Work Out Your Salvation

Scripture Text Philippians 2:12-13

Introduction:  The passage for today is unique because it brings up the great subject of salvation. Keep in mind that salvation means deliverance from the power and penalty of sin, and that salvation is of God. It is God who has saved and delivered you: "For by grace are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians. 2:8-9). But once you are saved, God says go to work—work out your own salvation and deliverance. Salvation is not stagnant and complacent. A saved person is not to be sitting around doing nothing and letting the chips fall where they may. A saved person is to get up and go to work. He is to do all he can to work out his own salvation.

I.  The Command.  Philippians 2:12 (NKJV)
¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

What does it mean to “work out your own salvation?” The word "work out" means to work on to the finish, to completion, to perfection. It always means to complete the effort and the work begun; to accomplish it perfectly; to bring it to completion. The point is: salvation is the beginning of a new exciting life. Never think you have arrived. Do not be satisfied with a little when you can have much. Go on; grow until salvation is completed in you. It is your own personal salvation you must work out. No friend, no pastor can work it out for you. You alone must do it. The point is clearly stated: once God has saved a person, that person is to get busy obeying God and serving Him. You are to take hold of the new life and salvation God has given you, and work on it until it is completed and finished, that is, until God takes you home and perfects your salvation.

 1. We are to “work out our salvation in “fear and trembling” lest we disappoint the Lord. Jesus has saved us, and He has gone to the ultimate limit in order to do it. He has demonstrated a perfect love for us by taking all our sins upon Himself and bearing our punishment for us. Therefore, when we sin and fail, it cuts His heart to no end. For His sake, to keep from hurting Him, we must work out our salvation, fearing and trembling lest we do break His heart.We are to fear and tremble because we are to face the judgment seat of Christ.

II. The power. Philippians 2:13 (NKJV)  For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. We have the very power of God our Creator working in us!

 a. God gives us the will to work out our salvation. Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God gives us His word to renew our way of thinking. His word changes our selfish will to His way of thinking so we can prove what is His good, acceptable and perfect will is for us.

 b. God gives us the power to do His good pleasure. Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT) ¹⁹ I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰ that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Think about this awesome truth from God’s word. God has given us His tremendous Holy Spirit power to live as Christ lived. The very Spirit of Christ lives in us and empowers us to do God’s will.

III. The result of “working out our salvation.”

 a. Conformed to Christ’s image. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Only when we are in harmony with Jesus will we accomplish what God wants us to do. Only then can we truly love Father God and people like Jesus, care for others like Jesus, pray like Jesus and live like Jesus in all circumstances. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Invitation: Have you been saved? In other words have you asked Jesus Christ to forgive your sins against God and have you then invited Him into your life to live in you and take charge of your life? If not ask Jesus to save you and give you a home in heaven when this life is over! Romans 10:9 (NLT)  If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. God’s promise to you!

One God, One Lord

Scripture Text 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

Intro: There are many religions coming into our nation on a daily basis. They are busy influencing our society with their false religions. We Christians must begin to stand up and speak up for Jesus as the only way to God through His salvation, and Heaven. John 14:6 (NKJV) ⁶ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  A person’s eternal destination depends on their hearing the truth.

I. There are many gods and lords. 1 Corinthians 8:5 (NKJV)  For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

   There have been many gods since the Apostle Paul’s day!

 a. There are 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, and many smaller ones. There are five major religions. Hindus acknowledge multitudes of gods and goddesses. Buddhists say there is no deity, only enlightenment. New Age followers believe they are God. Muslims believe in a powerful but unknowable God. They do not believe Jesus is deity. It is true that people call out to many gods. There are gods of their own minds and imaginations, ideas, notions, and pleasures. There are gods of wood and stone. There are gods and lords of their own creation.

II. We Christians believe there is one knowable God. 1 Corinthians 8:6a (NKJV) ^6a yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; Deuteronomy 10:17 (NKJV) For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. Deut. 6:4 says “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.”

 a. He is called our Father in the O.T. (Deut. 32:6)  Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV) But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.

 b. He is called Father in the N.T. Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV) ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

   1. All things are from Him. (Gen. 1:1) Romans 11:36 (NKJV)  For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

   2. We were created by Him and exist for Him. (Gen. 1:27) Pastor John Piper, says “The point of being created in the image of God is that human beings are destined to display God. That’s what images do.” We live for fellowship with Him. (1 John 1:3) We live to do everything for God’s glory. (1 Cor. 10:31)

III. There is one Lord, Jesus Christ. (V: 6b) 1 Corinthians 8:6b (NKJV) and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NKJV) ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

  a. He is “King of kings” and Lord of lords.” (Rev.19:16)

  b. He is God and all things were created through Him. John 1:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In the beginning Jesus Christ the Son was the Word, the One who had always co-existed with God before the world was created. John was saying that "the Word," Jesus Christ is of the very nature and character of God the Father, but He is not the identical person of God the Father. Jesus was with God, He is a distinct person from God the Father, but He is of the very being, the essence, and (perfection) of God the Father.

  When a man sees Christ, he sees a distinct person, but he sees a person who is of the very substance, character and nature of God in all of His perfect being.

   V:3) All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made. Colossians 1:15(NKJV)  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

 Jesus Christ is above all things. The word "firstborn" does not mean that Jesus Christ was the first created being of the universe. It means priority, superiority, preeminence, supremacy over all created things. It means that He existed before all creation as the Supreme Being over the universe. All creation is His heritage. Col. 1: ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

 c. We are given eternal life through Him. No other religion can personally know God as we Christians do. All roads to God must come through Jesus Christ, the narrow way.  

  John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Acts 4:12 (NKJV) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

  1 John 5:11-13 (NKJV) ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.                                                                                                 Invitation: Do you have the Son in your life? If you do not you don’t have eternal life either! You can have the Son in your life if you confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you, and then invite Him into your life to take charge of you. Then you will personally know the one true God and you will have a home in Heaven when you pass from this earthly life.