It is the waning seconds and the Eagles are driving inside the 20. A time-out on the field and instantly you are transported to a dusty Western town. Townspeople are cringing behind water troughs, doors, windows and fences as two beady-eyed gunslingers face off in the town square. Suddenly from stage left enters the furry pink rabbit beating its drum. A heavenly voice breaks the tension, “It keeps going and going and going.”

In his letter to the Christians at Philippi Paul exhorts these young believers to “work out their salvation.” This is the place when many young believers fall off the wagon as it were. They fail to work out their salvation. We need to be clear that Paul is not urging these Christians to work FOR their salvation. The Bible is clear that our salvation is a free gift from God, which cannot be earned, bartered, bought, nor sold. Working OUT your salvation means to understand your salvation and to examine how your salvation is going to impact your lifestyle, your family, your work, your relationships, your habits, and your friends. We often refer to this process as discipleship, becoming a disciple of Jesus.

In verse 12 we see the word ‘therefore’ and we need to pause and to look at what that word is there for. We see that it is a connecting link between what has been said and what is about to be said. So, because and based on what Jesus did for us in verse 5-11 we as followers of Jesus are to work out our salvation. Unfortunately many people have the mistaken opinion that once you have prayed the sinner’s prayer or asked Jesus into their hearts, that is all there is to being a Christian.

In verse 13 Paul states the reason why—‘because it is God who works in you to will and to do or act according to His good purposes.” What Paul is saying here is that we as Christians are not to stop halfway in our Christianity but to work towards its completion and conclusion. While the new birth has a point of beginning, salvation is an ongoing and continuous process of growth, as we understand more and more about this salvation stuff. Can you imagine a couple birthing a baby but never attempting to raise and care for that baby? Yet many of us birth our salvation, but rarely nurture it, feed it, instruct it, nor care for it. And so we remain spiritual babies often for the rest of our lives.

The Greek word for “to will and to act” means “to keep going and going and going.” This word is always used in the Bible to describe the action of God and it is always effective action. Salvation is always of God. It is God’s prevenient grace, God’s ‘going before grace, that awakens the desire for Him in us. Salvation is continued by God and completed in God. God’s salvation is realized when we cooperate with God. A gift is not a gift until it is received. A teacher cannot teach if a student will not learn. A doctor cannot doctor if the patient refuses to listen. God offers, we receive. It is never God who withholds salvation; rather we are the ones who reject God’s salvation by refusing to accept His free gift.

Verse 14 speaks of complaining and arguing. In working out your salvation, Paul says that we are to do everything without complaining or arguing in order that we might become blameless, pure, children of God having no fault and shining like the stars. Complaining and arguing is indicative of a person’s displeasure with God’s will. This stems from unbelief, which prevents a person from doing God’s will. Paul is contrasting here Christians versus the “crooked and depraved generation” in which they lived. He compares them to shining stars in the dark of the night. Each of the individual lights contrasts the darkness, and yet what a difference when there are hundreds, even thousands of stars in the nighttime sky. In fact when you look at the nighttime sky, what do you see? The darkness or the stars? The implication here is that complaining and arguing negates or hinders our ability to work out our salvation.

In verse 16 we read an interesting statement by Paul, “In order that I may boast on the day of Christ (His return) that I did not run or labor for nothing.” All of us want to see some good results for our efforts especially in and through the body of Christ. I get excited when people accept Christ, when they surrender to Him as Lord, when they overcome some destructive habit, when they step out in faith and share their faith or begin to tithe, when they show up for Bible study, when they have an “ah ha” moment of spiritual insight. I get excited when I see positive change in peoples’ lives, when people get their priorities straight, when people say, “You know, I think the Lord is leading me to…..” That is what keeps me going, what keeps me excited about the Kingdom of God and the ministry right here at SUMC.

Paul ends this section with the thought of rejoicing with these Christians over their faith resulting in sacrifice and service. There is a fellowship that we have as Christians, a sense of being glad and rejoicing together. What I am talking about is more than just socializing, of hanging out, of dinner parties and backyard barbecues, or of gathering with friends to watch the Eagles. The Greek word for that experience is ‘koinonia’, which describes a deeper level of friendship, of love and loyalty, of faithfulness and dependency. It is the difference between casual friends and close friends. In this kind of fellowship there is an oneness of Spirit, an oneness of purpose, of priorities, of lifestyle, and an oneness in Jesus as Lord. Now there are certainly differences. We are not talking about being ‘cookie-cutter’ Christians. I get very nervous when Christians groups/churches all think alike, dress alike, sing alike, smile alike, especially when they try to mimic the leader. As Christians we are different and we celebrate those differences, our fellowship in Christ binds us and pulls us together. This word that describes Christian fellowship is a hard word to describe but a wonderful reality to know and experience.

This rejoicing of Paul with the Philippian Christians is centered on Jesus and His work in their lives. Remember Paul had a very special connection and relationship with this particular church, more so than any other.

As Christians we no longer have fellowship with the world, this crooked and depraved generation as Paul describes it, because their priorities, desires, enjoyments, likes and lifestyles are no longer ours. We walk to the beat of a different drummer and He not only beats the beat but lights up our lives to be those shining stars in the darkness around us.

As Christians we experience God’s saving grace and become new creations in Christ. As new creations in Christ we work out our salvation in discipleship—growing in our faith becoming more like Christ. In the process we have this special kind of fellowship, this kindred spirit with other Christians who are also working out their salvation.

Like the early Philippian church we as a church are not just birthing baby Christians. We are also responsible one to another helping these baby Christians grow, and assisting them to work out our salvation through discipleship and through fellowship. We do that one-on-one as people develop friendships within the church. We endeavor to do that through worship, through Sunday School classes, through small groups and Bible studies, by means of retreats, and providing opportunities for fellowship so that you can make and develop lasting friendships with other Christians, support each other, pray for each other, encourage each other and be their for each other when hard times and even tragedy strikes.

All of these are ways to help each of you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Why the ‘fear and trembling’ stuff? Because this is serious business.

So let me be as clear as I can. Worship is wonderful and very important. It is essential to our walk with Christ. But worship alone is not nearly enough. Worship is like breakfast, which is called the most important meal of the day. But what if breakfast is all you ate each day? So too with worship—important but not enough. To work out your salvation you need a well-balanced spiritual diet to include worship, some kind of small group/Bible study/Sunday School class, some kind of ministry in which you are serving, and you need to be in fellowship with other Christians.

It keeps going and going—and so can you as you continue to work out your salvation and that is a lifelong process.

Here Paul’s words again, “Therefore, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.