvation can I just pull the house anybody here want to grow up praise God yeah I hope this will be practical and helpful tonight if you're gonna grow in Christ's likeness you must be committed to working out your own salvation go up to Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 and here Paul saying there and I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ in Salvation God begins a good work in you listen he not only begins a good work but the consummation of the work is embedded in the initiation of the work in other words God always finishes what he starts right now you are still an uncompleted project but you have God's guarantee that he will perfect but he has begun in you but the fact that God finishes what he starts is not a license to embrace some passive let go and let God philosophy of life Philippians says I want you to hear this even though God is going to do his work you also got work to do did you hear me you have work to do you are to work out your own salvation this reference to your own salvation let the church say Oh speaks of the individuality of your spiritual growth Robert Rumaki Cummings here each believer is responsible for all success or failure he cannot achieve growth for others nor can he blame others for his carnality if you are gonna grow up you gotta take responsibility for your own growth this is the individuality of spiritual growth but also note that this emphasis on your own salvation speaks of the responsibility of spiritual growth again if I made grammatica mints genuine effort involves both man and God as co-laborers the believer cannot become spiritual by himself nor can Christ live his life in an unyielding vessel if you are going to grow up tonight you and God have got to go into business together you are not just a customer you are coworker well God is doing his work you've got to work out your own salvation note in the text the workers assignment there much confusion and controversy related to this exhortation to work out your salvation because it seems here Paul is connecting to ideas that throughout the rest of his writings he struggles to keep distinct salvation and good works but be clear Paul here when he says work out your own salvation is not telling the church that you gotta work to be saved or to maintain your salvation in a very first verse of the letter chapter 1 verse 1 he refers to them as Saints from the opening greeting he is clear about his confidence that they are all ready saved so here he is not trying to tell them how to get saved he is telling them to work out their salvation he doesn't say praise God for this he doesn't say listen work for your salvation aren't you glad about that he doesn't say work on yo salvation he doesn't say work up yo salvation he doesn't say work toward your salvation he says if you have trusted in Jesus it's already in you you just gotta work out what God has placed on the inside listen to me salvation is a gift we receive not a reward that we earn shut down Romans chapter four verses four and five now to the one who works his wages are not counted as a gift but as is what is doomed and so the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly his faith is counted as righteousness God Church saves us by grace through faith in Christ plus-or-minus nothing but salvation brings with it a spiritual obligation we must work out our own salvation we must make our salvation operational we must live out our faith we must seek to become in our daily practice what we already are in our eternal position we must carry out the goal of salvation - it's divine and ultimate conclusion the time workout translates a Greek verb that means to complete to finish or to accomplish here's what Paul is saying God did not save you just to keep you out of hell and to get you in the heavens he saved you so that your life would look like Jesus Christ and when he says work out your own salvation he says don't be content with the fact that I'm going to heaven one of these old days while you are on earth you are to be doing your best to be like Jesus this is a call to what is known as the perseverance of the saints the perseverance of the saints says that those who are truly born again will not turn away from following Christ they don't forsake their confession of faith they don't abandon the things of God true Christians work out their salvation with fear and trembling no no no passage may clarify this better than Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 and 10 for by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing it is a gift of God not of works so that no one can boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that God pria ordained for ordained that we should walk in them note the formula for salvation listen to it listen we are saved by grace we are saved through faith we are saved in Christ and we are saved for good works let me try it again we are not saved by good works but we are saved for good works in salvation we are given a spiritual obligation to work out our salvation Chuck Swindoll illustrates it two ways he illustrates it with a picture of music the composition of a musical score is the composer's gift to the musicians but you don't go to a concert or symphony or something like that and watch musicians take the stage and just display sheet music for everybody to see they have it as a gift from the composer but once they get the gift of music they got to work it out I wish I had help here tonight yeah they got a practice they got to get the notes and the chords and the movements right music happens not just by the gift of the composition but it happens when the musician work out the music this is an even better illustration you go to the doctor because you are not feeling well the doctor diagnosis writes out a prescription you go to the pharmacy and pick up your prescription the prescription the diagnosis the treatment are all gifts these are done for you but if you want to get better you don't go home and put the medicine over the fireplace and show if I see what the doctor gave me no no if you're gonna get better you gotta work it out you gotta follow the instructions you gotta take the medicine what Paul is saying here is salvation is a gift God has given to you but if you are gonna benefit from your salvation you gotta follow the instructions you have to do what the doctor says you got a what your own salvation that's the workers assignment note the workers accountability this verse is not some slavish Military Order but a loving pastoral exhortation Paul addresses the Saints in Philippi with great affection calling them my beloved likewise note that the command to work out their salvation was not a call for them to do something they were not already doing Paul says as you have always obeyed listen so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence here is the heart of Paul's concern I believe in this text in Philippians chapter 1 verse 27 he exerts only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that listen whether I come to see you or am absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel now he makes that point even more in Phatak in our text he says and she have always obeyed so now listen not only in my presence but all the more in my absence as a believer you are directly accountable to other believers Ephesians 5 verse 21 says submit to one another out of reverence for Christ you are directly accountable to other believers hear me this is important but you are ultimately accountable to God we are accountable to God no matter what other people say or do listen to this pastor saying to the members work out your salvation this ain't a new assignment he says I'm just telling you to keep doing what you were doing while I was there now that I'm not there don't slack up because I'm not around I wish I had a friend search he is reminding them that if the if the if the pastor ain't there watching God is still watching the fact that your family is crazy your friends are jerks your co-workers are mean and some of your fellow church members are hypocritical not a legitimate excuse for you to be disobedient you must answer to God for yourself the longer I stand here tomorrow I'm feeling like preaching this the omniscience of God it's the primary reason why you want to live obediently I've been wrestling with this thinking about this you need a pastor you need a prayer partner you need godly friends you need accountability partners you need people that are ask you tough questions about how you living but none of that will do you any good if you are not convicted by the fact that God sees what the pastor don't see God knows what you don't tell your prayer partner God is aware of what you don't share with your accountability group and he says even if I'm not around in my absence know that God is watching are you live God knows if you're being honest or not god knows if you're keeping your marriage vows or not god knows if you're being considerate to others or not God knows if you can be trusted or not God knows if you are living for him or not God knows if you are resisting temptation or not God knows if you are what you claim or not you fool all the people some of the time and some of the people on it but you can't fool God not at a time we are accountable to God but then note the workers attitude work out your own salvation still in verse 12 with fear and trembling if I could be technical for a moment fear translates the greek word Phobos where we get our word phobia trembling translates the Greek word from us where we get our word tremor it means to shake with fear these are the two words Paul uses described but your attitude as a Christian ought to be fear and trembling this phrase is unique to the writings of Paul jot down these verses first Corinthians two and three Paul says how often have you ever seen this Paul says when I came and preached to you I was preaching with fear and trembling we saw a preacher getting up trembling we say he came breech but Paul says the preacher when he thinks about the magnitude of his assignment how to stand there preaching with a trembling heart I wish I had help here tonight he fees in six and five says the slaves obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling and here Paul exhorts the church to work out their salvation with fear and trembling that is they are to live out their faith with consecrated caution healthy self distrust and tenderness of conscience JB Lightfoot calls this phrase a nervous and trembling anxiety to do right it ought to be something then make you nervous that you might say something that you shouldn't say before God that that you might go somewhere that yet the Lord would not be honest there ought to be a fear in this this is a important statement because there's not only this verb workout but there's also this qualification with fear and trembling let me just say this and I'll move on I'll get to the good news in just a moment but Paul is saying God is not just watching what you do he's watching how you do it he's not just watching your actions he's watching your attitude he's not just watching conduct he's watching motivation and he's not pleased if you are working it out with a bad attitude I remember as a boy I'd be home and my dad would come home from work for the record to come home from work he would have to pass several stores but he would pass those stores and come home and say jr. why don't you walk down to the store for daddy gave me a newspaper and a red soda water he lived in LA was from Lake Charles Louisiana he said go get me a red soda water and I just couldn't understand that to get home you had to pass the store and you drive home come in the house and then send me out of the house to walk down and sometimes you could see it you could see the attitude and frustration and my demeanor most of the time he'd say boy you better straighten up your face but on one or two occasions he convicted me even greater by saying son never mind if after all I do for you you gotta have our attitude to go get your old man a newspaper I just rather you don't do it at all and friend I believe there are times when God says the same to you after all I've done for you you don't act like I'm asking too much for you to pay your tithe and you wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for me you you mean to tell me that is too much for you to come to worship in the rain and I keep waking you up every morning and keeping you throughout the day be committed to working out your own salvation one more exhortation my wife told me since I was filling in I shouldn't preach too long tonight but this has gotten good to me here's the second big or exhortation be confident that God is working in you Philippians 2 verse 13 is one of the most encouraging verses to me in the New Testament in fact this is homework go home and set this 13th verse to memory hide it in your heart and rehearse it to yourself every morning as you start your day or when things get difficult and see if that they don't get better just set verse 13 the memory and when you feel frustrated or angry or irritated whatever it is just ask yourself some questions and let verse 13 answer for instance who can I count on to be with me right now answer it is gone where is he answer in you what is he doing in there answer working lord have mercy how is he doing it two wheel and the work why is he bothering with me in the first place for his good pleasure o praise His name you don't have to be overwhelmed frustrated or torn apart by the circumstances of life hear me friends and I God is working in you the Greek word works in this verse is the word from which we get our word energy how you gonna get through it God is your energy he is working in you so that you can resist temptation live obediently and endure hardship how much work is he doing in you glad you asked Ephesian three verse twinning says now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think by the power of the Spirit that is already at work in you there is bad news and good news the bad news is you have impossible work to do to be what God wants you to be the good news is God never commands you to do what he does not enable you to do I'm getting to the end by have you sitting close enough somebody hunch them and tell them you can do it yes you can you can break that habit you can live victoriously you can forgive you can be kind you can be generous you ain't gotta tell nobody off you ain't got to be bitter and unfit you can do it because God is working in you y'all don't go in with it I got to do a little more work cuz y'all y'all ain't even got again God is working in you personally it ain't an angel it ain't a priest it ain't a patron saint God himself isn't I ain't gotta pray to Mary I ain't gotta go into no booth I don't need to light no candles the God of the universe is living on the inside and if I need help with a temptation tonight he will give me power to say no in Jesus name it is good news you don't have to count on yourself for strength you don't have to count on family and friends and loved ones for strength you don't have to count on any human mediator for strength thought I'd have a witness there I'm glad I brought my own some 27 verse 1 says the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall of the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid psalm 46 and 1 says God he is our refuge and strength a very present help in the time of trouble Psalm 121 says I will lift up my eyes to the hills where does my help come from my help comes from the Lord who made the heavens and the earth God is at work in you personally but secondly God is at work in you perpetually the term works in verse 13 is in a grammatical emphasis the present tense which denotes continual action it means that God is perpetually constantly unceasingly working in you no coffee breaks no five o'clock clocking out no vacations it don't matter when it is God is always constantly unceasingly at work and you you're not excited about that because maybe you are wondering if God is still at work because you are sick or maybe you are wondering if God is still at work because you are suffering from financial difficulties or maybe you are wondering if God is still at work because some important relationship is falling apart I've got good news for you you may not see any under-construction signs hanging around you may not see the tracks of heavy machinery anywhere and you may not hear the sounds of heavenly jackhammers in the distance but I stood to tell you tonight that the master architect and builder is busy working on your situation right now when I was a boy the choir used to march in singing the Lord is blessing me right come on that blew me away the church ain't even started yet and before they even get to the choir stage they say right now he's already blessing me and that's the story of your life 24/7 he's always at work even when it doesn't seem like it when it feels like you're in it by yourself but it feels like he ain't got no help no resources no strength he still had work I read about scientists who studied in a closed experiment the process of a hundred caterpillars turning into butterflies as they begin to break free Reggie from the cocoons the scientists intervened and assisted the emerging butterflies all 100 survived but none ever flew and their hypothesis was confirmed that it's the process of breaking free that strengthens the wings of the butterfly so they can so on who am I talking to tonight you've been struggling in your one you know it God won't you he could get you out of it and and you're wondering why he ain't stepping if he stepped in he would hinder your growth it's the struggle that helps you to grow strong lastly God is working in you purposefully why is God working in us verse 13 answers to will and to work for his good pleasure this phrase is best understood as a reference to us not God Texas is not saying that God is willing and working to do his own good pleasure that's assume it is saying that God energizes us so that we will will and work this is the awesome reality of the Christian life listen what he's saying God is at work in you too will end the work so will and to do he can change your behavior and and I like that will - will he cannot just change Joe behaving he didn't change what you want to do God sanctifies the wheel so that we can please him he is working on the wheel he's not forcing you to do right against your will but he can change your perspectives change your mind change your heart change your attitude change your appetites so that stuff you used to won't you don't want no more and and and stuff that you never thought you and embrace has become the consuming passion of your life that's the difference between Christianity and mere religion mere religion can only produce behavior modification only God can change the heart Malcolm Smith and his book spiritual burnout writes of the family dog Fred they loved Fred but Fred enjoyed biting ankles and this became a problem of course and to keep this family dog they had to put a muzzle on Fred and it worked he no longer big ankles but it didn't change friend he was no longer biting legs but he was still lusting after all they changed his behavior but they didn't change its nature and religion is just a muscle so that you don't go where you used to go and you don't do what you used to do but but when Jesus gets on the inside he doesn't just change Oh behavior he changes the wheel he gives you two things turning the wheel I've got a rep up holy dissatisfaction and holy desires write them down holy dissatisfaction if you are really saved the Holy Spirit won't let you sin and feel good about it if you've been born if God is living on the inside when you start acting up in fact you don't need no preacher around you you don't need no prayer partner you just set don't you you know you just know that when right you know you ain't got no business being there doing that something on the inside make sure dissatisfied with the way you live and then he gives you desires I don't know why a person would dare call themselves a Christian if they don't have a desire to be with other Christians don't ever want to hear the word don't enjoy lifting up the name of Jesus don't let enjoy spending time with prayer he changes your desires but then not only that and I'm done he strengthens our work that we might please him God is that working us both to will and to do listen to me and I'm wrapping up and I'm going to pray for us you can't do it by yourself the only reason we were able to do anything that pleases God us because he energizes us to do it God does everything perfectly God never makes a mistake god it's too wise to mess up his ways are not our ways he's all-powerful and can do all things he's all-knowing he has all control over everything how could we ever please a God like that it's because that perfect God is living in you to help you please him because you can't please him on your own this is how seriously God takes his word his name and his holiness instead of just giving instructions for you to keep messing up he say just scoot over get let me get in the driver's seat and he gives you strength to do I want you to hear me he'll give you strength to do whatever he wants you to do in 1992 Derrick greteman ran the 400 meters in the Barcelona Games for Great Britain he got through the qualifying heat and in the metals race he pulled a hamstring and fell to the track while the rest kept running but he wouldn't give up he got up and started hobbling in his Lane to the finish line while the crowd is watching this spectacle no one is noticing the ruckus in the stands and old men wearing jeans and t-shirt and ball cap has jumped out of the stands ran past security and rushed to the track he got under Derek's arm and walked with him step by step in the lane so they wouldn't be disqualified helping Derek hobble to the finish line it was Jim Redmond who could not just sit in the stands and watch his son struggle by himself and if that old man will show up to help his struggling child won't Jesus show up to give you strength to do his good pleasure praise God for it's worth listen don't move there's somebody here I don't want you to move tonight until we've had a word of Prayer don't Rob yourself of a potential life-changing god moment by being too much in a hurry tonight there may be somebody here who needs to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord I've been talking about problems tonight and everybody in this room ultimately has the same problem don't I don't you have to know you to know your biggest problem it is this God is holy and you are not as to all of our dilemma and one that one day all of us will have to answer to God for how we have lived our lives and all of us come short the only hope is that Jesus lived the life you should have lived and he died the death that you should have died and if you trust him tonight on this Wednesday night you can be saved from the penalty of sin and the judgment of hell and have a new beginning in your life as God Himself moves in to work out his purpose in your life or maybe you need a church home this is a church full of limping folk but we're getting better we're getting better it's a good church to be a part of we want to welcome you tonight let's stand let's wait maybe someone here tonight needs to take that step of faith and then we're going to close in a word of Prayer together tonight

Channel: Cutting It Straight with H.B. Charles Jr.

Views: 20,627

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Keywords: H., B., Charles, Jr., Shiloh, Metropolitan, Baptist, Church

Id: oao4s-VR6ZU

Length: 52min 55sec (3175 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 24 2012