LET IT SHINE!
Philippians 2:12-18
INTRODUCTION:
Well, good evening! The passage we’re going to read tonight reminds me of that childhood song I used to sing titled — “This little light of mine.” It’s a reminder of the importance of allowing Christ to work on the inside — and then become displayed throughout our lives.
So, grab your Bible, and turn with me to the New Testament book of Philippians. Here we find the apostle Paul speaking to a group of people with whom he had great love, respect, and admiration. In fact, as we will see — he begins this section of scripture by referring to them (in verse 12) as cherished and ‘dear friends’.
So, follow along as I read. In Philippians 2:12,Paul writes,
12 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”
Philippians 2:12-18 (NIV)
Mark Twain once wrote, “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”
Sure, good examples help us stretch further — maybe even higher, but they also can possess an annoying problem as well. In that, though they may show us the way — they don’t necessarily help us know HOW TO DO IT!
Someone else’s successes may inspire us, but they don’t necessarily empower us. But that’s not so with Jesus. The example of Christ…stands before us as absolute perfection! And yet, some attempt to follow His example by faking it…they simply lip-sync pious attitudes and doctrine rolls off their tongue like a high-speed printing press, but their focus is on their image, not substance.
Others intensify their efforts by trying harder to do exactly as Christ did, but only walk away frustrated.
I think it’s time for you and I to fully discover one of the secrets of the Gospel. Before I share it with you, I want to share a story that I found earlier this week.,
I found an interesting story earlier this week. It told of a suburban area of a large United States city, where there was a report of a burglary that happened in the home of a renowned jeweler who had become a multi-millionaire.
The local police were notified and responded. They marked off the crime scene as usual and called in the detectives. The residents were questioned during the investigation and the detectives made note of what was missing.
One detective noticed that the only indication of entry that was given in the report was the broken window near the east wing of the home. When he focused his attention there, he suddenly realized that the investigation was focusing on the wrong area.
Everyone was looking at the evidence and concluded that the thief was an outsider who broke into the residence. However, this investigator returned to the area identified as the point of entry, where he noticed that the glass from the broken window in this particular room had fallen outside of the home instead of inside. And this evidence suggested that the window was actually broken by someone while they were in the home, not someone outside attempting to get in.
He quickly surmised by this and other evidence, that this was indeed an inside job.
And inside job! I share that story with you, simply to illustrate a common problem, where we try to understand and live the Christian life from the outside in. But it can’t be done. On the contrary, understanding and living the Christian life is actually accomplished as we allow the Christ (in us), to transform us and work Himself through us — from the inside out.
Our capacity to live according to God’s standards in this world will always be based on God’s work in us.
So, here’s the real secret to living like Jesus. Let me put it this way…
Following Christ’s example is never obtained through perspiration or performance. But rather allowing His Spirit to work through us as we submit to Him!
So, we become more like Christ only as His Spirit & power works within us — and we submit or cooperate with Him! Get this, it takes power from within — in order to follow His example with out. And, that’s what separates His example from all others; because, Christ can enable us to be like Him through the working of the Holy Spirit.
One author puts it this way. He says, “By His strength we can learn to keep our balance as we walk in the footsteps of Jesus.”
In chapter 2, Paul reveals that Jesus is our ultimate example of how one lives from the inside out in this upside down world. (1 John 4:4).
So, let’s talk about this a bit more…
Look with me again at verses 12 -13. Paul writes,
12 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Let me read this verse again to you from a more modern translation. I think it might help you understand even better what Paul was saying. This comes from the New Living Translation. It translates verses 12 & 13 this way:
12 “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)
Paul says, if we’re going to think like Jesus — and live like Jesus, then we have to…
1. WORK IT OUT!
Paul states the first principle to following Christ with these words:
‘… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,…’ (v. 12).
Again, Paul wasn’t asking the Philippians to work for their salvation. If we are in doubt about this, all we have to do is read a bit further. And in chapter 3, Paul gives the details of his own futile efforts to earn the favor of God (3:1–11).
Those who advocate salvation by works do so only because they fail to understand that God demands perfect righteousness of us.
When this point hits home, it is obvious to us that we cannot be saved by works, because, no matter how many good works we do, they cannot elevate us to the level of perfect righteousness.
This is a highly theological section of scripture that is misunderstood by many believers! But, Paul tells us to ‘work out’ our salvation. This passage becomes more clear as we look at his next phrase in verse 13. Paul writes,
‘… for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. …’ (v. 13).
We noted earlier that salvation is God’s work.
We cannot save ourselves. Only God can enlighten our minds to see the truth and by the work of His Holy Spirit, move our heart — or will to accept that truth.
Understand this folks, the very faith by with which we receive His gift of salvation is not even something we can produce. It is rather God’s gift to us. So, God gives us both the salvation to receive by faith and the faith to receive the salvation.
Listen to what Paul has to say about this in Ephesians 2:8–9. Here he writes,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV)
No one who makes it to heaven — will be able to claim any credit regarding their Salvation Here’s the thing — God isn’t willing to share any of His glory with anyone else.
When Paul wrote this letter — he was calling the Philippians, therefore, to honor God, not by earning their salvation…but rather by working on the outside what God had already worked on the inside.
They were to live in such a way as to display that God had done His saving work within them. They were to show outwardly what God had done inwardly. Now, here’s where people get confused about FAITH.
While we must not believe in salvation by works, we must most certainly believe in a salvation that works. In other words, we must not fall for that lie of the devil which suggests that we can truly be saved and yet not demonstrate our faith by good works.
This was, of course, the issue with which James was so urgently concerned with when he wrote:
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
James 2:17–20 (NIV)
Paul made the same point—that true salvation manifests itself in good works—in these words to the Ephesians:
10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
We cannot leave this point without noting that the ‘working out’ for which the apostle calls is to be done with ‘fear and trembling’ (v. 12) and also with confidence (v. 13).
With the phrase ‘fear and trembling’, the apostle was calling his readers to go about their Christian lives with a sense of awe and wonder for God.
The apostle was calling them to display in their life the salvation of the living God, the salvation that had been planned for them before the foundation of the world.
The fact is, we are part of something that is far greater than most of us could ever imagine. Simply mundane Christian duties will come alive when we learn to see them as the privilege they are — in light of the God we serve!
Living for the Lord becomes easier when we understand that it is the Lord for whom we live.
Lest his readers should feel overwhelmed by the thought of having to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, Paul added a word of assurance that would give them confidence: ‘… it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure’ (v. 13).
The God who had done the work of salvation within them had not abandoned them. He was still at work in them, giving them both the desire and the power to work out their salvation. If we have no desire to live for the Lord, we have no right to say we know the Lord.
A mother was had to discipline her son who was misbehaving while they were out in the local mall. He was having a temper tantrum so she eventually told him to immediately stop and sit down. The young boy said he didn’t want to sit down. And so, this continued until the mother in frustrations grabbed him by the shoulders and sat him down in the chair. She said I told you to sit down didn’t I? But the boy replied “yes ma’am, but I’m standing up on the inside.”
Here’s the thing — like many Christians, he had outward conformity, but no inward commitment.
Paul is teaching us that we must WORK IT OUT!
The second part of this passage deals with letting it shine through!
2. SHINE FORTH (vv. 14–18)
Here Paul adds a second duty. The Philippians were to ‘do all things without complaining and disputing’ (v. 14). They were to do this so that they could ‘become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation’ (v. 15).
Paul is not saying that they would become children of God by avoiding complaining and disputing. They were already children of God. His point is rather that they would become known as children of God by avoiding these things.
Certain things are simply out of keeping with the Christian faith, and when unbelievers see these things in us, they are quick to conclude that there is nothing to our Christianity. Complaining and grumbling are certainly among those things.
Grumbling is a bad attitude that caused the earth to open and swallow up hundreds of Israelites during their wilderness wandering. It literally means a low-toned, discontented muttering. Complaining draws the desire to lead out of leaders, as it did Moses. It literally means to argue with others, stirring up doubt and suspicion. Does the Bible record Jesus ever doing either of these things?
Christians believe that God is sovereign over all things, including even those circumstances that they find unpleasant and undesirable. When we complain and grumble, we are telling those around us that we believe God is doing a very poor job, and, if given the opportunity, we could do much better.
If we are not on our guard, grumbling can become a way of life with us!
Paul calls us to exemplify innocence. How would you explain this word to a brand new Christian who is just starting their walk with Christ? (Unmixed from the corruption surrounding us; unadulterated.)
The Greek word here was used to describe wine that is not mixed with water and metal that has no alloy or dross in it. Paul actually encourages us to be inexperienced in the evil that surrounds us.
We can go a long way towards conquering grumbling and complaining by keeping constantly in mind the world in which we live, and our responsibility in it. This world is a dark place—it is both ‘crooked’ and ‘perverse’ (v. 15). This world is not as God made it. It has been warped and twisted by sin, but God’s people are not like the world. We are those in whom the darkness has been dispelled by the light of the gospel, and we are now to ‘shine as lights in the world’ (v. 15).
So, how do we (as God’s people), shine forth and display our faith within this world? Paul says it is by ‘holding fast the word of life’ (v. 16).
Some suggest it is better to translate ‘holding fast’ as ‘holding forth.’ God’s people dispel the darkness of sin by spreading the gospel of Christ. But we can’t ‘talk up’ the gospel with tongues that are usually employed in ‘talking down’.
Paul was an extraordinary man for several reasons, one of which was that he always kept eternity in view. He urged the Philippians to heed his words and discharge their duties so that on the day of Christ’s return he would be able to look with satisfaction upon the work he, Paul, had bestowed on them (v. 16).
Even the thought of laying down his life brought the apostle tremendous joy, especially if the pouring out of his blood could be considered as ‘a drink offering.’
In the Old Testament era, drink offerings were poured out by the priests on top of animal sacrifices (Num. 15:1–10).
Alec Motyer writes: ‘The regulations for this part of the sacrificial system are not absolutely clear, but we can at least say that the drink offering was the accompaniment of a larger sacrifice; it was the small thing which brought a major offering to completeness.’
Paul has something else other than wasted effort in mind. According to 2:17, what is it? (That my poured-out life would be like a drink offering poured out on the sacrifice on the altar…my efforts counted for something and it was well-pleasing to God.)
This word picture would be huge in the eyes of his Jewish converts to Christianity. A burnt offering sacrifice was sometimes accompanied with a grain offering and a drink offering. Wine or oil was poured over the grain and animal. This last act completed the sacrifice. Paul was saying, “If my life’s blood is to be poured out, let it be as a libation on the sacrifice of your lives that you offer to God.”
Paul seems to be saying, therefore, that if he had to die, he would be happy to regard it as ‘the finishing touch’ to their lives of service and sacrifice.
Consider this — the moon gives off no light of its own. It shines chiefly because it reflects the light from the sunlight.
CONCLUSION:
Even with Christ’s example and the Holy Spirit’s power living within us, it won’t be easy because of one major problem…self! Inside each of us is a rebellious nature that will do everything it can to upset our balance in our Christ-like walk. It will grumble, argue and complain…even try to persuade us that we can do it by trusting in our own power. But that will only lead to failure.
Proverbs 16:18 tells us,
“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, NKJV)
There are two suggestions to remember when balancing our walk with Christ. First: Control the urge to take the credit. Exalt Christ, not self, in everything. Through God’s power our hearts and minds can learn to love Him more than ourselves. Second: Conquer the tendency to take charge. Expect a battle…a long one…because self will never let up the effort to take control away from Christ. This is all the more reason to never let up on our dependence on Christ.
One more personal inventory: How are you doing with keeping grumbling and complaining out of your everyday conversations? Perhaps memorizing an appropriate scripture would help gain victory.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:29,
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29, NIV)