Ep. 17 | God is Working in You | Philippians

Listen in as Pastor Eddie Blalock shares today’s daily devotional featuring Philippians 2:12-13. Let’s be Formed by The Word together!

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Transcript

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Welcome to Formed by the Word, a podcast where we don't just read the Bible, we invite it to shape our lives. In each episode, Pastor Eddie Vlaylock will provide daily devotionals seeking to connect real scripture to real life. We'll be starting with the book of Philippians. This incredible letter clearly reveals how life in Christ shapes a resilient faith and a joy that is not dependent on circumstances. So wherever you're listening, whether you're driving, working out, or just scrolling for something meaningful, lean in, open your heart, and let's be formed by the word together.

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Welcome into our study of the book of Philippians. Today we're in chapter 2. We'll be looking closely at verses 12 and 13. You know, through the years, there have been many times that I've struggled with knowing God's will for my life, particularly in regard to ministry. In my 50 years of pastoring, God's spoken to my heart so many times about moving to different churches, but four times in particular, he led me to a move, and each had its share of struggles. However, none was more of a struggle, perhaps, in the decision to leave a very good pastorate and plant a new church. The struggle was really not whether or not to move or to change. I didn't have a struggle with that. The struggle was simply to know if this is God's will. In those days of struggle, I didn't know all the decisions to make, but I knew that God was at work around me and in me. And I also believed that he wanted to work through me. Well, it was during those days of struggle that someone introduced me to a book called Experiencing God, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, written by a man named Henry Blackaby. Over several weeks of study and time, Blackaby taught me several important things about recognizing and following God's will. First of all, he taught me that God is at work around you whether you see him or not. That's right. God is at work around you even if you don't see him. And secondly, that God is at work in you whether you know it or not. Yeah, we don't always realize it. And third, God wants to work through you whether you think so or not. But maybe the most important thing I think I gathered from this study was when God calls you to a work, you can be sure that He will do the work. Our part is to simply say yes. Our part is to simply obey. We are called to walk in obedience to God. So in this next section of Paul's letter to Philippi, he's going to encourage his young followers that God wants to use them in great ways, but it's time for them to learn to depend on God rather than himself. He's beginning to realize that he's not going to be with them forever. As a matter of fact, he may never see them again. Remember the context of this letter. But we know this that Paul wants to encourage them to walk in obedience, to learn to walk without him. So let's read verses 12 and 13, and we'll make some comments about them. He says, Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence, but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good pleasure. Now, there's several things I think we need to observe as Christ's followers. First of all, understand this. Paul is saying that God expects us to obey. We've been called to obedience. And by the way, we gather that from this encouraging sentence from Paul. He says, just as you have always obeyed, Paul affirms their track record. He isn't scolding them, he's encouraging them, encouraging them to continue in their faithfulness. Obedience is not optional for the follower of Christ, nor is it seasonal. And it isn't dependent on who's watching. Then he adds this not only in my presence, but even more in my absence. He's talking about obedience. Don't just obey when I'm there, but even now more because I'm not there. Here's a mark of spiritual maturity. They were not to live on borrowed spirituality. Remember this important truth. Faith that only functions under supervision is not fully formed faith. I remember when I was teaching my daughter Casey to drive, it was quite a challenge. We started with her watching me drive, you know, being aware of how I drive, how I turn, how I slow down, how I stop. Then she got her learner's permit and started driving in town. And as she drove, I was by her side trying to tell her what to do, where to go, when to stop, which way to turn. But eventually we reached our goal. She would do all of those things without me. This is where Paul is going in these verses. He's preparing them for spiritual formation without his presence. We all have to learn how to grow and how to develop at some point on our own. And then he adds a curious sentence. He says, work out your own salvation. Now it seems a little curious, but really it makes common sense within the context. Now, this phrase is often misunderstood. He's not saying here, work for your salvation. He's not saying earn your salvation. He's not saying secure your salvation. He's saying work out your salvation. Work it out. The Greek word really means to bring to completion or to carry to full expression of. Maybe you think of it this way: working out a mind to extract what's already there. Or maybe you think of it as working out a muscle to develop strength that's really already present. It just has to be built, it has to be worked out. Salvation is not something we achieve, it is something we express. It's something that we express through what we are doing and how we are moving. And so he says, express your salvation, work out your salvation. And then he adds, with fear and trembling, this does not suggest a sense of panic or insecurity, but refers to reverence, seriousness, and a healthy awareness of holy responsibility that's ours. This is the opposite of casual Christianity. So first, God expects us to obey. Second thing we need to observe, God equips us to obey. Look at verse 13. He says, Now, Paul, for it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, according to his good pleasure. It is God who is working in you. Working there is the Greek word for that we get our word energy from. God is actively energizing believers from within. And you can see the tension here. God is working in you and God is working through you. But then he adds this, and I love this. I don't know how many times I have returned to this or or shared with young men and ministry this, two areas that he speaks about. He says that God works to will and to do. First, he shapes our will. I like to say it this way: he shapes our want to. We may not want to do ministry in the beginning, but God shapes that. He shapes our desire, our motivations, our inclinations. He doesn't just command obedience, he cultivates a desire for it so that we want different things. And then he says, not only does he shape our will, but also to work. God empowers us to work. He empowers our actions, our obedience, our follow-through. He provides both the want to and the power to. I could say more about that, but let me move on and let's try to put some handles on this particular passage. I think a couple of things I think we should learn. First, don't read your Bible as though it's a grinding system of rules. Learn to read your Bible to explore and to read your Bible to learn and read your Bible as a guide, but don't look at it as though it's a grinding system of rules. Second, begin to walk without assistance, for you have God in you, and that's all you need. Take those first steps of reaching out, whether it's in Bible study, whether it's in prayer, whether it's in ministry, begin to walk without the assistance of your mentor. It's good to have your mentor there, but eventually, even a baby, we want to take steps without holding our hands, right? And then third, live and obey the Lord confidently, knowing that Christ lives in you. You can live for him, you can obey him. This is what God wants in your life. He probably doesn't want to send you off to some far-off corner of the world, maybe as a missionary, as we often think. Some of you may be called to that, but most are not. What he really wants is for you to live your life right where you are. So the takeaway for today is simple. I would say it this way: God supplies the power. We simply obey. When it comes to work, when it comes to living our life, God supplies the power we simply obey. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for these moments together this morning in your word to remind us to grow up, to remind us to move on to maturity. And Lord, bless this day all of my friends listening. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Thanks for joining us today. We are so glad that you chose to spend a few moments with us in God's Word. If this episode has encouraged you, we ask that you leave us a review or maybe share this episode with a friend. Also, would you consider sending us a note to let us know what God is doing in your life? Pastor Eddie would love to hear from you. You can find this email in the show notes. Until next time, stay in the Scriptures, keep following Christ, and allow your life to be formed by the Word.