WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.199 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:03.439 Great to be with you this morning. 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:06.320 So uh so great to be with you this morning. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:12.960 Uh my wife Emily and I were reminiscing on the way in here that it is much to our shame that we haven't seen your new digs yet. 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:15.759 Um so great to see the Lord working in you. 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:27.120 It is such a blessing for us as a church at Harvest Berry to be able to see how the Lord is moving and working in you, and we have such a deep love for you and love to hear uh the great reports of what God is doing in your midst. 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:28.719 So all glory to him for that. 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:34.159 And uh Emily and I as well have a deep personal affection for you uh and for your pastor. 00:00:34.240 --> 00:00:40.240 Uh Pastor Mike and Ange have been instrumental in both of our lives, uh, together and individually. 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:52.240 Uh Mike really was uh a mentor to me and is uh certainly a big reason why I have such a passion for the word of the Lord and for uh seeing it preached and taught uh now in my life. 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:56.880 And uh and he was such an encouragement and a challenge to me as well as I grew to knew the Lord deeper. 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:08.000 And uh and Emily and I watched he and Ange in their relationship and uh and as they lived as husband and wife and as they raised their kids, and is and they're such an example uh to us both in all of that. 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:12.640 And so we love them, and by extension, we love you uh because you love them so well. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:27.280 And I know that you know that you have a good one in Pastor Mike, and uh and so continue to uh love on him and them as I know you do so well already, and it is a huge honor and blessing for me to be able to bring God's word to you this morning, which is why we're here, isn't it? 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:28.159 Amen. 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:28.560 Love it. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:35.200 Well, grab your Bibles, open them up to Philippians chapter 2, which is where we'll be this morning, uh, through verses 12 to 16. 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:45.519 And while you're doing that, I wonder if you've uh noticed, and at least I've noticed, one of the things that seems to have caught the attention of so many people in our world today is the idea of working out. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:46.159 Right? 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:54.239 It seems that so many people have really bought into this whole thing, specifically putting your body through physical activity to achieve a desired result. 00:01:54.799 --> 00:02:07.200 It seems like everywhere we turn, there's a gym down the street, there's a new ad promoting health and wellness, there's a new, you know, crazy mud race that just got run in our area, and it seems like every second post on social media is about that. 00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:13.599 And, you know, as I've been thinking about this, it seems that there are two very distinct people when it comes to this idea of working out. 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:17.039 There are those who do it, and then there are those who think they should. 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:17.840 Right? 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:23.599 Now, this whole workout craze has certainly caught the attention of so many people in our society today. 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:25.120 And why is that? 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:35.599 I mean, it isn't something that you would have seen, say, a couple hundred years ago, mostly because everything that you had to do back then, even the most basic functions of our lives, were far more physical than they are today. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:36.000 Right? 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:41.039 If you think about it, even something as basic as getting the food that you need to survive for the day was way harder. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.199 Nowadays, we have like restaurants and fast food chains where all you gotta do is hop in the car. 00:02:45.360 --> 00:02:51.520 You drive over there, sit down, you're waited on, all the hard work of meal prep is done for you, and then you don't even have to do the dishes. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:55.120 You can just go pay your bill first, and then you can go, right? 00:02:55.280 --> 00:03:00.240 But now, see, we've even taken that a step further in that now we have things like skip the dishes and uber eats, right? 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:02.000 All you gotta do is get off your couch. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:04.879 I mean, if you wanted to, you don't even have to talk to anybody. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:07.120 Money, food, door, close the door, right? 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.000 That's the that's the kind of society that we live in now. 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:15.680 And I think that the workout craze is really to combat this convenience mindset that we have as a society. 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:18.080 Not at all condemning skip the dishes or uber eats. 00:03:18.159 --> 00:03:20.159 I use them both, they're fantastic, right? 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:37.840 All of this is to say, though, that our society does seem to be more tapped into the idea of working out, not even necessarily just physically, but it's the idea of doing something repeatedly over and over again to stretch or to grow a certain part of you, whether that's physically, whether that's mentally. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:42.240 Now, this is an idea that has been around for a long time. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:53.199 And as we see from the passage this morning, for the followers of Christ, we have a specific responsibility to work out specifically our salvation with the Lord. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.159 And that's what we see as we dive into this passage this morning. 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:57.280 So why don't we read it? 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:58.879 I'll read, you follow along with me. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:03.599 We'll pray and then we'll dive into what the Lord has for us this morning, starting in verse twelve. 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:13.919 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:18.560 For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:37.680 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:42.800 And Father, we are so grateful this morning to be in your house with your people. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:45.360 Thank you, Father, for the time of worship that we've had already. 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:54.480 Thank you, God, for who you are, for the love and the grace and the mercy that you have shown to us every single day, most notably through your Son Jesus. 00:04:54.800 --> 00:05:06.240 And Father, as we dive into your word this morning, I pray that you would grant us your spirit again to know and understand what it is that you have for us this morning, and then to take it and apply it to our lives in a very real way. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:10.959 So that, Father, we would be changed for your glory in greater and greater ways. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:14.240 God, go before us, I pray, in Jesus' name. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:15.120 Amen. 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:16.639 Amen. 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:18.879 So, what does it mean to work out my salvation? 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:22.319 Well, it comes directly from the text that we started with this morning. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:24.000 In verse 12, Paul says it. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:32.720 And our passage as we dive into it today is actually coming on the heels of Paul, giving the Philippians the motivation for the working out of their salvation. 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:40.399 And that is that Jesus Christ, who's the foundation for the faith that we are called to work out, is our example of how to live here on earth. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:42.160 Look up briefly at verse 8. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:52.800 And being found in human form, he, being Jesus, humbled himself by, here it is, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:58.480 So you see, we know that Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father while he was here on earth. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:13.279 And for the followers of Christ who have the promise of eternity with God through what Jesus did on the cross, we are to work out our salvation by living in obedience to what he calls us to, as he is the reason that we have the salvation we do in the first place. 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:29.120 So as we dive into what this means this morning, we're going to craft a phrase around this idea of working out our salvation, of living in obedience to Jesus Christ, and that's where we start with. 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:32.399 If I am to help others and myself obey Christ. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:42.560 So if I'm to help others and myself obey Christ, and based on verse 12, we can see that this was something that the Philippians were doing as we read in that verse that they have always obeyed. 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:44.000 Now, can answer me this. 00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.120 Were they living in perfect obedience to the Lord? 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:48.399 Raise your voice. 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.720 Were they living in perfect obedience to the Lord? 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:52.000 No, definitely not. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:54.480 We know that that's impossible on this side of eternity. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:07:06.399 But we do see here, there's every indication that they were living with an attitude of obedience, as in being committed to hearing and understanding and applying and living out the truths that they were taught. 00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:13.360 So the call for them is to continue to do that, not only in my presence, Paul says, but much more in my absence. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:18.800 Paul's being with them wasn't the motivation for them to live in obedience. 00:07:18.879 --> 00:07:25.600 Who they were in obedience, who they were around, what company they were in shouldn't change the pattern in their lives. 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:34.079 Paul's presence with them was certainly an encouragement to live as Christ would have them to, as he pointed them to Jesus by his teaching and how he lived. 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:36.959 But when he left, how they were living shouldn't change. 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:45.759 And so for us this morning, and even going forward from this place today, no matter who is around, our commitment to obedience should stay the same. 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.360 You know that that's tough for us, though, isn't it? 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:55.040 Because far too often we care so much for the opinions of others. 00:07:55.839 --> 00:08:02.639 What they will say, what they'll say behind our backs, what they'll think of us, what they'll post on social media. 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:11.040 I um I was actually uh talking with a friend just recently, and and uh he just expressed to me how tired and exhausted he was. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:20.000 And so when I asked him why, he he just mentioned to me that he had been up all night long, tossing and turning, laboring over what somebody had said about him. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:33.440 He was being robbed of the joy that comes when we focus on what the Lord thinks of us, what the Lord calls us to, because he had allowed the influence of another to enter his life. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:40.720 I know that each and every single one of us has experienced that or have been there in some sort of way. 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:41.919 I know I have. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:18.639 But then it happens in community, as in we have been given, as the body of Christ, the opportunity to help one another in our pursuit of this. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:21.279 Because you see, obedience isn't a solo mission. 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:29.120 God gave us each other to help one another along through encouragement, through accountability, through challenging each other by how we live. 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:32.159 That's why we meet together in small groups weekly. 00:09:32.879 --> 00:09:37.360 It's why we're authentic, transparent, and vulnerable with one another. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.639 That's something that we need to take seriously. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:46.559 And we can see just how seriously we need to be taking this by how Paul words the command here. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.320 Okay, notice that Paul doesn't say work on your salvation. 00:09:50.559 --> 00:09:57.360 Okay, he doesn't say work on your salvation as if it's like that project that you have in the garage that you tinker on on a Saturday morning. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:03.600 He doesn't say work at your salvation as if the result of what we're doing here is in question. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:10.080 Okay, we're called to work out our salvation, and to work something out is to do it until it's done. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:22.159 To work something out is something that we will do every single day of our lives until we finally see the Lord face to face and spend our eternity with him. 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:28.799 You see, also how we ought to be working this out is Paul says that we need to do it with fear and trembling. 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:34.399 There is a seriousness and sobriety that this task must be done with. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:40.639 For us, the thought of living in disobedience to God should cause us to fear. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:46.159 We should be afraid of facing the judgment seat of God from a place of disobedience. 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:51.200 And you see, it's not just enough to ride the coattails of past successes when it comes to obedience. 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:57.120 As we work out our faith, we commit to growing in obedience to Christ every single day. 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.200 So, with that challenge in our minds, let's dive into how this plays out for us practically. 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.279 See first, in order to do this, my aim must be to please God. 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.840 My aim must be to please God. 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:15.279 So, in understanding our responsibility in all of this, it might be easy for us to become discouraged or disheartened at the weight of the task before us. 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:24.639 Okay, but thankfully, God doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves in this, as even though the responsibility is ours to go after obedience, see in verse 13. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:29.919 For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:36.639 So in saying this, Paul kind of sets up this paradox here between human responsibility and divine sovereignty. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:43.919 And it can beg the question for us: am I supposed to be going hard after my obedience to the Lord, or is he the one that's making all this happen? 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.879 Well, you see, the truth of the matter is that it's both. 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.720 John Murray, a Scottish theologian, summed it up best this way. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:51.200 I love this. 00:11:51.360 --> 00:11:52.879 Take a look on the screen. 00:11:53.360 --> 00:12:00.639 God's working in us is not suspended because we work, nor are working suspended because God works. 00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:10.480 Neither is the relation strictly one of cooperation, as if God did his part and we did ours, so that the conjunction or coordination of both produce the required result. 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:13.279 God works and we also work. 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:14.240 Now check this. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:18.159 But the relation is that because God works, we work. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:23.919 All working out of salvation on our part is the effect of God's working in us. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:31.519 We have here not only the explanation of all acceptable activity on our part, but we also have the incentive to our willing and working. 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:39.679 The more persistently active we are and working, the more persuaded we may be that all the energizing grace and power is of God. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:45.759 You see, God meets us where we are when we're first saved. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:51.919 Okay, if you are a follower of Christ, at one point in time in your life you realize that you are a sinner in need of a savior. 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:58.159 And the only way for that to change was through the loving plan that God put in place through his son Jesus Christ. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:09.360 And now that you're living with the promise of eternity that comes from that, our lives need to be spent working this out with God, which we understand is a task that we will fall short of every single time. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:21.600 You see, God meets us again in that he will give us all of the grace, mercy, and strength, all of the ability to do what he has for us to do, and all of this is for his pleasure. 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:34.639 So we need to live our lives knowing that all that God has done for us and all that he is doing for us, and that should motivate us to obey the example that we have in his son Jesus Christ. 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:38.799 But again, this is so often difficult for us, isn't it? 00:13:38.960 --> 00:13:42.320 Because it is our natural-born tendency to please who? 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:44.399 Ourselves, right? 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:46.559 Ourselves. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:52.559 This was a point made especially real for me when I was uh preparing this message a couple weeks ago, excuse me. 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:54.159 Um I was working on this. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:59.200 Uh my wife Emily had been uh cleaning the apartment all day long, and I was absolutely no help at all. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:03.200 And uh and when she was done, she just asked me to make her a snack. 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.679 No problem, sure, absolutely, I'd love to do that for you. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:10.320 I'm literally, you know, completely ignoring you and doing what I need to do, so of course, let me serve you in that way. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:18.159 So head over to the pantry, reach in to grab what she wants out of it, and when I do that, I knock a box of granola bars on the ground. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.519 And my attitude just goes sour. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:33.360 It goes sour, as if the extra two seconds that I was gonna need to take to pick that box of granola bars up off the ground and put it back on the shelf made the whole entire task so inconvenient for me. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:34.399 Are you serious? 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:37.039 Like, seriously, that's how I'm gonna respond to that? 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:44.240 Here I am called to serve my wife in a way that honors the Lord, and I'm gonna have a terrible attitude because I think it inconveniences me. 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:52.799 Sure enough, finished the I finished the task, got her snack, sat back down at my desk, only to read verse 14. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:55.759 Do all things without grumbling or disputing. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:02.159 Don't you just love it when the Lord just smacks you right upside the head with conviction sometimes? 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:03.440 Seriously. 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:06.720 Sometimes people say that the Lord works in mysterious ways. 00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:09.120 There's sometimes when it's not so mysterious. 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:16.159 See, listen, the truth is that God isn't interested in obedience done begrudgingly. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:24.639 God wants your actions, absolutely, but he is just as, if not more, interested in where your heart is at when you're doing it. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:33.679 Now it's no coincidence that Paul is using the same wording here in this verse as was used to describe the Israelites in Exodus 16, right? 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:34.720 You remember the passage, right? 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:42.240 God takes them out of Egypt, out of slavery, into exile, but when they get there, they grumbled against Moses in the wilderness. 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:44.000 God gave them a task. 00:15:44.159 --> 00:16:00.720 Sure, it was difficult, but instead of powering through in obedience to the God who had done so much for them already, they chose to be wrapped up in what their circumstances were, and they whined and complained about what they didn't have, or that they were made to feel inconvenienced or uncomfortable. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:03.200 Sound familiar? 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:15.279 This is an example used to caution us against the temptation that we all have to please our sinful flesh that we are called to war against every single day. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:29.919 So if we're to truly please God, every single part of our lives needs to be focused on obedience done with an attitude of thankfulness for all that God has done for us already and all that He promises to do in the future. 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:39.039 So each and every single one of us needs to ask the question in what areas of my life am I still trying to please my flesh? 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:44.399 Maybe for you, maybe you're prone to grumble and complain. 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:51.279 Maybe for you, your quick fuse is ripping apart your relationships. 00:16:52.799 --> 00:17:00.480 Maybe for you, you allow your attitude and how you're feeling that day to control how you respond to those around you. 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:07.440 Maybe you're still trying to compare yourself to others, to what they have, to where they are in their lives. 00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:17.359 Maybe you have that hidden sin that's continuing to consume you as you try to hide it and continue to feed it and let it destroy you. 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:22.160 Maybe you're holding on to your money so tightly and allowing it to rule over you. 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:31.920 Listen, we all have things in our lives that we are doing or attitudes that we aren't letting go of because we long to please ourselves. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:41.519 You see, if we remind ourselves every day of all that God has done for us, we will quickly see that we have nothing in us that is worthy of bringing pleasure to. 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:43.440 It should all belong to God. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:54.559 You see, if we get on board with this today, this is one of the greatest ways that we can bear witness to the fact that we are working out our salvation with God and that he is working in us. 00:17:54.720 --> 00:18:05.920 Because you see, to keep a God-pleasing mindset to our pursuit of obedience will impact our attitude as God promises joy and fulfillment to the full when we seek to go after him. 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.599 And you see, that's going to be enticing to people around us who don't have that. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:19.839 So if we want to help others and ourselves obey Christ, our aim needs to be pleasing God to do just that in order to impact the world around me. 00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:25.519 Living lives focused on pleasing God will cause us to stand out. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:29.759 Because when we live in obedience, it changes who we are and what we do. 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:35.680 And our goal in obedience is to please God by becoming more like Jesus Christ, who is our perfect example. 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:38.160 And the result of that is what we see in verse 15. 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:38.799 Take a look. 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:49.759 That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:57.920 See, the goal that Paul is setting for the Philippians in their pursuit of obedience is to become like Jesus Christ. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:05.039 For those of us who are the children of God, we are to work so as to become blameless and innocent, without blemish. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:16.559 We are to call to have a complete Christ-like character, as we are the standard for how to live as God commands to a world that is doing away with it at an alarming rate. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:26.319 See, we are the example of Christ here on earth, and who we are and what we do will bear witness to what we claim to believe. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:32.400 So our character and our conduct needs to line up with the example left for us in Jesus Christ. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:41.359 Truly, I don't think any of us need any examples, specific examples of how crooked a twisted a generation that we do live in. 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.240 There's examples of it around every street corner. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:49.680 But there is comfort for us in that this doesn't surprise God. 00:19:50.799 --> 00:20:01.680 It was crooked and twisted back when this letter was being written to the Philippians, but it was crooked and twisted even before then, as the words Paul uses here echo Deuteronomy 32.5, when again we're talking about the Israelites. 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:15.440 So for us, the call is to, as 2 Corinthians 2.15 says, for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:21.680 I love the imagery of that, because there's some things that you just know by the smell, aren't there? 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:22.240 Right? 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:26.799 Like if you if you love something and you get a whiff of it, you know that you love it and you're gonna go after it, right? 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:31.680 In the same way, if there's something that you're not so much a fan of that you smell, you're gonna probably run away from it. 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:31.920 Right? 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:37.519 If you had if you headed up to uh Wasaga Beach at any point in time this summer, you would have driven by some farmland, right? 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.880 And you would have known that it's farmland before you even saw it. 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:42.079 You know what I'm saying? 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:42.559 Right? 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:47.039 They're spreading some stuff down there to prepare for a growing season that is pungent. 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:47.680 Right? 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:56.640 In the same way, if you were to wake up on a Saturday morning, maybe you woke up yesterday and somebody was cooking bacon, you would know that smell and you would know that that is good, right? 00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:57.279 Right? 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.799 Because bacon's fantastic. 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.000 That smell just wafts throughout the house and just stays there. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:03.519 It's awesome. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.559 Vegetarians, I apologize, I recognize that that was probably a bad example. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:16.559 You see, in the same way, how we live in this day and age will garner a response from those that we encounter. 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:25.920 So the idea of the need for us to live in obedience is that we can be examples of the life and the love that comes from the salvation of God. 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:34.720 So if we are living in obedience, we will stand in such sharp contrast to what the world preaches that of course people are gonna be drawn to come and see what we're all about. 00:21:36.079 --> 00:21:39.680 Because for the truth of the matter is for us is that people are watching. 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:47.200 If you have people around you who know that you're a follower of Christ, they're gonna be watching to see how you respond. 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:52.319 People are watching to see what you say about your boss when they're not around. 00:21:52.640 --> 00:21:56.400 What you say about your husband or your wife, your in-laws. 00:21:58.400 --> 00:21:59.680 People will notice how you act towards. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.559 Your kids. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.279 They will see where you're headed on a Sunday morning. 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:07.680 They will see how you act when you're in the midst of blessing and everything is good. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:12.559 And they will see how you act and respond when life is difficult. 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:25.039 There's so many people in our city co-workers, they're your neighbors, they're your friends, they're your family, that are blink of an eye away from standing before the judgment seat of God. 00:22:27.359 --> 00:22:32.079 So many that are wandering in the darkness of their own passions and fleshly desires. 00:22:33.920 --> 00:22:43.200 We need to be the shining lights that lead them back to the only one who can bring them from their darkness into eternal light. 00:22:46.319 --> 00:22:55.519 The life of the follower of Christ, the ministry of the church, is to provide the model for Christ-likeness, the straight path for those who have gone astray. 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:57.119 And we are the part of that. 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:04.079 As children of God, we are to shine for the truth of the gospel in a world that so desperately needs it. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:09.599 Because making an impact on the lives of those around us is what we were put on this earth to do. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:13.680 To be pointing others to the one who can save them eternally. 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:21.359 See, this is where the need for us to be living a life of obedience extends to just so far beyond just us. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:28.720 To live this out in our lives can have eternal implications for those around us. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:35.519 And again, it reaffirms how seriously a task this is, or how serious a task this is. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:42.079 If we are to make an impact on the world around us, though, first we need to make sure that our foundation is firmly set. 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:45.920 And that only comes by grounding myself in the word. 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:48.480 That's the next thing. 00:23:49.359 --> 00:24:04.400 You see, the guide in all areas of obedience to Christ and living this out comes from the very word that we hold in our hands this morning, and we see just how we ought to be getting into it in verse 16, the first part, when it says, holding fast to the word of life. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:09.440 Okay, the picture of holding fast is to grab on securely and to not let go. 00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:15.119 I came across uh something interesting when I was uh uh studying for this message. 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:20.160 Um, there's actually a uh piece of equipment used in traditional woodworking called a holdfast. 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:21.920 You can see it on the screen. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:34.799 So what would be done back in the day is it would have pre-drilled holes in a workbench that the uh the long end of the hold fast would go in, and then the crooked end that you see there would hold the piece of wood or metal or whatever was being worked on to the bench. 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:36.559 It'd be like a modern-day clamp. 00:24:38.400 --> 00:24:47.599 You see, this would be used so that the the woodworker or the blacksmith could accurately work on it and do what needed to be done easily. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:52.400 You see, the necessity of God's word for the Christ follower is very similar. 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:59.839 To be held fast to the word is to grab onto it, to hear these words, to understand them, and then to live them out. 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:10.000 And the importance of this practice is so that, like the wood that's held to the bench, we would not be shifted, we would not be moved, we would not be not be knocked away from what we know is true. 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:16.799 Because in this word is new life, is wisdom, is power, is strength. 00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:24.319 And the words in this book are where we find the commands that we need to be obeying, how we ought to be conducting ourselves in this world. 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:31.680 So giving it the time that it needs in our life is crucial as we seek to live in obedience and impact the world around us. 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:43.519 To keep them in high regard in our lives, to believe and follow, to understand and live out. 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:52.559 Because you see, what we read in this book demands a response from us every single time we crack it open to stare into the face of God. 00:25:53.759 --> 00:26:03.759 We have a choice to whether to respond in obedience or to have and to have our lives changed or to disobey and continue to live in selfishness and in sinfulness. 00:26:06.400 --> 00:26:11.200 And this morning, what we have already seen from God's word is beckoning us to respond. 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:18.079 You know, there may be those of you here today that are living in complete disobedience to the Lord. 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:21.519 So for you, the word of God has come to you today. 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.440 And you have a choice. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:30.960 Will you respond in obedience to the call of the Lord and have your life changed forever by the words found here? 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:36.799 Or will you continue to live for yourself and live in separation from God? 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:41.519 For the followers of Christ, we too have a choice. 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:51.279 Because you see, the working out of our salvation, we understand, is a lifelong endeavor, and one that takes recommitting ourselves to obey and live out what we read in this book. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:27:08.319 And we know that there will be times in this life and we stumble and don't live this out perfectly, but the response for us then needs to be to come back to this word, to see the truths that God has for us in it, and then to respond in obedience, to hold fast as we understand the necessity of these words in our lives. 00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:10.240 And that takes discipline. 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:13.359 That isn't something that you're gonna get good at like that. 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:19.200 It takes actively deciding to spend time in God's Word. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:21.599 And you see, it starts with them, it starts with your mindset. 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:24.720 Do you actually want to hear from God? 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:28.720 The hope that all of us would be, yeah, of course I do. 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:35.119 Well, then what are you doing to change your disciplines so that this happens in your life? 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:43.279 What practical steps do you need to take today so that you start getting into this word this afternoon, tomorrow morning? 00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:51.839 Maybe for you need to set the alarm a little bit earlier in the morning, to get into God's word before you head off to work or school, to do that first thing, to start your day like that. 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:58.480 Maybe for you, one of an amazing ways for you to be a witness to what you believe is to bring your Bible to work. 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:00.559 Eat it on your lunch break. 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:04.880 Maybe for you it's after work, maybe for you it's before bed, whatever the case may be. 00:28:05.119 --> 00:28:08.880 Take the practical steps that need to be taken and then commit to it. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:13.200 And then grab somebody else and ask them to help you with that. 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.240 To come alongside you, to be your accountability partner in that. 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:18.000 So crucial for us. 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:29.279 Understanding these words and committing to them will move us to a greater obedience, greater pleasure given to God, greater impact on those around us. 00:28:30.559 --> 00:28:42.880 So if we're to help others and ourselves obey Christ, our aim must be to please God, to impact the world around us by founding ourselves on the word, and then finally this, and living my life with purpose. 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:49.039 Every single person struggles with this idea of purpose at one point in time or another. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:51.680 Maybe, you know, the thought of, what am I doing here? 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:55.440 What was I put on this earth to do is what brought you to the Lord in the first place. 00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:57.680 We see Paul knew his purpose. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:00.000 He expresses it to us at the end of verse 16. 00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:01.200 Take a look back down. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:08.480 So that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:17.920 So all that Paul did was in view of the day of Christ, which is just another way of saying the day that Jesus comes back to bring his people home. 00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:27.759 All that Paul was doing was with the mindset that Jesus is coming back one day, and that he will get to see him face to face as he is brought into eternity with him. 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:30.480 That is why he lived on mission for Jesus. 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:32.559 That is why he planted the church at Philippi. 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:40.079 That is why he wrote them this letter, because he was given a charge here on earth to, as Jesus said, make disciples of all nations. 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:44.640 See, what he says here isn't prideful or arrogant in any way. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:56.640 See, Paul was so concerned that if he wasn't sold out all in for the work that Jesus had given him to do with the people that he had been given to minister to, that he wouldn't have an impact on these people's lives. 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:59.839 And for him, that would mean that everything that he had done was in vain. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:13.759 His desire was to bring glory to God by what he did because he knew that what was happening inside of him was nothing from himself, but it was Christ working in him. 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:29.759 So to not do all that he possibly could to help others along in their obedience, to win people to Christ by how he lived and what he taught, to not see specifically the Philippians living this out would mean that all he did was for naught. 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:38.640 Because his heart's desire was to be able to stand, to one day stand side by side with these people that he was ministering to in eternity. 00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:45.599 So you see, we too need to keep eternity in our minds when it comes to living this out. 00:30:46.880 --> 00:31:14.400 To live our lives with the purpose that one day we will fully realize the promise that we've been given, and that we will stand before the Lord in all of his glory, and on that day, it should too be the longing of all our hearts to take all that we have done here on this earth and bow it and bow down and put it at the feet of our Lord, and to be able to give him all of the glory for all of that. 00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:20.400 You see, just like Paul, God has given us people to minister to here. 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:31.440 So we should be longing to live our lives so as to make an impact on those people's eternal destinations and work so that we too can stand side by side with them. 00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:33.359 How amazing would that be? 00:31:34.559 --> 00:31:39.279 The people in your family who don't yet know the Lord, your friends. 00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:43.359 How awesome would that be to be able to stand next to them? 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:55.920 That is why we work out our salvation so that we can bring glory to God, we can bring pleasure to Him, and so that others too can experience the promise that we have and hold dear. 00:31:57.759 --> 00:31:59.920 That should be the purpose we're living for. 00:32:01.119 --> 00:32:12.079 Living vertically with heaven, the citizenship that we received when we accept the free gift of salvation God offers foremost in our minds. 00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:17.680 And if we keep that vertical mindset, it will impact us horizontally. 00:32:19.039 --> 00:32:25.119 It will move us to a place every day of greater obedience to Jesus, which is pleasing to God. 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:31.839 It will move us to live that out in the world around us so as to make an impact on the people who desperately need it. 00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:44.640 As we commit to the word and as we work toward eternity to the feet of our God and bringing him the glory forever. 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:48.240 All of the glory that he alone is due. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:52.480 So, where does that leave you this morning? 00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:59.279 Maybe for you, you need to begin that process of working out salvation. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:06.240 You need to take the first steps in accepting the gift of salvation that God offers through his son Jesus Christ. 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:08.880 That needs to start for you today. 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:13.279 God encourage you, don't leave this place without making that happen. 00:33:14.960 --> 00:33:19.759 Maybe you've been convicted of some things that that aren't lining up with what Jesus calls us to. 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:22.640 Maybe today you need to get back to a place of obedience. 00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:24.960 You need to confess some things to someone. 00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:31.200 Maybe for you this morning, this message was an encouragement. 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:41.759 To continue to live as God is doing a great work in you, and you see him using you to make an impact on those around you. 00:33:44.319 --> 00:33:46.880 My encouragement to you this morning would be to continue in that. 00:33:48.480 --> 00:34:03.039 Wherever you are this morning, whether you're away from the Lord, whether you're living in obedience, the call of God in all of our lives is to work out our salvation. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:05.200 So make that personal for you. 00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:23.519 You see, if I am to do that, if I am to help others and myself obey Christ, my aim should be to please God in all the things that I do in order to impact the world around me by grounding myself in the Word and living my life with purpose.