Caution: Under Development. (Pastor: Les Quinones)

Let's get into the word.

Today's sermon is titled Caution Underdevelopment.

Tell the person next to you, caution.

Caution, bro.

Caution.

Caution underdevelopment.

Amen.

Let's get right into the first Bible verse.

In the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 12 and 13.

Philippians 2:12

I'll wait till you guys get it, or it's on the screen.

You can just follow on the screen.

Amen?

Okay, good.

So it says, 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.

Say work out.

Good.

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Amen.

Now let's get into some context of what this means.

Who wrote this?

The Apostle Paul wrote this book.

Okay?

One thing that I need you to know about the Apostle Paul in this specific book is that he wrote this in chains.

See, the Apostle Paul at the moment of writing this book, he was imprisoned.

And his physical body was in chains.

But look at this uplifting message.

So have you ever thought, how is it that somebody at his lowest moment could be so full of joy to write a book like this?

You know why?

Because he was full of the Lord.

Amen.

He was full of the Lord.

And what he was doing with this, he was encouraging the church and Philippi for three things.

First thing he was encouraging them to do was to stay humble.

Next, to stay faithful to the Lord.

And last, to stay connected to Christ even when life gets hard.

Now you may be thinking, Pastor, that's easier said than done.

I never said it wasn't.

It is hard, right?

But let's take his advice.

My man was in prison and still felt the joy of the Lord.

What that teaches me is that no matter what we're facing, we're sealed.

We have the joy of the Lord living inside of us.

So yeah, times get hard.

Yeah, life gets difficult.

But we still have Jesus.

Home on, come on, guys.

We still have the Holy Spirit to help us walk this life.

Now, right before verse 12 and 13, Paul talks about how Jesus humbled himself, right?

Says that he became obedient unto death.

Wow.

Jesus, your savior, my savior, our savior, he became obedient unto death.

You know what that shows me?

That the side of Jesus that was a human being did not want to do it.

But he obeyed his purpose.

He obeyed what he was supposed to do, so he became obedient unto death.

To have a calling like that is difficult.

Thank you, God, for calling me the pastor, and that's it.

Thank you, Jesus.

Because to have a call to be obedient unto death, that's difficult.

But he did it.

He was obedient unto death.

So when Paul says, continue to work out your salvation, it's a very heavy-loaded verse, right?

Let me tell you this.

He's not saying, work hard so you can find so God can finally accept you.

That's not what when he says, hmm, work out your salvation, he's not saying it because he wants you to work hard so God can finally accept you.

Nah, that's not what he's saying, guys.

He is saying, since Jesus already saved you, now let the salvation start showing up in your everyday life.

That's what working out your salvation means.

Doesn't that change the message?

Maybe it didn't change the message.

Maybe it's the first time you heard something like this.

But it's not the first time I heard something like this.

Because you know what I heard?

That I had to work for my salvation.

And they would use that Bible verse out of context and teach.

Hey, you have to behave and work to make sure that you get salvation.

This is why I wanted to bring this today.

Because we've been taught an error.

Now, I always say this, guys, I don't blame people.

I don't like to blame people.

You know, a lot of people have been teaching what they were taught, right?

So you can't blame people.

But what this shows me is that people never got into the word.

Right?

Okay.

Now let's go to verse 12.

Let's cut it deep.

He said, continue to work out your salvation.

A lot of people read this verse and they think Paul is saying you gotta earn heaven by your own efforts.

That's what people think.

You know why?

Because I was one of those people who thought that.

Oh, I gotta work out my salvation.

So I have to behave.

I have to act a certain way that can be pleasing to God so I can grab salvation.

That's what that is.

Okay?

But that's not what this means.

Let's look at the definition of workout.

Okay?

In Greek, meaning it carries an idea, right?

And this is what the idea carries: it means bringing something to completion.

Next, it means producing results.

Work out, right?

Listen, bringing something to completion, producing results, excuse me.

And then it says, letting something fully operate.

Letting something fully operate.

Now, notice carefully, guys.

Paul did not say work for your salvation.

That's not what that says.

He said, work out your salvation.

He didn't say work for your salvation.

He said, work out your salvation.

So, in other words, using a definition of workout, you know what he was saying?

He was saying, bring your salvation to completion.

Bring your salvation to completion.

That's what work out your salvation means.

And now God wants it to show on the outside.

How many know that salvation is internal?

Amen.

We receive salvation by accepting what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

Right?

That he died and resurrected on the third day, and because of that, now we have access to heaven.

Where's your work in that?

Did you do anything to receive salvation?

Absolutely not.

Absolutely not.

So when we say work out our salvation, we're putting pressure on the body of Christ.

A pressure that doesn't belong to us.

Paul even said himself that he was obedient unto death, that Christ was obedient unto death.

Will you be obedient unto death for salvation?

I want you to put yourself in Christ's shoes.

Would you have done it?

Would you have died for the world the way he did, the way he obeyed his calling and gave his life on the cross for all humanity without even knowing anybody in this room?

Would you have done it?

I know I wouldn't have.

And that's me being honest.

I wouldn't have done it, guys.

Because his spirit now abides inside of us.

Say abide.

I want you, and I'm gonna start doing that now.

Because I need, no, I really need you guys to insert these things.

So he needs we have his spirit abiding inside of us, guys.

Our self-effort cannot do what Jesus did.

Our self-effort cannot do what Jesus did.

It can't.

There's nothing that we can do that can even come close to what Jesus did so we can receive salvation.

Nothing.

So why work out?

Why work out for what Jesus already did?

Doesn't make sense.

Remember this.

If you think that walking this walk is hard, I mean, sorry, if you think that walking this water is hard, it's not, guys.

You're mistaken.

Jesus already did the hard part.

He did the hard part.

So we complain.

Oh God, life, yo, God, you be bringing me some stuff.

Who Jesus?

Excuse me.

Life is so difficult.

We complain to him and complain to him and complain to him.

And I always imagine my God to be so personal because he's supposed to be.

And I always think of him, thinking of me, and he's saying, Look at this guy again, man.

Complaining about something that he can't even fix.

I already worked everything out for him.

Why can't he just walk out what I placed in front of him?

That's what I tell you today.

Walk out your salvation.

You work it out, but you're walking and you allow the salvation that you've accepted to be your life.

Through the Holy Spirit, you're sealed with, you allow it to perfect you.

Because salvation perfects the flesh.

The spirit is made perfect when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.

And I always say this, but then we look at our lives and how we live, and we're like, no, I'm not perfect.

Yeah, you'll never be perfect.

Excuse me.

You'll never be perfect in your flesh.

Never.

I never would.

But your spirit is already one with God because you've allowed the Holy Spirit to live inside of you.

And now He abides.

I'm gonna tell you, yo, tell the person next to you, housing God.

I house God, I hold God, He lives inside of me.

Housing.

I'm housing God, I'm housing the Spirit of God.

That's what I'm doing.

The verse says, work out.

It's like working out at the gym.

Some people in here that I know work out at the gym.

Shout out to you guys.

Pastor gotta catch up.

Pastor gotta catch up.

Shout out to my gym rats.

Amen.

But it's like working out at the gym.

Check this out.

You don't magically create muscles in one day.

Who I wish.

Bro, I wish.

I'll tell my wife, Babe, I'll be back.

I'm gonna look like Dwayne DeRock Johnson when I show back home.

I'm gonna look great because I'm gonna work out one, but that's not the way this works.

It ain't like that.

Which is part of the reason why I don't do it.

Because it doesn't work fast.

I know I got to.

So you don't just magically create muscles, guys.

You don't do that.

You know what you do?

You develop them.

Oh my god, this is good.

You develop the muscles, you develop them, you develop what's already there.

We already have muscles.

Aye.

We already have muscles.

All you're doing when you work out is you develop what's there, you strengthen it, you give it shape.

Paul was also saying.

Wait, no.

You develop them because it's already there and it grows.

It grows.

Remember, we're talking about salvation.

It grows, salvation grows inside of you.

Paul was also saying, let what Jesus placed inside of you begin transforming your life.

But there's a key word there, guys.

Let.

Let.

You know what that teaches me?

That this doesn't just happen.

Because if it just happened, that's great.

But we have this thing that I always tell you guys is a curse and a blessing.

It's called free will.

And because of our free will, sometimes we don't let the Holy Spirit do what we want.

Sometimes we don't let sometimes we do what we want and we don't let the Holy Spirit work out in our lives.

So, what I want to tell you today is let your salvation develop.

Let it work, let it complete itself in you, let it develop.

Look at what develop means.

To grow.

That's what develop means.

So when Paul says work out your salvation, he's not saying work to earn your salvation.

Jesus already did that.

Work on the cross.

We don't have to earn what Jesus already paid for.

Because we're quick to say he paid all our debts.

But when it comes to our salvation, do we believe it?

Because we're always trying to work for it.

We're always trying to do something that can keep our salvation.

I gotta make sure I keep this salvation intact.

But what about what Jesus did?

Amen.

Remember this.

Salvation is not something that we work for, it's something that we work out.

Say it again.

Salvation is not something that we work for, it's something that we work out.

Think about it like this.

Jesus did the work to save you.

Now you do the work to develop what he saved you with.

So he did all the work.

He said it himself.

You know what was his last words?

It is finished.

It's finished.

I'm done.

Father, I fulfilled my part.

I gave them salvation by giving my life.

It's finished.

It is finished, guys.

So why we always try to stick our hand in our salvation?

Why do we do that?

It's not, it's it's not even biblical, guys.

You don't work to keep your salvation.

You work because you received salvation.

Because it is yours, because now it's yours.

Now through the Holy Spirit, it abides in you.

You work to keep it, guys.

It's like a seed.

Think about it like a seed.

The seed already has life inside of it.

But what happened?

What needs to happen to the seed?

It needs to develop.

You know why it needs to develop?

Because it has to grow.

And whatever the seed is has to come out of the ground.

It has to see.

But there's a process.

And you know what that process is called?

Sanctification.

That's how the believer grows through being sanctified by the Holy Spirit and letting the Holy Spirit do the work through the salvation you receive through Christ.

This don't got nothing to do with you.

It has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with what he said when he said it is finished.

Listen to this.

The growth doesn't create the life, right?

Of the seed.

It doesn't create the life.

The growth reveals the life that's already there.

Salvation through Jesus develops in the believer as the salvation we have received begins to show up.

So it's something you obtain the moment you say, Thank you, Jesus, I accept your mind.

Now it's yours, now you have it.

But people in God, this is why.

Ooh, check this out.

Remember when you guys started, when you first started, you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you were very hard on yourself.

You remember that?

Oh, it was just me.

It was just Pastor?

Stop playing.

You were very hard on yourself, and you said, Man, I can't get this together.

I can't stop this.

I can't stop thinking like this.

I can't stop.

Why is this so hard?

Why is this so difficult?

It's because we never allowed salvation to work through us.

We never let it show up.

How do you let it show up by surrendering and saying, you know what?

Now let me let the salvation that I receive take full control.

Here you go, salvation.

I give you my life, I give you my mind, I give you my train of thought, I give you everything about me because I really want to change.

I can't do it on my own.

This is why I say our works will never matter.

But what Christ did on the cross, that's what matters, that's where it's finished, and that's what's gonna take you through.

Thank you, Lord.

We aren't developing salvation as if Jesus didn't finish the work.

We are developing the life that salvation produces in us.

Now, I want to bring up three things and then I'm closing.

Three things that salvation develops in the believer.

Amen.

The first thing that develops inside the believer, our mind develops.

Number one, our mind.

Salvation changes what?

The way you think.

It does.

It does.

But when?

When you let it.

So stop when oh, that's good.

When you let it, that's when it changes the way you think.

Right?

We start to see ourselves, right?

We start to see ourselves, God, sin, and life in a different way when we allow salvation, right?

To change our minds.

Our next Bible verse is Romans 12, 2.

Romans 12.2.

And it says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Oh.

Tell the person next to you, let it change your mind.

Let it change your mind.

Let your salvation that you have, let the Holy Spirit work with you and let it change your mind.

Let it work out, let it transform you.

You gotta let it transform you.

You start thinking less like the old Jew when you do this, and more like the person who God has called you to be.

So if you want to act and think like the person that God has called you to be, get out of the Holy Spirit's way.

Get out, move.

Let him perfect in you.

Let him work in you.

You got no work to do.

Come on.

That's good.

I want to ask you this, and I want you just to think about it.

Do you know who God has called you to become?

Just think about that.

Do you know who God has called you to become?

The second thing that salvation.

Develops and the believer is oh, this one our character.

So first he develops our mind, then he develops our character.

The more we walk with Jesus, the more his character begins to reflect in us.

This goes with what Paul says later on in the book of Galatians when he says we're to be Christ-like.

Right?

This is what Christ-like means.

Getting out of your way and letting what you're sealed with take over.

Because then you start to reflect.

This is why in the beginning we struggle so much because they say now you accepted Christ.

Now you got to be a Christian.

So now you're trying to perfect something that's not even your job to do.

And the crazy thing is, that's the toughest part of it for a new believer, guys.

For me, I'm gonna speak about me.

For me, that was the toughest part because I knew that I had to change and I was told that I had to change, but I couldn't find the way to do it.

Nobody taught me how to do this correctly.

I was speaking about it with mom earlier.

The years, the years I spent in the beginning of this.

I've been saved now for 19 years.

The years at the beginning, like the first four or five years, oh my goodness.

It's the worst time of my life, man, when I think back of it.

Because I tried to perfect something that wasn't supposed to be perfected by me.

I had to let go and let God.

Literally, but nobody taught me to let go and let God.

You have to, you have to, this is how you do it, and you do this and you, you, you shave your beard, and you do this, and you do.

That's hard.

Hardest time of my life.

Salvation through Jesus develops the characteristics of God.

And you know where they can be found?

In the book of Galatians, chapter 5, verse 22, and verse 23, where it talks about the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22

Those fruit of the spirits, you have them now.

But you don't think you do.

And you don't think you do because you probably flipped out on somebody earlier.

You don't think you do because you have not forgiven that one person you know you need to forgive.

You don't think you do because your your characteristics aren't matching and reflecting Christ right now.

But just because they're not matching and reflecting doesn't mean you don't possess it.

You have it.

You just gotta get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit take control.

Let him change you.

They're called the fruit of the Spirit, guys.

The Holy Spirit isn't just trying to make you saved or trying to make you feel saved.

He's working to make you more like Jesus.

Have you ever prayed and said, God, I want to be more like you?

You ever said that?

And you know why we say that?

Because we know he's perfect, he's amazing, he's good.

And we all aspire to be perfect, amazing, and good as people.

So we say, God, I want to be more like you.

Yeah, well, you let me do it, you'll be more like me.

It's literally that simple.

And the third and final thing, guys, that salvation develops in the believer is our faith.

Very important.

Our faith.

You start learning how to trust God when you don't have all the answers.

When you see you don't have all the answers, because we think we know it all.

Or is it just Pastor?

My bad.

I I sometimes I think I know it all.

But yo, the reality is we think we do.

We think we got all the answers, but we don't.

What used to shake you doesn't shake you the same way anymore because now your salvation is being perfected.

So you're struggling with something now that's old.

Let the Holy Spirit perfect it.

Let it work it out of your life.

You go from God, I need you to fix this, because that's how that's our mentality when we're trying to work.

When we're trying to work our own salvation and perfect this own walk, when we do that, we're saying, God, I need you to fix this.

You go from God, please fix this, to God, I trust you even while I'm going through this.

You see the perspective, you see the change, you go from desiring God to do all the work to believing that the work's already done.

To believing that the work is already done, guys.

And with this, I close.

You will still have battles.

You're still gonna have battles.

But you're gonna battle different now.

The battle is different.

You'll still have wars, you'll still have fights, but they will be different.

You're still gonna cry.

Just because you're letting it perfect in you don't mean you're gonna be perfect, and now you're not even gonna have the ability to cry.

Everything's gonna be great.

No, that's not how it is.

You're still gonna cry.

But you know how you're gonna cry now?

With hope.

Now you're gonna cry with hope.

All right, you will go through storms, you're still gonna go through things, but you won't lose your faith in the middle of the storm when you allow him to move.

You're still gonna be tempted.

You're still gonna be tempted.

That's never gonna go.

Can I tell you some bad news?

That's never gonna go away.

It's never gonna go away.

I wish it did, guys.

But it never, listen, never will.

As long as you live, you're going to be tempted.

That's the reality.

I wish that it was different, but it's not.

The reality is you're always gonna be tempted, but you won't surrender as easily as you used to.

That's where the difference is.

Something starts to change in you guys.

You start to develop all these characters, your mind, your characteristics, your faith starts to develop.

And we talked about what develop is, that means making room to perfect, to work out, right?

The old you is being replaced by the new you.

So they say we're a new creation in Christ, right?

Because we are, that's what we are.

But how come we never see that new creation?

Because we're still trying to work out our salvation.

That's why we never see that.

That's why we never get a glimpse of what a new creation looks like.

Because we're still in the way trying to work it out ourselves.

Your mind is developing.

Right?

Right now, in the process, your mind is developing, your character is developing, your faith is developing.

And that's what Paul means when he says, work out your salvation.

He's not telling you to work for what Jesus already finished, he's telling you to let what Jesus finished work through you.

Jesus paid for your salvation on the cross for all humanity.

But now the Holy Spirit is developing the evidence of that salvation in your life.

This is why he said, I'm gonna leave you.

He told his disciples, I'm gonna leave you.

But I won't leave you alone.

I'm gonna leave you the Holy Spirit, and it will guide you, help you, comfort you, convict you.

He gave them a whole list.

But that's why.

Because it's the Holy Spirit's work to work out what Jesus already did through you, and all you have to do, you know what all you have to do is believe.

That's it.

All you gotta do is believe that the word says that you're saved by grace, and that what Jesus did was enough for you to be complete.

All you gotta do is believe that.

See it crazy.

Believe?

That's it?

That's all I needed to learn.

All I needed to learn was that I believe you know how easy it is for me to believe in things?

Right?

You ever heard of superstition and you believed it?

And then you found out it was a superstition.

Oh man, what?

So that's fake.

I believed it all these years.

It's easy to believe in anything.

So then I always say to myself, man, if I knew that I could use the same power when I believe in nonsense, to believe in what Christ did and how I don't have to be the perfect one.

I'm already made perfect in the spirit through Christ, and I believe in that.

If I believe in that, that's all I gotta do.

Wow.

But I spent years doubting, saying that I'm saved, and then feeling like I'm not in the same day.

Y'all ever went through that?

Knowing that you're saved because you confessed your salvation and you you accepted him, but then in the same day something happens, and now you don't feel too saved.

You don't feel too good, you don't feel too real, you feel very fake.

And that feeling of fakeness only comes when you step in the way of the salvation that has to work through you.

Because it ain't about you.

So don't get discouraged because you're not where you want to be.

Because that discourages a lot of people.

Don't get discouraged for that.

Thank God that you're not where you used to be.

Thank God that you're not now.

I don't know where you used to be, but you know where you used to be.

I know where I used to be.

I thank God I'm not there anymore.

Appreciate that.

You are still developing.

Now remember, what's made perfect in you is your spirit, but your flesh is still developing.

Your flesh still got to walk this out.

Your flesh still has to learn.

Your flesh already knew how to live in sin, it was comfortable in sin, it was part of its life, and then the Bible teaches us in the book of Romans that our flesh have their own desires.

So not only do you got desires to sin, your flesh likes to sin too.

But you're still being developed, you're still growing, and you're still doing one more thing.

You're still becoming.

Don't expect to be complete.

You'll never be complete, but you will always be becoming, you'll always be becoming, you'll never be complete, but you'll be becoming now.

God will perfect everything, but that's when it's all said and done.

Amen.

The cross saved you guys.

The Holy Spirit is changing you, and one day Jesus will complete what he started in you.

So the work that he did on the cross is finished, it's done.

You don't gotta work for nothing, but that work that he has to do in you will be completed.

How?

By you surrendering and saying, I'm gonna get out of your way, Holy Spirit.

I'm gonna let you finally transform me.

I don't know how you feel.

But do you feel like you need God to finally step in and transform you?

Because you know what?

Many of us go to church for years and we still have not been transformed.

Say I'm lying, bro.

We have not been transformed, we have not been developing any type of character of God, it's just a custom.

We just go, we know we need to go to church, we know we're saved, we know we need to read our Bible, so we read a little bit, we don't really get into it.

We we know we need to pray, we talk a little bit with God.

At least I did that.

Let me continue on my day.

There's just not that much going on, and it's because since we feel like we have to perfect our walk, when we see that we come short, we get discouraged.

And we'll come short every time because it doesn't belong for us to do that.

It's all in what Jesus did.

You may not be finished, you may not be finished now, but thank God that you're not the same, guys.

That's important.

Thank God that you are not the same person you used to be.

Because we are all now in the process of santification.

Tell the person next to you, he's still working on me.

He's still working on me.

He's still working on me.

He never gave up on me.

I've given up on myself because I felt like I didn't reach what I was supposed to feel like I need to reach.

So I'm hard on myself, but today I want you to change that mindset.

And I want you to say, no, he already did it.

I'm gonna let him work it through me, and I'm gonna surrender my life fully to the Lord.

Not just because you want to get saved, but because you want to develop the characteristics of God and that you believe that what Christ did was enough.

You are not Christ.

And when we do this, when we doubt in that, you know what we're doing?

We're taking Christ and we're nailing him on the cross again and again and again.

But the Bible teaches us that he is the atonement, the one and only sacrifice.

So if he came to die once, why you keep putting him on the cross?

Oh, because you don't believe that's something you need to get out of your own way and believe that salvation was enough.

And there's no work that you can do to make your salvation better.

I gotta work to make sure.

No, you don't.

Let him get out of his way, get out of the Holy Spirit's way and let him transform you.

Amen.

That's all I have for today, guys.

I wanna I wanna I do want to say, if anybody desires prayer, you can come up.

Um if you want to reconcile with the Lord, you can come up.

If you want to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior for the first time, you come up.

If you want strength to continue this walk, come up, just come up.

It's open.

We're here to pray for you, Pastor Luce and I, and some of our leaders.

Amen.

Let's finish out with let me close out with a prayer.

Father God, I thank you, Lord Jesus, for your word.

Father, and I just declare that it does what it was set out to do, and that's land on fertile ground inside the hearts of every believer in this room.

I pray, Father, that they now see that they cannot work to do anything, but that all they have to do is trust in what you've already put in place, and that is salvation.

I thank you for my salvation.

I thank you for the work you already did, and I thank you for doing the hard work.

Father, I also understand that this doesn't give me a green light to go out there and sin like crazy.

Because that's not what this is about.

I also understand, Lord, that I have to put my part, and my part is to believe.

Not to do the work, but to believe that what you did was enough for me.

We want to give you glory and honor, Lord.

In Jesus' mighty name, Father, we thank you.

Amen and amen.

You guys can come up to pray if you want prayer, guys.