Dwell in the Word Philippians 2:12-18

Consider these questions as you dwell in Philippians 2:12-18:

1. How does Pastor Mark encourage an understanding of God’s work in salvation that emphasizes our need to understand are dependence on him? How does this perspective help us understand the relationship between faith, works, and salvation?

2. In what ways does Pastor Mark challenge believers to stand out in a world characterized as "crooked and twisted"? How can Christians navigate the tension between being culturally relevant and maintaining a distinct, righteous identity?

3. What significance does Paul attribute to holding fast to the "word of life"? How does this practice contribute to the effectiveness and meaningfulness of a believer's life and labor in the service of God? How can Christians ensure that their efforts are not in vain but aligned with God's truth?

Transcript:

As we come to this part of Philippians today, we see some language here that might be a little confusing to us because it tells us that we're to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Well, what does that mean? Does that mean that we do works to earn our salvation? Does that mean that our salvation is depend on you and I working it out? Well, clearly it's not, because immediately following what does the apostle Paul say? For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. So, what does this mean? What is the idea being conveyed here? Well, what it is saying is that we need to have an understanding of the gravity of who God is. We need to understand what God has done for us in Christ, and we need to realize our dependence on Him. And when we do that, we're going to understand that it's not anything that you or I do. We're not going to understand that it isn't about me earning my way to God, but how much God has loved us in Christ. That causes us to live our lives in such a way that we consider the holiness of God.

We consider what it means to live a life that is worthy of what God has done for us in Christ. As we read this, we see things that we are to do. We're to do all things without grow, make or disputing, that we might be blameless and innocent. We might be children of God. Look at what Paul says here in verse 15, That we're to be without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Now, we are sinners. We are sinners, we have blemishes. But the idea of being conveyed to us here is that we're to stand out. We're to look different than that twisted and crooked generation. Now, if you see something that is twisted, if you see something that is not straight, you can tell the difference between that and the straight thing very easily. Just this past week, we were on vacation, and I didn't ride this roller coaster. I had ridden it enough, and I didn't have anybody to ride it with, and there wasn't an extra seat for me to line up with my two younger children. I just walked off, but they rode it. But on each end, you get launched and you go up, and then you spin at the top, and then you come back, and you spin and twist at the back.

It's called Wicked Twister. You can tell the straight track on that roller coaster very clearly from the twisted track on the Wicked Twister. It's very clear. It stands out. You know when you're going straight, you know when you're twisting. And the same is true in the world. As we think about how we stand out, it's going to be obvious. If we are standing for righteousness, if we are standing for truth, we are going to be obviously very clear and easy to see. You're going to know the difference. There isn't going to be a question. If we are standing for the things of God, we are going to be contrary to the world. And we struggle with that because we don't want to be rejected by the world. But the truth of the matter is this matters. It matters how we live. It matters how we understand the world. It matters that we follow God's ways. And so, it's important that we remember this. But also, let's look at what verse 16 has to say. It says we're to hold fast to the word of life. So that in the day of Christ, Paul, I, it says, I, Paul may be proud that it not run in vain or labor in vain.

Paul wants to them to hold fast to the word of life. He wants them to understand God's word and to believe the truth of it because he knows that that's what will keep them strong. That's what will keep all his labor for them strong. It's what will make them remain in the faith to hold fast to the word of life. And so, as we go out into God's world today, we have this call in our life to look different in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, to be clearly the people who are following the path that God has set before them. And we also want to run and labor in vain, or we don't want labor in vain. We want to make sure that we do not run and labor in vain. We want to make sure that we stand up for the truth, and we work hard for what God has done. Paul is saying here that as we hold fast to the word of life, that will mean that we're following who God is, that we're holding fast to His truth. And so, may we do that today. May we look to His word and hold fast to it, because that is where life is, and that is the truth.