Ruanna Levi - Working out our Salvation and bearing much fruit - Sunday, May 10, 2026

Such a privilege to um talk today.

So, Father, we just thank you for your word that fuels us on and up and deep and wide.

And Lord, I ask today that your word would explode within our hearts.

I ask that you would fill us in new ways, feed us in new ways, and let your word bear fruit within us, God.

Amen.

I want to speak today on how to live with the word, how to work with the word, how to respond to the word.

And it sort of started, I was reading Philippians the other day, and I was in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

I'll just read to you Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13 if you want to turn there.

Philippians 2:12

It's Paul writing, and actually, this comes straight after what um Joel shared, or Sarah shared, someone shared about this is Christ who humbled himself even to death on the cross, who learnt humility, who walked in obedience, who didn't, you know, want to preserve himself but gave himself.

And then it says, be of a similar mind.

And then Paul says this, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now 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 do for his good pleasure.

And at first it kind of sounds strange, doesn't it?

Like we talk about grace, we talk about being saved by grace, and suddenly he's talking about working out your salvation, and not just working it out casually, but working it out with fear and trembling.

And I want to look at that word to work out in the Greek.

It means to accomplish it, accomplish your salvation, it means perform, to make it bring forth results.

Make salvation bring forth results.

This salvation that we received, this opened veil, this opened heaven that we received, like Zachy shared so powerfully.

And Paul says here, make it do something, put it to work, that salvation.

If you want to just, I'm coming back to Philippians, but I just want to look at Romans 5 for a sec.

Because Paul holds these two concepts of salvation as the free gift.

But it does so much in us, it worked something glorious that we partner with, we labor with.

Romans 5, verse 8.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrated his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

And then Paul goes on to explain this power of sin.

I'm going to skip to verse 15, but the free gift is not like the offense.

So he details how sin just worked its course, affected everything.

But the free gift is not like the offense.

For if by the one man's offense many died, one person's choice and this brokenness entered.

Much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

If sin could have this effect, look around the world.

Look around the city, look at your own life.

Sin has an effect.

And if sin has an effect from one person's choice, what does grace do by the power of Jesus Christ?

Verse 17.

For if by one man's offense death could reign through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.

This should be meditated on every day for the rest of your life.

This is the core of doctrine.

It's the supreme theology of salvation by grace.

While we were still sinners, while we had no capacity to overcome this thing called sin, this grip on our hearts, on our minds, on our lives, on our wills.

We had no inclination towards God, while we made no effort to fix ourselves, when we were powerless to change ourselves, Christ died.

God gave his son, the only person that could redeem all of mankind.

But Paul's saying here that if while we were enemies, we were reconciled by the death of Jesus, while we were standing far off, while we were hiding in the garden, while we were like in shame, while we were doing our own thing, gripped with pride or resisting, ignoring God, whatever it was.

And the power of the death of Christ was so profound, so full of power that it could reconcile us, it could take us, it could reunite us, it could bring us back, it could restore, it could overcome then every obstacle to unite us back to God.

If that's what the death of Christ could do, then much, much, much, much more.

Having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his resurrection life.

If his death could do this massive resurrection, restoration, then consider what his resurrection life does within you.

That's what Paul's saying here.

See, most of the time we kind of camp shortly after this is what his death did.

And Paul's saying, no, this is how big sin was.

This is how much it got into every human soul, every tribe, every generation.

Then how powerful is the death of Jesus Christ to restore and redeem.

And how powerful that is, there's more, there's so much more in resurrection life.

Being saved by his life.

That word saved is not you believe in Jesus.

That word saved is an ongoing verb, a daily verb, a daily encounter of being made whole, being restored, being set free, being filled, being powerful, being effective in this world.

That's what his life does.

If sin can ravage through creation, then we need a vision for what the grace of God can do.

We need a powerful, consuming, bigger than you can imagine vision of what grace can do, the empowering presence of God.

And Paul says, abounding to the many.

Abounding.

You don't get like a little sip of grace.

That's not what's on offer here.

What is on offer is abounding grace, abounding measures of the powerful presence of God for everyone who will receive it.

If by one man's offense death reigned, much more, much more, there will be a reigning by those who receive Christ.

Much more.

You want to think about the mess of war, the mess of disease, the mess of evil, the mess of abuse, the mess, everywhere mess.

Much more, much more should be the reigning of Christ through his people.

Because there's abounding grace that's available.

To those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

Now there's some parameters here, there's some rules, there's some guidelines.

It's not just anyone who says that, it's those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness that will reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

Let's look at it.

The word receive is an ongoing verb, it's nothing to do with one day you received Christ as your Savior.

That's the start.

That's the start.

It's a necessary start.

It's the absolute moment when this door was opened.

But this word receive to those, this is who can reign.

To those who receive abundance of grace.

And that word receive is an ongoing verb and it means to take hold of or to catch.

I want you to think about that.

It's not the word, there's a different word to take, which means to steal or to take what isn't yours.

It's not that.

They're moving, ready to receive it and respond.

They're ready to catch it.

Whatever they have to do to their body to catch that ball, they will do it.

That's the word we're talking about.

Those who receive an abundance of grace.

It doesn't get just dropped off on your life.

Not this.

Not the empowering presence of God.

You need your eyes on the Lord.

You need your hands.

You need to position yourself to receive that grace with all its force coming towards you.

Again and again and again and again and again.

And that's why it's an ongoing verb.

Because the grace you received yesterday or last week or last year is not going to be enough for today.

It better not be enough for today.

Because God has more.

God has more and more.

And Paul uses the word abundance of grace.

It's the biggest word that God could come up with.

Paul could come up with in that.

It's like super, super, super abundance of grace.

Do you realize this is what we need to walk in what is possible?

You didn't get saved so you could do life as normal.

We are being saved.

We're being transformed.

We are receiving a super, super, super abundance of his empowering presence and his action on our heart.

That's what grace is.

The empowering presence of God received for today, received for this moment.

The super abundant action of God on the human heart that changes you so much, it's reflected in your life.

This is all the definition of caris, the word grace.

And we receive it.

We catch it.

We're part of it.

We're part of the process.

Because God is interested in raising up a people who know how to receive his presence, receive the power of him with us and in us.

He is interested in raising up a people who know how to walk in authority and do something about the brokenness.

Who know who they are and who can walk in submission and obedience and humility like Jesus did.

Our strength is in our surrender.

And grace is the divine action upon the heart.

And I need and you need a superabundance of it every day.

Because every day God has prepared good works, powerful works, things for you to do every day.

Because my question is, do people look at me and go, their conclusion is she has been with Jesus.

When your colleagues, when your friends, when your family, when your neighbors see you, consider you, is that their response?

Because if it isn't, we better get some more grace.

We better receive a bit more of his presence.

We need more.

We need more, we need more.

Until we're so radiant.

It says in Psalms, those that look to him are radiant.

You walk in and you're radiant with the presence of the Lord.

You know, I had the privilege on Thursday night of speaking to a bunch of mums at one of the local schools here.

They were doing a Mother's Day thing, and they asked me to come and speak.

And I was I was there and just shared this simple thing, right?

And it's like people are so thirsty, people are so hungry.

People need what you're carrying.

People need Jesus.

People need the love and the compassion and the kindness and the power that we carry of the resurrection Christ.

We need more.

I'm telling you, it put me on my knees going, God, I need more for them.

I need more.

I want more.

I want more for this city.

I want more for my workplace.

I want more for my neighborhood.

Because there's a superabundance that's available.

It's just the person throwing is looking for who's ready to watch and catch.

No one in their right mind playing a game is just gonna randomly throw stuff to someone, whether they're looking or not.

And it says the Lord looks, his eyes roam to and fro upon the earth, looking for people whose eyes are on him, who are going, give it to me, give me more so I can love those around me.

And we want to be those people that his eyes rest on and go, aha.

And Romans there it says, those who receive an abundance of grace, and those who receive the gift of righteousness.

You hear me say it many times.

Righteousness means equity.

This is the outrageous notion of the cross.

We were made equal with Christ.

It is outrageous.

That's what Paul said.

Do you think we'd be being killed and beaten?

It's because the gospel is so outrageous that we have been made, we have been given the righteousness of Christ, equality with Christ before the Father, equal place to pray, equal place to come close, equal place to be in the embrace of the Father.

And Paul says here, it's part of the criteria, part of the requirement.

Those who receive that.

You're not this person that God kind of tolerates in the corner.

Just kind of stand over there and I won't notice the problems.

That is not the Father's heart.

The power, the gift of righteousness is Abba.

The gift of righteousness is you belong before the face of a holy God.

The gift of righteousness is you can look in his eyes, in those eyes of flaming fire, and receive love.

That is the gift of righteousness.

And to those who will receive it.

And it's again and again, it's a process of staring in those eyes, of finding that place of grace.

You know, one of my favorite moments was reading.

was when I found out that Mother Teresa she wrote in her journal or she told someone Oh I don't leave my room.

I d I can't do anything out there until I've spent at least an hour staring into the eyes of the Lord.

Can't do a thing out there.

Not till you've received not till you've caught the ball not till you have got grace his presence his love his righteousness for today and then you can go and reign then you can go and do something that means something Paul says here they will reign in life through Jesus Christ.

That's the fruit that's the harvest that's what happens when you catch the ball and he said will rain not might rain not sometimes rain not occasionally rain will rain you know what rain is rain is you decide what happens a king or queen decides what's going to happen around them this is why the church is called the ecclesia the decision making body of the city they decide what's going to happen we decide what's going to happen around us if we'll receive grace.

Back to Philippians therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed not as in my presence only but now 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 do for his good pleasure's no concept in the New Testament that we would just receive Christ and go on our merry way there's a cross to carry there's a call to walk in there's a working out of our salvation there's a pursuit there's a good fight there's a training there's a wrestle there's a sewing pick the allegory that's used all through the New Testament and Paul says here with fear and trembling it's this holy ground of what is going on in your heart and he says make salvation perform for you work it out with fear and trembling with reverence so that it transforms you and transforms around you it's this active partnership with this holy holy holy holy God that we are invited into and it says here because God is working in you you know that it's not like some like he kind of sets something in motion he knows your heart he has a plan he knows exactly what he is crafting in you right now and that word working is energy it means this it means active he's efficient he's effective he is mighty he is bringing forth power he is working in you joyfully within his pleasure to transform you to will and to do that means so that our will becomes his will our delight becomes what he delights in our goals become what his goals are we just become so transformed bit by bit until all we want is what the father wants listening to this message by Roland Baker a while ago a few months ago he and Heidi founded and lead Iris International for those of you who don't know they're across the globe but they started in Mozambique with nothing they feed tens of thousands of orphans every day planted I don't know 10,000 churches persecuted daily I don't know how many times they've tried to kill both of them I don't know how many times they've both had cerebral malaria everything known to man but the kingdom keeps growing and they're not miserable hiding in a corner going it's so hard you see them you've never seen anyone worship like them and Roland said this line and it really made me think he said you know it wasn't that Jesus was like the father says go here go to Samaria and Jesus kind of like oh do I have to I kind of would rather really be doing this I'd rather be there or hang out at home you can't even imagine that there's no place he'd rather be than where the father was saying to be there's nothing he'd rather be saying than what the father's saying and it made me think we kind of think of yielding to what God's saying to do or to his will as this like horrible thing that there'd be a better option for us.

There's no better option there is no better option for any of our lives at any moment than what the Father wants because he loves you more than you love yourself.

And he cares for you and knows you more than you care for yourself or know yourself.

And he knows exactly what is the best option for you.

And sometimes in our eyesight that looks difficult or hard it's the best option.

There is nothing better than his will and he's working in us to bring us into yielding and loving that will yielding to and embracing and celebrating that I just want to look at the parable of the sower and then we'll finish up if you want to turn to Matthew 13 verse three and the reason why I want to talk about this is I believe this is how we work out our salvation.

This is how we receive grace this is how we grow this is how we yield then he spoke many things to them in parables saying Behold a sower went out to sow and as he sowed some seed some seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth but when the sun was up they were scorched and because they had no root they withered away and some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked them but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop some a hundredfold some sixty some thirty He who has ears to hear let him hear do you know that was probably one of the most frequent prayers of Jesus let him who has ears hear God let the ones who have the willingness to hear let them hear this and I want to point out that after this the disciples come and complain to Jesus don't they verse eleven and they're like why do you speak in parables why do you make it hard?

Why is it difficult?

Why can't you just explain things openly and this is Jesus's response verse 11 He answered and said to them to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to them it has not been given for whoever has to him more will be given and he will have abundance but whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away from him it used to really mess with my head I'm like God this is not fair I don't like you being like this it doesn't I can't fit it I can't reconcile it with your character but I've understood it says because it has been given to you you know what that word given means it means brought into an adventure you've been brought into an adventure in God and if you're willing to step into that adventure not know the full map not know the full plan be in control you're willing to be brought into that adventure of discovering the kingdom and mystery because sometimes we don't know why sometimes we don't understand it's the mystery of the kingdom and if you're willing to take that journey then God will unfold the mystery God will explain the parables in life and it's he says here whoever has more will be given that word has is once again it's hold whoever holds what he's already given God goes okay you're holding that I'll give you more I showed you something you held it you looked at it from different angles you took that revelation and you held it and made it work in your life I'll give you more do you want to hold revelation do you want to hold truth because if you do God will give you more he's not got favorites but he does respond to us and there's something about holding and handling what God gives us do you remember in 1 John 1 John says that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon which our hands have handled concerning the word of life that's who we want to share with you something about handling Jesus with our lives and so Jesus explains this parable and this parable is not about some people responding to the gospel it's nothing to do with that it's an ongoing verb of seed being thrown into all our lives all the time by the Lord verse 18 therefore hear the parable of the sower when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sowing in his heart this is how seed is received on the wayside he says here they hear the word but they don't understand it.

Jesus is not against you struggling and wrestling with what does this mean the word understand means to stand under something you get underneath it.

When you hear the word and you don't want to come under what it's saying to you it falls by the wayside the enemy just snatches it away stuff God shows stuff you heard things he wants to speak to you out of the word if we are not willing to stand under it shape us let it cover us let us let it be what we actually come under that truth then the enemy will snatch it away it needs to be our stance with the word let it come and be over us like when you take the Bible and you read it multiple times a day once a day whatever it is stand under it come under it let it do something in you shift you change you understand it verse 20 but he who received the seed on stony places this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while and when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word immediately he stumbles and these are all areas of our lives none of us are this perfect field everywhere there's parts of our lives where the word falls we don't get under it we don't understand it and it gets snatched away there's parts of our lives that are still stony ground and the word falls God says something we respond with joy we're like yes let's do that and yet when there's difficulty we begin to let that word just shrivel that truth shrivel it's why psalm one trees planted near living water whose roots go deep so their leaves don't wither in the heat it's why we need to be those trees we need to be pursuing deep roots so that when there's difficulty when there's persecution when there's problems we're not like oh well we don't know what God said you're tapping into deep water deep truth bit of heat from the enemy no problem we've got these 400 year old box gums on our property right we've been through two big El Ninos since we've been there drought first time seven years of drought those gums didn't lose a leaf didn't care because they have tapped in to aquifers well below the ground everything else dying they're not going anywhere and I was thinking about it this morning only you can manage the roots of your life the father prunes us we're responsible for our roots and my understanding is that the root system of plants is the same size below ground as they are above ground and we need roots that are the size of what God wants us to walk in on the earth.

It's your hidden life with God You know Joshua's forty years in the tabernacle not leaving forty years worshipping in the tabernacle for seven years of breaking into promise it's a deep root system.

Verse twenty two now he who receives seed among thorns is he who hears the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becomes unfruitful these are things possibilities dreams truths that God sows into our lives but they get choked by weeds and I don't know about anyone else but weeding is my least favorite job in the garden I hate it.

I hate it it's so boring it is so boring and you feel like you've got nothing to show for it because you don't notice there's no weeds you only notice when there are weeds and it kind of makes me think this is our lives we can't love God and mammon.

We can't love God and the world it chokes stuff in us and it's much easier to pull out little weeds and so now I ask God can you just I just sometimes sit with the Lord okay just show me the weeds show me those things in me those hidden agendas those those areas of pride that stuff that I just want that will choke what you're saying.

And the last one but he who receives seed on the good ground is he who hears the word here it is again and understand who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold some sixty some thirty We are recipients and can be recipients of vast amounts of this power force called grace.

We can bear fruit that is a hundredfold.

Again and again and again.

You don't just harvest land once.

But let's be a people that come under the word, understand it.

Let it search us, let it weed us, let it refine us, let it remove the stones, let it draw our roots deep into the deep rivers of God.

So that we can work out, we can put to work salvation.

And his kingdom flows through us.

Father, I thank you that you have chosen your people.

Strange as it seems to us, you've chosen your people to be salt, to be light, to be the transforming force.

In our cities, in our workplaces, in our nations.

You don't have a plan B.

There is no need for another plan B.

Because your grace is flowing and your word is flowing.

And Lord, we get our eyes on you.

We get our hands ready.

We position ourselves to catch all that you want to throw at us.

Lord, I ask for a grace upon us.

Ask for a new measure of grace upon every single person here to receive what you are saying and to walk in it.

With great joy and great reverence, praising your name.

Amen