God at Work in You

This sermon series currently in this book, this letter by the Apostle Paul to the Church of Philippi.

Two comments before we go further on that.

One is in an effort and desire to increase our congregational awareness of our mission partners.

The first Sunday of every month, Pastor Josh is going to lead us in our time of congregational prayer and focus.

Josh took on the added responsibilities of pastor over missions at this church about a year ago.

And we realize that it's it's a challenge as we have so many people come and go through this church to really understand and to better be informed of who these missionaries are and how we can pray and support them.

So just want to give you a heads up on that that we're gonna ask God to really help us to do that in a more effective way.

Secondly, I just was just really struck by the worship up until this point this morning.

Um there's a certain heaviness, and that's okay.

The songs and the thoughts, the prayers, the scripture, it's it's sometimes that life's not all mountains, is it?

Life's not all seasons of just unbridled joy where you just feel like everything's going right, and and even from that call to worship in those dark times in Jerusalem to be still, my soul, sometimes it's hard to keep our souls still and quiet when there's so much going on all around us, whether it's on the news nationally or internationally, or whether it's much closer to what's going on in our own homes or families.

But the point is, is that God's mercies are new every morning.

And we can find God faithful every day, every season of life, no matter what we're going through.

Are you finding that to be true?

Pray that you are.

The Apostle Paul himself certainly knew about challenges.

You remember where he's writing this letter from?

A prison cell in Rome.

And Paul spent a good number of his ministry years in prison.

Let's not forget that.

He found himself with a lot of constraints in his life.

He didn't have nearly the freedom that many of us have in living our lives, deciding where we're going to go, planning our vacations, thinking about our downtime on weekends.

I just think that his life was very different.

And frankly, that's why he can speak with such depth and breadth of spiritual insight.

And so let's continue to hear from him as he writes to the church at Philippi.

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.

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'm glad and rejoice with you all.

Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

This is the reading of God's infallible, inerrant word.

And we get to listen to God speak this morning by the work of his spirit.

Join me in prayer.

Lord, would you please keep us faithful to your word, to the mission that you've given us, that we might see much fruit born through this ministry, just as the apostle Paul saw that fruit bearing in the church at Philippi.

So we look to the same source.

Lord, it's in you that we find the strength and the energy and the perseverance that we need to represent you well and to fulfill the mission that you've given to us.

So we ask that of you this morning by your spirit.

Amen.

Live your life in such a way that when the day comes when you stand before Jesus in heaven, and you will, if you're a Christian, where you won't be ashamed.

That you can look him in the eye and say, Jesus, thank you for the life that you gave me on earth.

Thank you for the time that you gave me on earth.

And thank you for the grace that you gave me day by day to live for you and to do your will.

Conduct yourselves in a worthy manner.

Once again, the word therefore, verse 1, means that it's connected to the previous thoughts that he expressed.

In light of what he had already said about Christ's own humiliation and exaltation, Paul talked about that.

He talked about the fact that therefore God is highly exalted the one who was humiliated, 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 confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

You could say that this is the mission of Alexandria Presbyterian Church, that we ourselves are learning how to follow after our Lord and his own example.

We sang about that in one of the songs already this morning.

We follow in his footsteps, not in order to save ourselves.

Of course, we can't save ourselves.

We're saved by Christ, who humbled himself, who became obedient even unto death on a cross, but was raised from the dead by the power of God the Father, was exalted, ascended to heaven, where he reigns and he rules today over the whole earth.

Paul says, He's your example in terms of understanding what it means to humble yourself.

He's your example in terms of opening yourself up to the power of God in your life.

Therefore, follow his example of humility and obedience.

So, what will this look like to the Philippians?

What will this look like to us today here at Alexandria Presbyterian?

We're going to look at three aspects of this passage this morning: God's work, our response, and the effect.

Before we dive in, though, do you see that next phrase?

Therefore, my beloved.

Paul's writing to Christian brothers and sisters.

And I think that phrase probably is very intentional because there's some friction among these saints in the church at Philippi.

We've seen that already.

That's surfaced several times.

There's some friction.

There's some differences of opinion.

There's some criticism of one another.

And Paul is really just, I think, putting his arms around the family.

He's saying, My beloved, let's get the family together.

Let's keep the family together.

And then he talks about God's work, how he does it.

It's one of the most amazing phrases that I know of in Scripture.

He says, Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only when I'm with you, but when I'm away from you, like now.

Listen to this phrase.

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.

That phrase, we're just going to have to linger for a moment.

For it is God who is working in you.

The Greek word is the word that we get our English word energy from.

The power.

God's power is at work in you.

God's energy is being released in you, through you, in Christ.

And that's why it's a command to work out.

It's not a suggestion.

It's not a thought.

It's a command.

Work out what God has already begun doing in you.

God's power is at work in us, directed to the Philippian community.

This present outworking of their salvation is in the context of being a family.

Commentators have noted, and no doubt, I think they're right, way too many times when people read the book of Philippians, and even some scholars miss this.

They read it through the eyes of our very individualistic society.

As a matter of fact, I'm going to give you a little challenge as you read this on your own as you continue to study this, to think about this.

We can read it so quickly and easily through our Western eyes that, well, he's talking about me.

Well, yeah.

But more so, he's talking about us.

And so even here, this phrase when he says, work out your salvation, for it's God working in you and through you, especially in this letter to the church at Philippi, you don't understand it if you don't hear him saying us corporately.

That may be a new thought for some of us.

Because God is at work.

God is at work in you, not just you, but us.

God is at work.

Let's think about God's power for a moment or two.

There's so many places in the scriptures we could go.

You don't have to go far in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter one.

And the reason this is relevant in the sermon is the question, is God working in you?

Can you see God's work in you?

Now that's a fair question.

Can you see God's work?

Can you see God's power in your life?

Can you see God's power working through your life?

Don't just rush past that.

That's not a given.

That's why he's commanding us.

Listen to Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

I'm going to go back to verse 18.

This is Paul's prayer for the Ephesians.

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named.

I don't know of anywhere in the Bible where more words for energy and power are piled up than right here.

Paul uses four different Greek words that are all about power, strength.

And there's so many things that we could say about it, but hear this.

Verse 19.

And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us?

Well, that really means working in us, working through us, according to the working of his great might.

Paul is just tripping all over himself with these words, reminding us that when we look to Christ, that power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, is working where?

In us.

I think way too much of the time, we don't believe that.

I think way too much of our lives, we just don't believe that.

We're just thankful.

We're looking for just a little power.

Just a little power.

To lose five pounds.

And you know what I found?

It's not that easy.

Truly.

But boy, shame on us.

Shame on us if that's the extent of what we're asking God to do and releasing and unleashing his power in us.

God, would you give me just a little bit of power?

Just a little bit of power.

Give me just a little speed bump in my life.

And God says, no, I'm not going to do that.

I'm going to give you big speed bumps in your life.

So that you know that you're not going to get over it.

With your energy, with your strength, with your power.

Hear me, Christian.

Far, far too many followers of Christ settle for that.

Why?

John Owen, the great theologian, said because they have a small Christ.

A small Christ makes small Christians.

A giant Christ makes giant Christians in living out the Christian life.

This is so important.

It's a little phrase in our text, for it is God at work in you.

But look what it look where it goes.

Look what it means.

And Paul says, this is his prayer.

We ought to be praying for each other about this.

In Ephesians chapter 1, this is his prayer.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

My prayer is that your spiritual eyes will get 20-20 vision.

So you'll see things as they really are in the unseen world, that you'll see the powers that are available to us.

You'll see things differently.

You'll see the temptations that bombard you differently.

You'll become desperate in a new way for spiritual power because you see that you really do need it to make your life count for Jesus Christ.

That's how he wants me to pray.

And that's how he wants you to pray.

I remember years ago on one of the parades on New Year's Day, hearing about the standard oil car in Pasadena.

The standard oil car ran out of gas in the parade.

Pretty embarrassing, huh?

You know, it couldn't have been, you know, the orange juice car.

It had to be the oil car.

We have no idea how much power is available to us.

But Paul tells us, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, that same power is available to us and working in us, as with eyes of faith we see a giant Christ.

What are you settling for?

Have you just finally decided?

I mean, have you just for sure that your marriage can never change?

That your marriage will never get any better?

That your kids are not going to ever find their way back?

That you're never going to be able to share the good news with anybody because you just can't.

Oh, friends, God is at work in us.

It's the same power, it's the same energy.

If he raised his son from the dead with that energy, what can he not do in our lives?

Secondly, look at our response to God's work.

Continue to work out your salvation.

Literally, work to full completion.

It's used in other contexts in the Greek language, like working out a math problem.

Like working in a field to get the full harvest from the field.

It doesn't say, notice what it doesn't say, it doesn't say work for your salvation, does it?

It doesn't say work toward your salvation.

It says work out your salvation.

It's as though God is saying, I've given you all the resources that you need to work your farm.

But that farm's not going to farm itself.

You're going to have to take the resources that I give you.

You're going to have to take the seed and the machines and all that.

You're going to have to work that field.

But when you work that field, understand that I've given you everything that you need to do it.

Work it out to the finish.

Work it out to the finish line of your life.

Martin Lloyd Jones put it like this: God is working in me, which demands that I develop all that he has given me to the fullest degree.

And let's just say what we've said earlier in the worship service.

We can't do it alone.

We can't do it on our own.

This is why he sent the Spirit.

This is why he sent the Spirit.

The Spirit is the advocate of the Father and the Son in heaven.

He has sent him to our life in our hearts.

He inhabits us.

And in him is the power for us to believe this.

We will not believe this unless the Spirit is opening our eyes to see this.

We will not do this if the Spirit is not giving us the energy, the spiritual energy.

The good news is he loves to do that.

Both to will and to do.

Both to will and to work out.

Willing and doing.

So which does come first?

You know.

What happens when the doing comes without the willing?

It just feels like drudgery.

It just feels like we're going through the motions.

It just feels like we're doing what we're supposed to be doing on Sunday mornings.

You get together for worship, you sing a few songs, you sing a few hymns, you put some money in the plate, you listen to the sermon, you go home, and they get on with your real life.

Unless the spirit's at work in you.

If the spirit's at work in you, he is actually creating a fever in you to want to please God and obey God.

And to love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind, that is only the work that the Spirit can do.

And so we cry out to the Spirit, Father, pour out your Spirit.

Would you give me the will?

Would you give me the desire?

So that I can do.

Now, some people might say, yeah, but isn't there the other side of the coin, Tom?

I mean, sometimes I feel like I have the will, but I don't have the do.

Okay.

Same thing.

Still, the spirit's not at work.

The spirit's not working in you.

If you've just got the desire, if you've got, you know, I've got lots of good intentions of what I'm going to do in the Christian life.

I have a lot of ideas of what I want to do, but I just never be able, I'm just never able to actually put it into action.

The Spirit's not working in your life.

Is one better than the other?

I don't think so.

When the Spirit is working, when God's power is being released and unleashed in your life, you have a growing and new desire to obey God and to love God.

And to love other Christians who you don't get along with.

Right?

Context.

And you wonder what's going on.

I know this is not coming from me.

I've seen what I'm capable of doing.

Are you learning in new ways to see what the Spirit is capable of doing?

As God is at work in you to will and to do.

It's not God doing it for us, it's God supplying the power for us to desire, for us to obey.

Work out your salvation because the Holy Spirit is present in us both to will and to do.

With fear and trembling, not casually.

Can we agree that there's just a lot of casualness in the church today?

Can we all agree on that?

I mean that's what every that's what every bit of research indicates.

Whether the Pugh Foundation, Leadership Institute, surveys.

Today the Christian church is asleep.

Today the Christian church is very casual about living out the Christian faith.

Not working out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Not casually, but with a holy reverence, remembering whose face we are before, remembering the one we will give an account of our lives to one day.

In us.

Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

This is our salvation.

How can we take it lightly?

How can we just kind of deceive ourselves and say, well, no, it's all good.

God really doesn't expect that much from me.

Stop and think about it.

On that day, that's gonna be a frightful day when so many people are gonna say to Jesus, Lord, Lord, didn't I do all these things in your name?

And what he's gonna say is, no, it wasn't in my name.

That was in your name.

That was in your strength.

That was in your energy.

That was for you, your reputation, that was for your image.

That was about you.

Unless it's God's work, it's not in God's name.

Unless it's with God's energy, it's not in God's name.

It's only in the name of Jesus when it's with his power, with his energy, for his glory, then it's in his name.

If our works are in his name, they will have power.

Because there's no other name given under heaven by which men are saved than the name of Jesus.

And the name of Jesus is powerful.

When you invite Jesus and you invoke the name of Jesus into your life, there is going to be power and there's going to be energy and there's going to be fruit.

Now we all know it's not going to go as well as we'd like it to go.

We know that it's not without struggle.

We know that it's hard sometimes.

But that doesn't negate anything that I just said.

Are we learning how to get out of the way?

I couldn't think of a better thing that you could do this week than to just hang out in these passages.

To hang out in Ephesians chapter 1, to hang out in Philippians chapter 2.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Maybe use those for your devotions this week.

Couldn't hurt.

And just say, God, is this the power that I'm experiencing?

Do I see this kind of power in my life?

And if not, God forgive me.

God change me.

God give me the desire.

Give me the will.

Give me the do.

We can't do it.

But the good news is, is we can ask him for it.

I don't think he ever turns down anybody who comes like that.

You want me in your life?

You want me to unleash my power in your life?

No, I'm not going to do it.

I don't think that happens.

I think he's waiting.

And then the effect, thirdly, the impact, verses 14 to 16.

This corporate witness.

As we do that as a church, the grumbling goes.

The disputations leave.

We stop squabbling.

So much of Christians, so many Christians think and argue about things that just aren't that important.

Keep your ears open.

All right, I'm giving you a sociology assignment.

We used to do these in college.

Keep your ears open.

Just for a week.

Or two weeks or a month.

Listen to what Christians argue about.

As the Spirit grows in your life, his power is unleashed in your life.

You're not going to argue.

You're going to realize that we're all on the same team.

We're on team Jesus.

And he's called us to have a mission.

And he's called us to have a power among us to be salt and light.

And we're not going to argue about a lot of other lesser things because our eyes are on the big things.

This is what Paul's saying to the Philippians.

He says, so much so that I'm ready to have my life poured out as a drink offering.

That means death.

In the Levitical priestly service, the drink offering would be the blood that was poured out.

The animal had been slain.

Paul says, if I have to give up my life in order to see Jesus Christ work in me this way, then Lord, I'm ready.

But why do you think God put it in the Bible?

What's going to be the effect of Alexander Presbyterian Church?

What's going to be the impact of Alexander Presbyterian Church because of your testimony and your witness and your participation?

What's it going to be in the leadership of this church?

If leaders don't lead, they're not leaders.

Leaders lead by example.

Elders, deacons, there's a lot of leaders in this sanctuary in different levels of this ministry.

God's calling us to open up in new ways.

Asking him to cause us to desire and to do his work in us and through us.

And I have to say, I think it's a privilege.

We get to do this for King Jesus.

Would you pray with me?

King Jesus, we come to you and we we bow.

We bow because you're King and you're Lord, and we're not.

Oh, Father, I pray this morning, would you, by the work of your Spirit, do a new work in each of us that we might actually desire, that we might actually will, that we might actually do your will in our lives in ways that we maybe never could have imagined.

Father, forgive us when we think that the little speed bumps in life are hard.

Lord, I pray that you'll give us big speed bumps that'll require a giant Christ.

That'll make us giant Christians as we look to a giant Christ.

In new ways, Spirit of God, empower us in new ways, we pray.

Amen.