Sermon Recap | Work

Philippians 2:12-13

1. What: Work out our salvation.
“[W]ork out your salvation…”
This gets at the heart of a common confusion among Christians. We know that faith alone saves (Ephesians 2:8-9); yet we also know that being a good person and doing good things are important parts of the package (James 2).

There are two cliffs on either side of the Christian path. Fall off one side and one becomes a legalist, thinking that they can gain salvation by doing and being good. In a bloody puddle at the bottom of this cliff are those who stake their spiritual wellbeing on a track record of quiet times and church attendance. Jesus and faith are left out of the picture.

Fall off the other side and one becomes a nominal Christian. They believe that Jesus is the way, truth, and life – but they haven’t actually transferred all their hope and trust into Him.

Completely trusting Jesus is like letting your feet off the ground and trusting a hammock to hold you. Those who fall off this side of the cliff believe the hammock is there, squat into it a little; but can’t bring themselves to take their feet off the ground.

Perhaps you’ve been joyless because you’ve fallen off one of these cliffs. Stay on the path by trusting Jesus through faith for salvation, and then working out that salvation into your daily life by trusting God’s work in you.

I used the illustration of a toothpaste tube to help explain this. Toothpaste has to be worked out of the tube in order to be beneficial. Otherwise, it’s worthless.

Salvation, in the same way, must be worked out into our lives in order to be beneficial (or real). Once we’re saved, we gain precious promises from God’s word (peace beyond understanding, joy inexpressible, etc.) as well as important commands (love God, love others, etc.).

If our faith in Jesus is real, these promises and commands must be worked out into our lives like toothpaste from a tube.

Each Bible passage or sermon is like a tube of truthpaste (I know how corny that is; but maybe it’ll help you remember) full of truth to be worked out into your life.

2. How: With fear and trembling.
“[W]ork out your salvation with fear and trembling…”This must be done in the right attitude. The Bible says that fear is the beginning of wisdom. God is really big and really awesome (as in inspiring awe, not just neato). We do not deserve His mercy and should be cast away from Him altogether.

Yet He loves us, saves those of us who trust in His Son for life and salvation, and empowers us to live obediently. There is no room for arrogance or self-confidence here because it is only by God’s grace and power that we’re able to work out our salvation, which brings us to the third point:

3. Why: Because we can!
“[W]ork out your salvation with fear and trembling; for (because) it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”.
Do you realize how many people in the world are trying to work out love, joy, peace, self-control, etc. into their lives apart from God, but can’t?

Through Jesus, we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit and are enabled to work these things out into our lives.

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling because God is at work in you and you can!

Perhaps you’ve been joyless because you haven’t been working out your salvation, by God’s power, in your everyday life. Maybe you have accumulated promises you won’t claim and commands you won’t obey.

If this is true, I encourage you, by the grace of God through Jesus, work out your salvation.