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SHINING LIKE STARS

Philippians 2:12-18

May 25, 2008

Pastor Graig Flach

Introduction

I hate sermons that are filled with “shoulds” and “ought tos,” but Paul is articulating a truth here that implies what the Philippians should do, and so I guess we ought to consider whether and how it applies to us.

We will explore the text by means of two access points: an “irritant” and a “truth blessing”: 1) The Irritant is that troublesome concept of v.12 - “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” - and 2) The Blessing is the way God uses us to dispense healing grace in the world, the miracle of God growing grace inside us so that it can proceed out from us to others.

Philippians 2:12-18  (TNIV)

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.  17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.  

Imagine…

Imagine you are nearing retirement and you are spending your time investing in your co-workers, trying to help them be all they can be and also hoping to ensure the success of the organization you serve. If you’re honest, you also hope to ensure your own legacy.

You’ve noticed that you don’t have quite the energy or stamina you once did, but intellectually and experientially you are at the top of your game, so you have lots to offer.

And then some competitors, feeling threatened by your success, start playing dirty. They bring false accusations against you and incredibly, almost impossibly, you are convicted and imprisoned, and you languish there – unjustly – for YEARS. Your hopes of contributing in a meaningful way during your autumn years are greatly diminished. You hear about how some of your teams are doing and it drives you crazy because they are in need of your coaching. They could be doing so much better! You send them messages, hand-delivered by your most trusted assistants who visit you with reports. But it is not like being with personally present with your teams.

As time goes on, you despair of seeing your beloved co-workers and teams in distant cities again. Your health is deteriorating; you are starting to worry about how long you have to live. Your body has taken a beating – literally – over the years; it will not hold up forever. And you are in fact pretty OLD, now - 60ish…

Oh, did I forget to tell you to imagine that you live in the first century?!

I know that today 60 is the new 30, but back then… well, during the Roman Empire the average life expectancy was around 30, about half your age. You are feeling every mile you’ve traveled, every instance of abuse, and certainly every year you’ve lived. You’ve earned every wrinkle on your leathery face. And you find yourself reflecting on death and wondering what your life and work have meant.

Since you don’t know how much longer you will be around, you focus in on the two most important things in your life with whatever time is left to you: First, you continue to tell anyone who will listen about Jesus, just as you have been doing for 30 years. And second, you communicate as much as you can with the many churches you started in your career, building them up as best-you-can from afar, encouraging them and advising them when they seem to be getting off course. Since you can’t visit your spiritual children yourself, you send representatives you trust, like Timothy or Epaphroditus, to work with the churches that need nurturing. And often you send letters with them, some of which we still have today, and one of which we are talking about this morning.

You are the apostle Paul, of course, and we can read about your career in the book of the Acts of the Apostles and in these letters. Your time in Philippi is described in the 16th chapter of Acts, where it tells how you visited there and planted a church. It’s clear from the Acts and from your letters that God used your concern for these real churches as a channel for divine wisdom rooted in real-life issues, and we are grateful for your valuable insights, inspired and preserved by the Holy Spirit, relevant even today for life both in- and outside the church.

Paul’s Love Produces his Purpose

Throughout this letter it is clear that Paul cares deeply about what happens to and through the Philippian community. I’m sure Paul cared equally about all his churches, but some more equally than others, and Philippi may have been the most equal of all! He still cares about individual there – Lydia and her family as well as the growing small group meeting in her home, which has probably grown and split into other groups by now. He cares about the prison guard and his household who became Christians because of the way he saw Paul and his companion Silas demonstrate the integrity and the love of Christ in the crisis caused by an earthquake. Paul and Silas were like light shining in their darkness. The Lord tells us to “Let our light shine so others can see our good works and give glory to God” (Mt 5:16), and that’s exactly what Paul and Silas did for the people they met in Philippi. Shining like stars, they ignited Philippi with the loving light of Christ, and it became a two-way street: The Philippians loved Paul back and supported him emotionally, spiritually and financially.

So Paul really wants this church to thrive and extend the impact of the Gospel, and he shares with them some of the deepest thoughts and the most quoted verses in Scripture. Let’s see what’s in verses 12 -18.

The Irritant and the Blessing

I don’t know about you, but verse 12 has always bugged me, ever since I first read it as a teenager. It’s the second half of the verse: “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” that always troubled me. I grew up a good reformed Protestant, justified by faith alone, so the implication that I had to work out my salvation sounded like bad theology, like “works righteousness.” And the notion of persevering toward my salvation “with fear and trembling” undermined the idea that I could have assurance about my eternal destiny. The whole phrase made me feel like my salvation was not secure

But that’s not at all what Paul is saying. Look again at how 12 segues into 13: “work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Why should there be uncertainty if God is working in and through me? No, the working out is our active faithfulness in service as our salvation unfolds toward completion in the day of Christ Jesus, which Paul describes in 3:20-21 and other places. And the fear and trembling is an old Greek idiom that can really mean something like “awe-filled respect” for us, awe at the fact that God is at work in us.

When we are obediently responsive to God’s leading, there are times when it feels miraculous and wonderful, when your efforts mesh with other factors and you feel like you have been a part of something bigger than yourself, something beyond human planning, something holy. Something that may make you almost tingle. When we respond in obedience to God’s leading, it is “working out” the salvation we already have. We have already been justified, already “saved.” Now we continue to work on toward that glory for which we groan and suffer with the rest of creation ( Ro 8:18-25) until redemption – the wholeness of salvation – is complete in God’s good time.

It is in the process of participating in God’s purposes (v. 13) this way, being part of the “mission of God” or missio dei that we develop the imago dei, the image of God, which is what last week’s message was about: the mind or attitude of Christ. The church has called this “sanctification.” The imago part is achieved and granted us as we work on the missio part. And God’s mission for you starts right where you live and work, with your most immediate people, and extends to wherever God leads you.

For me, this is the most exciting part of the whole experience of being in God’s family. This is the best part of being a Christian: getting to partner in God’s mission of love to heal the world. I am humbled by the fact that the Lord of the universe not only extends mercy to me, saves me, but that God elevates me to a position of responsibility in His eternal plans. That fills me with awe… and yes, even fear and trembling: I’m fearful that I’ll let Him down.

God’s Purposes and Ours – Let’s Build Something Together

To some of you, I’m guessing this sounds outrageous, incomprehensible, maybe even silly. I can see how that might be true. If you are a guest here and you hear the preacher using those church words like “getting saved,” “salvation,” “justification,” “sanctification,” and any other “-ations,” your eyes glaze over and your mind goes somewhere else. But I am asking you to please stick with me for a minute here and make sure you hear what I’m saying.

I am not talking about joining the Christian club – and those of you in the “club” need to perk up here, too. Salvation is not about taking the necessary steps to gain membership and then coasting along with others of like mind. No! It’s more like this: There is a Creator. And this Creator is saying to us both as individuals and as a group, “I care about you. Come be with me because as the Creator I can help you be all you can be. But the way we’ll do that…” – get that? God says, “The way we’ll grow you is by letting you use all your gifts and talents, your unique individuality – you get to be YOU – to spread around love and justice and joy.” God offers us a partnership in His purposes. And you are not forced to be something other than who you are, but in the process, you become a better and more authentic you.

You know those commercials for Lowe’s Home & Hardware Store, where that pleasant voice says, “Let’s build something together”? That‘s what God is saying, and He’s using Gene Hackman’s voice in my mind right now. God invites those who will listen, “Let’s build something together. I’ve got a plan of wholeness for those who decide to be a part of the new heaven and new earth. I am going to make it happen with or without you. But I love you and would really like you to be a part of it.”

This Means You

God is trying to communicate this to everyone in this room, everyday. Get that: God is trying to communicate with each and every one of us, every day, both those who consciously follow Jesus and those who still don’t.  

If you are already in Christ, God sends messages about this great, divine mission to save the world, God’s mission, and God wants to work in you “to will and to act for his good pleasure” (v.13). God counsels us all the time how to treat people lovingly, whether it is the person we see every day or someone who cuts us off in traffic… God tries to help us make decisions every day…about our finances, our schedules this week, people we could contact… all with the intent of helping us participate in God’s plans. Some messages we hear and respond to, some we ignore. Some we do not hear because we cannot yet comprehend God’s language very well.

But practice makes perfect: As we intentionally open ourselves to God’s leading, we get better and better at hearing the messages and then we get better and better at responding to them, yes, with obedience! And in the process of playing our key role in the divine mission,  we are gradually transformed. We develop the heart and mind of Christ as we move toward the salvation wholeness God has in store for us. That’s the blessed future hope toward which we are walking and working with God.

That’s for those who already know Christ. What about those of you who are not in Christ? I said God was speaking to everyone here, right? You are also getting messages, and they probably have a different nuance, perhaps more like this: “I know you are wondering about me. You’ve been curious for a long time. Come on, I am here. I created you for a purpose, and I love you. I want to be with you and play and work side by side with you and others in my family. Won’t you join me, let me help? Won’t you join in my master plan to heal all of creation? I made you unique. You have contributions to make that no one else can make. Here I am, standing at the door of your heart and mind, and knocking. If you’ll open the door, I’ll join you and we can spend time together, maybe the rest of all time! It will be deep, meaningful, important, loving time. I can help you with the things that burden you: that person from whom you are estranged, the emptiness you feel, that painful anger or resentment that won’t go away. I’m here for you. It’s your choice. I won’t force you. But you can feel the love here, and it is for you, and I’ll keep telling you so, in whatever mysterious ways it takes to get through to you.”

God tries to communicate with each of us.  How is God speaking to you? What are you “hearing”?

The decision to trust God in Jesus Christ is an all-important step. Many of us have taken that step, and we know that at that point, God declared us “saved,” forever. But that’s only one step in the faith journey. We don’t stay there! When I graduated from high school I didn’t stay there, I moved on to the next challenge. (Otherwise I would still be hanging out at the Fountain in front of Keller Auditorium, ready to cruise around in the ’64 Valiant I got for graduation!). When we graduate from the dim confusion of living apart from God into the light of walking intentionally with Him, it’s a kind of graduation, and we should celebrate. But then we move on to the next level. We continue the journey, and now we get to be a partner in God’s purposes. And I have to testify that the things we do together from then on out are the most exciting we have ever known! God not only saves us. God also uses us to save others! We get to be an active part, a real factor in God’s healing, eternal plan for the world. I do, you do. That’s God respecting us, honoring us by letting us be a part of incredibly important, eternally significant activity. What a privilege, what a purpose!  Ain’t nothing better.

Amen.