Good evening. I think this might
be up one higher than I need. Oh, no, I got it. Yeah. There
we go. Well, thank you, Todd, for asking
me to preach. And I feel honored to be able
to stand in a pulpit that the Lord has blessed his people here
to hear the gospel so faithfully. And I pray the Lord would help
me to preach the glories of his name and what he has accomplished
for his people here this evening for you. Our text will be in
Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two, and
we'll be looking at verses one through 13. And Paul here in
this text, he's speaking about, or he's referring to the fruits
that the Lord produces in the brethren that bring about unity
in the children of the church there. And to encourage the brethren
unto those that which produces peace and unity among themselves,
he directs their attention to Christ, and the humility of Christ,
who was humble when he took upon him the likeness of our sinful
flesh, and came and served the Father, obediently doing his
will. And he said to his hearers in
John 6, 38, for I came down from heaven not to do mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me. And Paul reminds us of these
great truths of what Christ has accomplished for us in making
us righteous by his very righteousness, that we are accepted with God
because he is righteous, and that it's Christ who works in
us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure, as we'll see
in our text tonight. Wherefore, by the divine power
of our God, we work out that fruit which he has purposed beforehand
that we should walk in those things that which he has purposed.
Our title is Work Out Your Own Salvation. Work out your own
salvation. And I want to look first at the
work which God does in us. And I'd like to begin our study
with verse 12 because it's verse 12 that has been the most misused
and abused by religion because they take that verse and they
turn people, they turn men back to their own flesh, to look to
their flesh to do some good work, to prove or verify that they
are the Lords and to help in some manner with some part, either
all or in some measure, their own salvation. And Paul says
in 2.12, wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only. Now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now Paul
speaks to these brethren in a very tender spirit. When you read
Philippians, you can tell that these brethren are very near
and very dear to him. And he's speaking to them as
a pastor. And what he says to them is for
their good. And he calls them my beloved. Now, do you think that this man
of God who calls these brethren my beloved, is now going to turn
these people to stumble and looking to their own flesh to work out
their own salvation with fear and trembling and looking to
the flesh to do that work, to bring out some good works to
verify and to prove and to make themselves saved and accepted
with God. Is Paul really going to do that,
to turn them to their own flesh for their own eternal salvation?
We're told plainly in the scriptures that there is none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. And that isn't your name, and
that isn't my name. That's the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ by whom we are saved, and him alone. And so we contribute
nothing to this work of salvation. And Paul knows that, for he said
to the Galatians in chapter 3, verses 21 through 22, that If
there had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture
hath concluded, all under sin, that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. So we know
in the hearing of the gospel, we understand by the Spirit revealing
to us that this flesh is dead. and they that are in the flesh
cannot please God. We're not going to produce good
works by the power and by the effort and by the will of this
flesh. This flesh can produce no good
thing. And so because we're unable to
work a righteousness, we've been taught by the spirit to have
no confidence in the flesh. We have no confidence in the
flesh, but our confidence is in Christ. This flesh is called
the old man. Turn over to Ephesians 4 and
go to verse 22. And Paul writes to them saying
in Ephesians 4, 22, that ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And what he's telling them is
stop looking to your flesh to produce a righteousness, to work
the works which God alone works in his people and be renewed
in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. He's saying
that new man. which hears the gospel, which
believes Christ, and stays upon Christ, is created in us by the
Spirit of God. He creates that new man. That's
the seed of Christ, and it's not a product of this flesh. Our believing is not of this
flesh. Our believing is of Christ in
us. And that's a spiritual gift which
he gives to his people, whereby they believe, as Peter said,
to them that have obtained. like precious faith. We've obtained
it by the gift and the power of God. And so, our whole acceptance
with God is Christ. Christ is our very acceptance
with God. And in 2 Corinthians 3, verses
4 and 5, Paul says this, such trust have we through Christ
to Godward, or yeah, such trust have we through Christ to Godward.
And it's so short, and it seems like such a verse, and I don't
think many people ever memorize that verse. Such trust have we
through Christ to Godward. And he's saying we are so confident
in the Lord Jesus Christ. that what we preach to you is
Jesus Christ and Him crucified, because we are so confident that
He is our very standing and acceptance with God that there is no better
thing that we can say to you than that Christ is our very
righteousness. He's our salvation. He is the
hope of every believer. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. Such
trust have we through Christ the God word, so confident are
we in Christ. It's not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency
is of Christ. And so you know where a man's
confidence lies when he comes in those passages of those exhortations
in the scriptures Does he point you to the flesh to start doing
something of what you need to be doing more of and what you
need to stop doing and doing less of? Or does he preach the
Lord Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished for his people and
making you holy and making you acceptable with God so that you
then are able to hear in the spirit, not in the flesh, but
in the spirit, what the Lord has for our good, what he's determined
that we should do and how we should walk in him. All right
then. Why does Paul say, work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling? And why does he use the word
salvation? Well, Paul uses this word earlier in Philippians,
and it was regarding his imprisonment. And he had two options, the way
he saw it. It was about two options, that either the Lord would be
pleased to end his life there in prison for the hope and for
preaching the Lord Jesus Christ, He was content with that. Or
the Lord would have him released from prison, and if he was released
from prison, he would go on preaching Christ to every creature under
heaven that he could preach that gospel to. For he said, to me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain. So it doesn't matter
to me whether I live or die, I know whom I serve, and I'm
gonna go on preaching Christ if I live, and if it's his will
that I should die here for preaching his name, even though many in
the flesh would say, boy, what a waste of life that is. He says,
I'm not worried about that. I know whom I've believed. And
he says in Philippians 119, for I know that this shall turn to
my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit
of Jesus Christ. Is Paul saying that he's going
to obtain eternal salvation by the prayer of the saints? Do
the saints of prayers actually provide salvation or give us
salvation, eternal salvation? No, we know that that is not
so. But rather what he's saying is
I'm encouraged by the witness of the spirit, by these words
that Epaphroditus is telling me that all the brethren there
in Philippi are praying that the Lord comfort me and that
the Lord strengthen me and that the Lord release me, have me
released from prison. And by the testimony of the spirit
in me, letting me know that I'm right where I'm supposed to be.
He says, I trust that God will keep me faithful unto the end. He's saying, whatever it is,
whether I live or die, it's Christ that keeps me faithful. It doesn't
matter what happens to me in the flesh, it's Christ that's
keeping me, upholding me, and keeping me faithful. And so,
he knows this because he sees and understands what he says
in Philippians 1, 6, that he's been shown this very thing, that
he which hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the
day of Jesus Christ. What Christ has started, he's
going to finish. He doesn't cut us loose and turn
us back to the flesh to continue our walk, to sustain ourselves. As he said to the Galatians in
3.3, having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the
flesh? No, it's Christ who began this
work. It's Christ that shall complete this work to the very
end. So with that understanding, now
read Philippians 2 verses 12 and 13 with me. He says, wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation. Work out that evident fruit that
Christ is in you with fear and trembling, for we have this very
confidence that it's God which worketh in you, both to will
and to do of his good pleasure. Paul is confident that the believers,
the brethren, shall be kept faithful by the power of Christ working
in his people. It's he that provided salvation
for us. It's his blood that washes us
from our sins. We are saved in Christ. We are
complete in Christ. There's nothing more that we're
adding to Christ, and it's Christ that shall keep us looking to
him, serving him, and serving our brethren in love and joy
and in peace. And so Paul knows that it's Christ
who bears fruit in us. It's not this flesh. It's the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now turn over to 2 Corinthians
5. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14. And we'll see Paul continues
to say this here in 2 Corinthians 5, 14. We see his boast, again, not
turning us to the flesh, but he says, rather, that it's the
love of Christ that constrains us. It's the spirit and the love
of Christ that constrains us. It's his power working in us
because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we're
all dead. If Christ came to put away the
sin of his people, if he died in the flesh on that cross for
his people, then we were all dead. There's no purpose to us
turning men back to the flesh to work of righteousness in that
flesh which is dead and is the old man. And that Christ died,
verse 15, and that he died for all, that they which live should
not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them
and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth, know we
no man after the flesh. We cease to appeal to men's flesh,
to work a morality, to work a righteousness for themselves, and turning them
back to the flesh, and turning them away from Christ, and to
cease looking to what Christ has done, and looking to their
own works, and what they need to be doing more of, and what
they need to be doing better? Not at all. We preach the Lord
Jesus Christ. We don't know men after the flesh. We don't appeal to the flesh
of man because we know and I've been shown by the Spirit of God
that it is a spiritual work. We must be born again. We must
be regenerated by the Spirit because no man knows these things
by the flesh and so it's the spirit of Christ in us that works
these fruits and produces these fruits that work towards unity
and peace among the brethren because it's his will to do that.
And it's by his power and by his spirit. And that's why Paul
went on to say further in 2 Corinthians 5, 17. Therefore, if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. So we don't turn back to the
oldness of the letter, but that we should serve in newness of
spirit, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We look to Christ, trusting that
he's doing all the work. He's done the work, it's finished,
there's nothing more for us to do in the flesh, and now we're
just walking in those things which he has ordained for us
to walk in him, according to his workmanship, or his workmanship,
according to what he has determined that we should do. All right,
so with that understanding, now go to verse one, Philippians
2, verse one. Paul says here in Philippians
2, 1, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any
comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels
and mercies, if you're a sinner saved and have no confidence
in the flesh, but rather you're one who believes Christ, trusts
the Lord Jesus Christ for all your salvation. As Peter said,
if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. And he's
saying there. If you've tasted that the Lord
is gracious, you know I'm a filthy sinner in the flesh. There's
nothing good that I've done for the Lord. The Lord isn't looking
to me for my filthy rags works to please Him and to gain an
acceptance and an entrance to Him. But I know by the grace
of God that though I'm a sinner and unworthy of His grace and
mercy and kindness towards me, He sent His Son while I was yet
an enemy. yet dead in my trespasses and
sins, and put away my sins by the death of his son Jesus Christ,
who shed his blood, gave up his life, died as my surety and my
substitute, that I might stand before the throne of God without
fault, as it says in Revelations, that the saints of Christ stand
before the throne faultless. And how is such a thing possible
except by the Lord Jesus Christ? Because there's nothing good
in this flesh. This flesh can't work a righteousness
and can't do that which pleases God. But Christ himself pleases
the Father in all things. And so because of Christ, it's
no stretch for us to understand that this is of the Lord's doing. And it's the Lord who therefore
gives us the heart of faith or gives us the ear to hear by faith
and a heart to believe by faith that he's doing this work, that
he's called us unto this purpose to love him, to know him, to
grow in him, and to serve one another. As our brother prayed
at the beginning there when he read the scriptures and that
we learn how to serve one another and to be servants in our hearts. The flesh can't do that. The
flesh won't hear that. The flesh will not yield. But
the spirit of Christ in us loves Christ and loves our brethren
and knows it's not about me. It's not about my works and what
I want and what I think should be done. But I trust Christ. And that's exactly what Paul
is revealing in his letter. He puts their minds on the fruits
that bring about unity rather than strife and division. Because
that's what the flesh works, strife and division. And he says
in Philippians 2 verses 2 and 3, Fulfill ye my joy that ye
be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better than themselves. Now this can't be addressed to
our flesh. Let me show you what the flesh
works. Actually, Peter says it very
well in 1 Peter 2 verse 1. He says, wherefore laying aside
all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all
evil speakings. That's what the flesh works.
Those are the works of the flesh. And we don't walk in the flesh.
We walk in the spirit because we are dead and our life is hidden
with Christ in God. He's put that away and he says,
as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may
grow thereby, if so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious. So we preach the gospel because
that's the food and the nourishment and the life and the joy and
the peace and the happiness that we have in our standing before
God. Because it's Christ who's reconciled
us to God. He's already done the work. And
so in hearing that, that his gospel word and revealing that
to us strengthens us. and causes us not to keep looking
to this flesh, to cease looking to the flesh and to cease trusting
the flesh to work a righteousness because we see how deceitful
and evil and tricky this flesh is, how subtle it is in seeking
to usurp the glory of Christ and the glory of God and doing
something whereby we may boast in ourselves and glory in ourselves. All right, so it's got to be
to the new man. Now, in 1 Corinthians 2, Verses
12 through 14. If you turn there, 1 Corinthians
2. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 12 through
14. Paul says, now we have received
not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of
God. That is, that our salvation rests
in the Lord Jesus Christ, in Him alone, and that it's a spiritual
work in us, and it's the Spirit which reveals to us what Christ
really has done and accomplished for us, so that every man and
woman who believes Christ knows I'm the sinner. I'm the one who's
offended God, I'm the one who's worthy of death, but it's Christ
who died in my place, who bore my sin to put away my sin and
to bear the wrath and the judgment which I deserved, that which
I've earned by my own iniquity and my sin, Christ did that for
me, so that we know what he's done. And as we hear that gospel
over and over, the Lord revealing to us what Christ really has
done for us, It produces love, as Paul said, I think it's Philippians
1, 9, where he said, this is my prayer that ye love the Lord
Jesus Christ and grow in all knowledge and judgment in the
sense, that judgment is the sense of what Christ really has done
for me, that I'm unworthy and didn't earn this favor of God,
didn't earn his grace, it's all truly grace, that is unmerited
favor by the Lord. And so he says, Which things
also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth."
We don't outline. We have these exhortations, but
we know these exhortations aren't to go to your flesh, but to the
Spirit in you. That new man in you hears it
by faith, trusting Christ, not then turning to the flesh to
try and work up a righteousness, but seeing and understanding
Christ has done this work. He's born this in me. And so
we're not outlining steps to make ourselves righteous and
to make ourselves more religious, brought to you by man-made religion,
as they do. They turn men back to the flesh,
but we preach Christ, and he says, but which the Holy Ghost
teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual, so that
we commit you, brethren, to what Christ has done. We declare what
Christ has done because we know that there is no greater confidence
than what he himself has done and accomplished for his people.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually And in verse 16, he says, For
who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him,
not instruct God, but instruct himself, and to instruct his
own hearers? And he says, But we have the
mind of Christ. That is, we have been made alive
by the Spirit of Christ, who makes known to us that it is
Christ who is our righteousness, that he has accomplished our
salvation, that he has made us accepted with God and therefore
we know that it's by him and that we hear these words in the
spirit. And he says, for the preaching
of the cross is foolishness to them which are perishing, but
to us which are being saved, to us which are saved, it is
the very power of God unto salvation. So that's why we preach the Lord
Jesus Christ and speak of what he has done and accomplished
for us. And Paul here is so emboldened In Christ, as you read Philippians
1 and 2 and all the chapters, you see that he's so emboldened
because For preaching the gospel, he was bound in chains and put
into prison and brought to Rome. And here he is in a house prison
in Rome, and even though he's been bound and shut up in his
flesh, he sees that the gospel has not at all been inhibited.
The gospel has continued to go forth in reaching those Gentile
Persons who sat in darkness who didn't know the truth the gospel
though. He's chained the gospel is unchained
and Reaches the very prisoners sitting in darkness bound in
sin and they're hearing that gospel because they know this
man's here for preaching Christ Tell me about this. Why would
you go to prison when you could be released from prison by denying
him? Why would you continue to preach the Lord Jesus Christ?
And so they heard what Christ has done for His people, how
that Christ is the very righteousness of His people, and He declared
to them what Christ had done for Him and what He does for
all His people in making them righteous, and they heard. They
had the Spirit came upon them, and they heard the truth, and
they believed, having the Spirit of Christ in them. And so, He's
encouraged by that, and He's saying, brethren, now is the
time. not to be walking in the flesh, not looking to the flesh,
not building your kingdom and seeking to achieve your life
goals in the flesh, but look to the gospel, but look to Christ
to look to see what Christ has done for his people and where
to be unified and to come together, be like-minded and of one mind
in these things for the furtherance of the gospel. Because when we're
not looking to ourselves, but looking to Christ and what he's
done, then the gospel has preeminence among us. And the Lord sends
that gospel forth, bringing in his sheep to hear, just as you've
heard, to hear that word of grace of what he's done and accomplished
for his people. And, you know, usually when we
hear exhortations due to usually a good amount of time and dead
letter religion, we tend to shrink back and draw back from hearing
that because we don't want to hear what we need to be doing.
And that's why often it's a challenge to preach those exhortations
in a way that we don't look to the flesh and we're not inspired
or puffed up in the flesh to think that we can do something,
knowing that we can do nothing to please the Lord, and knowing
that there's nothing that we can do to add to our salvation,
but rather by love we're constrained of Christ, and he gives us that
heart and that willingness to serve one another, to yield to
one another, to have that one mind and that one single purpose. You know, think of what Peter
said, if going back to 1 Peter 1, he says in verse 14, through 16, here's a word that
many hear as an exhortation to the flesh, and he says, as obedient
children, this is 1 Peter 1.14, as obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am
holy. And it's, It may be hard to hear,
but he's not appealing to the flesh. He's communicating the
grace of God to his hearers, saying, this is the word of God.
This is the will of God that ye be holy. Because he says,
I am holy, be ye holy. And he's saying that this is
the promise for my saints, that they shall be holy. even as I
am holy, and he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to do that very
work, to make us holy, to make us to stand without fault before
the throne of God. Hear it from another verse, in
John 20, verse 22, it says, this is speaking of Christ, I'll let
you see it, because it's a good one, if you go there, John 20,
verse 22. John 20, verse 22, this is Christ
before his disciples and it says that he breathed on them and
saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost. That's the same word,
that's the same command. That's not a precept through
our flesh to receive the Holy Ghost, to obtain or to gain the
Holy Ghost, but he's telling us and he's providing to us,
he's giving to us the Holy Ghost whereby we hear his word. and
know what he's done and rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
so he's communicating power, divine power to us whereby we
hear the word, whereby we hear that gospel in truth, in spirit
and in truth and worship God in spirit and in truth and cease
looking to the flesh and trusting the flesh and trying to work
up the flesh and drum up the flesh and get the flesh to do
more because we've been guilted into doing something more, but
rather look to Christ and what he's done And as you look to
Christ and what he's done, walking in the spirit, not in the flesh,
but in the spirit, he gives you, you see, you find that he gives
you that willing heart, right? When you hear law and terrors,
they harden the heart. But when you hear the grace and
the mercy of God toward us who are sinners and undeserving sinners,
not worthy of his grace, and yet he loved us and gave himself
for us and has given us his spirit whereby we know him and worship
him and walk in him, It warms the heart and there's a desire
created by Him in us to want to hear the Word and to desire
to be of one mind and unified and of one purpose, that is to
see His Gospel go forth, not to be fighting in and amongst
ourselves, but to see the glory of God communicated, going out
to the world, to the four corners of the world, to call his sheep
that are lost and ruined by the fall and to destroy those works
of the devil and to bring them in to himself, to call them to
himself, to hear his word and to rest in him. Alright, so to
us who have the Spirit of Christ, Paul brings us to the sober remembrance
of Christ, so that if any man is too proud and too boastful
and he's unwilling to hear the word of what Paul has just said
about being unified and of one mind, he says in verse 4, look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things
And he's not saying to be fruit inspectors and to look at what
everybody else is doing. He's saying, no, to look to see
how you might serve your brethren and be a helper of your brethren
and encourage them in the Lord just by being here, just by coming
and being here. It's an encouragement to the
other brethren who are here with you. And he says, let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Remember what Christ
has done in that he left glory for you. He didn't have to come
here and do that work. He wasn't doing it for his own
self or his sins because he's sinless. He has no sin. He didn't
need to do it, but he did it for his brethren, for his people,
for his bride. whom he loves to bear their burden
to make them righteous by his very death, who being in the
form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, this is,
I'm sorry, it's Philippians 2 verse 7 now, but made himself of no
reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was
made in the likeness of men so that the Son of God laid aside
his glory that he might glorify the Father. And he laid aside
his honor that he might honor the Father in all things, and
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. So that Christ's
substitutionary work and the work that he did brought more
glory and honor to the Godhead and salvation than all the filthy,
vile works that men did to destroy and to corrupt God's wonderful
work of creation. And so Christ, in humility of
his flesh, he wrought that redemption. He paid the price with His own
blood. He gave up His precious blood,
spilled His precious blood to wash us of our sins. And because
He did that work, God raised Him from the dead and God God
brought him, ascended him up to heaven before his throne,
where he takes that book now from God on the throne, opening
those seals, establishing the will of God, the kingdom of God
on earth, so that that gospel goes forth in power and in glory
and hits the hearts of his people. transforming them, giving them
his spirit, giving them a new heart, giving them hope and life
and joy and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ, to hear his very
word and to rejoice in him, desiring, Lord, I want to see your kingdom
established here, just as the Lord wills to see his kingdom
established here, because he turns our will to be like his
will. He makes us to desire the things
that he desires, even though it's contrary to the flesh, and
the flesh pines and pushes back when the Lord is revealing his
precious gospel to us and teaching us that it's not in the things
of the flesh. Though we suffer and go through
afflictions and various trials and various torments, we're brought
to say, Lord, not my will. We usually start saying, Lord,
take this away from me, but as it goes on, and the Lord keeps
drawing us nearer to Christ through the trial, nearer to Christ,
more closer, and you're hugging up on the Lord Jesus Christ,
then you begin to say, Lord, not my will, but thy will be
done, and you're satisfied, you're willing to say, Lord, though
it hurts in the flesh, I see what a blessing it is, and how
you've shown me Christ through this, and separated me from the
love of this flesh, and the love of this world, and the lust of
my eyes, and he does that all through his His grace and power. And so He gives us His spirit
whereby we know Him, that regeneration, giving us that very life. So
it's not a work in this flesh, according to this flesh. And
so infinitely greater is Christ's redeeming work that all our works,
whether they be good works in the flesh or bad works, they
don't even add anything to the equation of what Christ has done
for us in putting away our sins so effectually. So we don't even
boast about what we've done, but we boast of what Christ himself
has done for us. Wherefore, this is why Paul says,
wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name
which is above every name. that at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and
things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So where
is our boasting then? Our boasting is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And Paul says boldly, therefore,
he says in verse 12, Philippians 2, 12 and 13, wherefore, because
of Christ's redeeming work, because of what he's done, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed, not as my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear,
fear and trembling. That word fear there is It has
to do with the respect and the reverence that you have for your
Lord. We don't have a king here, but
our king is the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we reverence him and we
respect him and we want to serve him. and know him. And then that
word trembling there actually has to do with an understanding
that we actually distrust our very self, lest we should do
some foolish thing, lest we should steal some glory that it belongs
alone to the Lord Jesus Christ. Not trusting this flesh, not
having any confidence in the flesh, but looking to Christ
and to Christ alone for what he himself has done. For it's God, he says, which
worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So brethren, remember that it's Christ that works in us. It's
his spirit that's among this people that has caused you to
hear the gospel and given you a willing spirit to love him,
to love your brethren, to serve him and to serve your brethren. So do it joyfully. do it with
thanksgiving for what Christ has done, knowing that all things,
whether they're hard things and times of affliction and lean
times come against us, that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose. So if there was an application,
You know, perhaps there's things to do in the church, perhaps
there's things to get done, and usually you find that there's
a difference of opinion in people, and they have a different thought
and a way that they go about things and want to see things
done, and they think, you know what, if we did it this way,
it would have the most benefit to people. This would really
help, or this would do some glorious thing. And that's usually where
the flesh gets provoked and the flesh tries to rise up and assert
itself over our brethren and wants to be heard rather than
our brethren being heard. And even though it may be a very
important thing to you and you think this is what has to be,
remember that Christ in weakness accomplished our salvation. He
did it in weakness. So if we need to yield, bite
our tongue, shut our mouths, step back, step away from it,
lest we become a distraction to the gospel, what does it matter? The Lord knows His will's going
to be done. He's going to have His will.
We're to just look to the Lord and trust Him, and know, Lord,
Your will be done. Just help me to love my brother
and not get upset and so angry about it, because that's just
working in the flesh, and that's contrary to the gospel being
preeminent and going forth. We never want to be a distraction
from the gospel of Christ. That's what Paul is encouraging
them, because there was apparently two ladies there that were arguing
there in the church. And Paul appealed, don't be a
distraction to the church, but rather seek those things which
bring about unity and peace that the gospel may have the preeminence
among us. And that's what we're called
to do. And that's how we best serve one another. And that's
how we best use our gifts and our talents and the things which
the Lord has blessed us with, that this gospel is heard from
this pulpit to feed you, his people, and to feed those who
listen or hear the messages on sermon audio, and you have a
place where you can go out and tell your co-workers and your
neighbors and your friends and your family, come, hear the gospel. In peace, there's rest for your
souls because Christ himself has accomplished our very salvation.
And I just pray the Lord will bless that. And that's what he
laid on my heart for you, brethren. I don't know, but I pray the
Lord would bless that word and cause you to rest in the Lord
Jesus Christ and rejoice in his work and what he's done. I pray
the Lord will bless that. Thank you.