Now we'll stay right there where
Brother Jim just read in Philippians 2. I had him read the whole section
there at the end of this chapter because it's my plan to deal
with all these verses, but this morning I'm just going to deal
with two of these verses and then it's my plan, Lord willing,
to come back next week and deal verse by verse with the rest
of this chapter. But I wanted to talk about this
matter of working out our salvation. Read verse 12. Paul writes, wherefore
my beloved, now that tells you right away who he's writing to,
that this is a message to believers. This is to those who are already
sinners saved by grace, justified by God's grace in Christ. That means their sins are forgiven. They stand righteous in God's
sight through Christ, righteousness imputed. They've been born again
by the Spirit, regenerated, converted. They've been brought by faith,
or brought by God to faith in Christ. Repentance of dead works,
perseverance in the faith, all of those blessings and benefits
of salvation that are freely given. And I'm going to tell
you something now, we need to think about that. We need to
appreciate that. They're all freely given because
we haven't earned or deserved any of these blessings or benefits.
So when he says, wherefore, for this reason, and of course what
he's talking about is the unity in the ministry, spreading the
gospel, standing firm together against the opposition. He says,
for this reason, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, and
Paul saw them as an obedient people. It doesn't mean they
were perfect. Doesn't mean that every act of obedience was performed
by them. None of us can say that. Sometimes
we're disobedient, but we hope and hope in the Lord that the
tenor of our lives is as obedient servants of Christ. So he says,
as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only. In other
words, not just when I'm with you physically, but now much
more in my absence. And then he says this, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling. You know, that
verse has been taken out of its context and perverted by a lot
of people who, for whatever reason, they promote the heresy that
salvation is a matter of grace plus works, and that's not true. Paul wrote in Romans 11, if it
be of grace, it's not of works. If it be of works, it's not of
grace. I've heard people say things about preachers say, well,
he mixes grace and works. The Bible says you can't do that.
You can't do that. Because if you preach that salvation
is by God's grace plus our works, your whole message is works.
It's not grace at all. And if you preach salvation by
grace and not by works, your whole message is grace. And grace
reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord. Some use it to preach the heresy
that one can lose salvation. In other words, work out your
salvation. And really they changed, in essence,
they changed the wording of it. Instead of saying work out your
salvation, your own salvation, They really mean by work for
your own salvation. But it doesn't say work for your
salvation. Our salvation is attained and
maintained by the work of one person. And that's the Lord Jesus
Christ. And He doesn't say work for your
salvation, work out your own salvation. And the context bears
that up. First of all, as I said, this
is written to sinners saved by grace. It's written to believers. And so they already have the
fullness of salvation that was accomplished for them and given
to them by Jesus Christ our Lord. If you're a sinner saved by grace,
the Bible says you are complete in Him. Now, that doesn't mean
you're complete within yourself. We're not. And that's what he's
talking about, working out our salvation. Later on over in chapter
3, if you look at verse 12 of chapter 3, Paul says, not as
though I had already attained, either were already perfect.
He's not talking about how we stand in Christ. He's talking
about our state in this world, and that's something we always
need to keep in mind. when we think about the exhortations
of Scripture encouraging us to strive to be better in every
area of life. Our standing before God is perfection
in the righteousness of Christ and that will never change. It
will never diminish. But our state in this world is
sinners saved by grace struggling Sometimes we don't struggle hard
enough. Struggling to be like Christ.
And so Paul says, I follow after if that I may apprehend that
for which also I'm apprehended of Christ Jesus. He says, brethren,
verse 13 of chapter three. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind. And that's almost, that's hard.
forget those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto
those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Now really,
that's a commentary on what he's saying when he says, work out
your own salvation. You're saved by the grace of
God. You've been blessed of all people. You have the fullness
of salvation. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily and you're complete in Him. You have a righteous
standing before God that cannot change. No one can lay anything
to your charge. No one can impute sin to you
before God now in His court of justice, not even the devil himself,
not even your own conscience. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? You are forgiven of all your
sins. Therefore, strive in your character,
in your thoughts, in your conduct to be like Christ. Not to be
saved, but because you already are saved. Not to work out a
righteousness that God will accept, but because you already have
one that was freely given to you by Christ who worked it all
out in His obedience unto death. You see what he's saying? Work
out. One old writer said it means
work out of your salvation. This is where you are. This is
your standing before God. Now work out of that. And so
this is written to those who are believers in Christ, resting
in Christ, and it's talking about putting our faith to work, working
out of our salvation, working out of our faith. Secondly, the
context of the covenant of the gospel of the covenant of grace
tells us that this is not work salvation. What is the covenant
that we're under? Well, look at this again. He
says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Now,
what does that mean? Does that mean that we're to
work hard thinking that if we don't do what we're supposed
to do, we're going to quake with fear and tremble and think that
God may send us to hell anyway? And that's not what it's talking
about. It's talking about that fear.
What is that fear? That's reverence and respect
to the God of all grace who is our Heavenly Father because of
what Christ did. Who is our friend. We sang that. What a friend. That we're friends
with God. We can speak to Him as friend
with friend. Abraham was the friend of God.
as He who has mercy upon us. He who never leaves us. He who
never, listen, He who never gets angry at us. I mean, He chastises
us. But it's not out of legal anger. He whose wrath has been totally
removed. And that's what that fear, you
know what the word fear is in the context of the covenant of
grace? It's worship. Worship God. That's what we're
here to do. That's why we're here. That's
why we want to be here, to worship God. And then the trembling. What is the issue of trembling? Well, here it is. Think about
standing before a holy God who knows our every thought, who
knows our every motive, who knows how we think and feel. Think about standing before him
without Christ. Now that's the issue of trembling.
I tremble to think that I could come before God without Christ
as my surety, my substitute, my redeemer, my intercessor. That's the issue of trembling.
And so we come to God pleading not our own works, pleading not
our own merits, but pleading the merits of Christ. And we
have nothing to be ashamed of there. If you come before God
or if I come before God pleading our own merits, we got a lot
to be ashamed of. But not in Christ. I'm washed
in His blood. I'm clothed in His righteousness.
I've got no other hope. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in your name? Haven't we cast out demons and
done many wonderful works? You ought to be ashamed of that,
if that's what you're pleading. I hear a lot of people today
pleading their love, their love for God, their love for one another.
Well, we all love God, and we ought to love one another. but
tremble to go before God pleading your love for him. But be assured
and comforted going before God pleading his love for you. Well,
how do I know that he loves me? We're hearing his love, not that
we loved him, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Listen to this, this is Hebrews
12 and verse 28. I'll just read it for you. Wherefore,
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear. That's what he's talking about
here, fear and trembling. Reverence and godly fear. Godly fear? That's respect. That's believing God. That's
what godly fear is, believing God. What does God say? And then
realizing what it means to appear before God in our own works without
Christ, oh my soul, without a tremble. Look back at Philippians 2.12.
You see the word work there in verse 12. Work out your own salvation. That word work means to perform
to completion. Now we're already complete in
Christ, but what did Paul say over in Philippians chapter 3?
We've already attained all that God requires and all that we
need in Christ, but not in ourselves. Think about it. The things that we're subject
to in this life, we're subject to the natural infirmities of
the flesh, growing old, getting sick, aches, pains, sorrows. Misunderstandings, all of that.
Getting angry, all of that. We're subject to all of that,
the flesh. What does that tell us? It tells us that in ourselves,
even though we're complete in Christ, but in ourselves we're
not complete yet. And so when he says work means
to perform to completion, it means that believers are to persevere,
continue in the faith. fighting the warfare, the flesh
and the spirit, the spirit against the flesh. The word worketh,
now in verse 13, which I haven't gotten to yet, but look there,
it says, for it is God which worketh in you, both the will
and to do of his good pleasure, and that verse right there puts
it in its context, what he's talking about. He's not talking
about working for salvation, but the word worketh there in
verse 13, you know what, we get our English word energy from
it. The text means that believers
are to persevere in the faith as we are energized by God, motivated
by God. And God has never commanded his
people to work in order to gain or maintain salvation. In fact,
he's forbidden that and he says it's evil to do that. That's
right. And again, go back to the Matthew
7 passage. Haven't we done many wonderful
works in your name? In other words, we weren't taking
credit for it. But that's not the ground of
salvation. That's not the ground of justification. Well, what is? Christ is. The
glory of His person, the power of His finished work, His blood,
His righteousness. So what exactly, when he talks
about working and work out, what exactly are these works? What
kind of things is he talking about here? Let me give you several
things. First of all, we know, as I've
said, salvation is all of grace, not by works at all. I quoted a part of Romans 11. Listen, let me just read it to
you. Romans 11, five and six. Paul
writes, even so then at this present time also there is a
remnant according to the election of grace. That's a remnant of
people who are saved by God's grace. They are the elect. And
he says in verse six, and if by grace, then it's no more of
works. Grace cancels out works. Otherwise,
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work.
It can't be both. It can't be a mixture. It's one
or the other. What does he tell us? Good works
cannot save us or make us righteous. Nothing we do in our attempt
to obey God's Word, to love God, to love one another, to forgive
one another, nothing we do can make us righteous in God's sight. Nothing we do can justify us. It cannot wash away our sins.
It cannot make up for even one sin, let alone a multitude. Nothing we do. Listen, the Bible teaches that
even our good works have to be presented unto God as they are
washed, like us, in the blood of Jesus Christ. Look over at 1 Peter. Chapter
2. The Bible says we are accepted in
the Beloved. That is our persons and that's
our works too. Look at what Peter writes in
1 Peter 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings. You mean we can do those things?
Yes we can, that's of the flesh. Sometimes they get the best of
us. But he said, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby, if so be you've tasted that the
Lord is what? Gracious. I'm only a sinner saved by grace,
merciful God. To whom coming as unto a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious,
you also as lively or living stones are built up a spiritual
house and holy priesthood." Holy? Us? You mean this is a holy bunch? Well, what does that mean? Does
that mean we're perfect in everything we think, say, and do? No, we're
very imperfect. But holy means we're set apart. distinguished by God's grace
and he says a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer
up spiritual sacrifices. Now, what are those spiritual
sacrifices? It's our service to God and to
one another, it's our worship, it's our prayers, it's our praise,
and look what he says there in the last line, acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ. That's it. Good works cannot
save us. Even they have to be presented
to God acceptable by the blood of Jesus Christ, washed in the
blood. He said that of Abel. Good works cannot keep us safe.
Salvation is secured unto glory by the work of Christ for us. Good works are not the cause
or the ground of any part of our salvation. They are the fruit
and the result of salvation by God's grace in Christ. We quote
Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, well let's quote verse 10 with it. Remember
what he said, for by grace are you saved, through faith, that
not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. Not of works, lest any
man should boast. And then verse 10 says, for we
are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto not because
of but unto good works which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them. Good works are the foreordination
of God for his people. Titus said it's not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but it's by his work. Good works are the fruit of our
union with Christ. You know, that's what Christ
meant when he told his disciples in John 15. He said, I'm the
vine, you're the branches. And what do branches do when
they have life from the vine? They bear fruit. They don't produce
fruit. They bear it. Expressions not of any faith
in ourselves, but our faith in Christ. Faith which worketh by
love. And then here's another thing.
Good works are obedience motivated by grace, love, and gratitude.
Turn to Romans 7. You know, when we talk about
character and conduct, we're talking about morality. But it's just not morality alone. There has to be involved motives,
things like that. a person going through life trying
to be the best person they can be, thinking that that's going
to gain them something with God, earn something with God. God
says that's evil. It denies His glory, it denies
Christ, it's pride. So human morality is not what
distinguishes us from the world. But it's the motive which people
cannot see. But God sees it. And it's a motive
that's not in us naturally. The only motive that's in us
naturally is legalism and mercenary. Legalism. I'm gonna do this because
I'm earning my way. And if I don't earn it, then
I'll get punished. Mercenary promises of earned
reward. Well, look at Romans 7 and verse
4. He says, wherefore my brethren, you also are become dead to the
law. What does that mean? That means
the law cannot condemn me. Cannot condemn me. And the law
cannot demand anything from me as far as attaining or maintaining
salvation. Now how did I become dead to
the law? Look at it. By the body of Christ. Not by your works. Not by working
hard. Not by your sincerity. but by
the body of Christ, his sacrifice on the cross. That you should
be married to another, united to Christ, even him who is raised
from the dead, that we should bring forth what? Fruit unto
God. And then he says in verse five,
for when we were in the flesh, when we were unregenerate, unbelievers,
the motions or the passions of sins which were by the law did
work in our members to bring forth what? Fruit unto death. That's talking about mainly what
men and women by nature in an unregenerate state see as good
works. Trying to work their way into God's favor. It's fruit
unto death. It won't work. Why? because God
requires the perfection of righteousness that can only be found in Christ. And anything less is death and
dead. So he says in verse six, but
now we're delivered from the law. How were we delivered from
the law? By the body of Christ. That being
dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of
spirit and not in oldness of the letter. What is it to serve
in newness of spirit? It's motivated to working out
our salvation. Persevering in the faith. Seeking
to be obedient. Seeking to fight the flesh. Motivated
by grace and by love and by gratitude. That's the motive of good works.
And then here's another thing. I read this in the opening of
our service in Matthew chapter 5. Good works are works that
glorify God. They don't glorify us. They're not to draw attention
to us. And that's what he said in verse 16. Let your light so
shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father which is in heaven. The light there is not the works.
The light there is the gospel of Christ who is our light. Who
shines upon us in the truth of the gospel. to show us to be
sinners saved by grace, willing and loving bond slaves of Christ,
serving Him as motivated by grace, love, and gratitude. And that's
what Paul's going to talk about later on here in Philippians
2. You shine as lights in a dark world. How do we shine? It's
not by mere human morality because that doesn't set us apart from
the world. Even the religious world They're involved in what
we call human morality, trying to do good. So that doesn't set
us apart. What does set us apart? Our gospel. The light of Christ. The glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. And then go back to our text
now. Let's read verse 13. Here's the next thing about good
works. They're works that actually that God does within us by the
power of the Spirit. And this really kills any notion
that he's talking about working for salvation. He says, for it
is God which worketh in you both the will and to do of His good
pleasure. Listen to this. Hebrews 13 verse
20. I'll just read it. Now the God
of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will,
working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. One more
passage, John chapter one, or rather John chapter three. Whatever good we do, you know
the Bible tells us that by nature we have no goodness in us. None
righteous, none good, no not one, according to God's standard
of goodness. Whatever goodness we have and
whatever goodness we do, we're not the source of it, We're not
the power of it. We're not even the energy of
it. As I said, that word work, when it says, God worketh in
you, that word means energy. It's God who energizes us, motivates
us, and works in us to do that which is well-pleasing in His
sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what it is. And look here in verse 19 or
verse 20 of John chapter 3. For everyone that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. That's the unbeliever. But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be
made manifest, that they are wrought in God. They're the work
of God. So work out your own salvation.
Because it's God who works in you to do that which is well-pleasing
in His sight. In other words, what he's saying
is this. When we do good, we can't take credit for it. That's right. All of it goes
to God. And even giving credit to God,
we still don't plead it as our righteousness before God, because
that goes to Christ. And so working out our salvation
means what? It means persevering in looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, seeking to honor
Him and to express our faith in Him and to express our love
for Him and for one another in seeking to do good in every area
of life. Well, I hope that's been helpful.
Let's open our hymnals to hymn number 227. We'll close our service
with The Cleansing Way.