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David Johnson  |
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Introduction  David Johnson is the
Senior Pastor at Church of the Open Door in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. His ministry is marked with a unique and
insightful approach to the teaching of God's word. With
his leadership the church has grown from 160 people in
1980 to 4500 today. David is featured daily on the radio
broadcast Growing in Grace. He is an internationally
sought after speaker and has authored the book "The
Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse." David Johnson |
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| Philippians 2:12-15 12: 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; 13: for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14: Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15: that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, |
A word of encouragement to
you as a church. My spirit around it is that what I want
to share is something that is going to encourage you to
do what I think as a church you are already doing. It is
out of the book Philippians, second chapter, verses 12
through 15.My
paraphrase of this passage is this: "Work out into
your living where people can see it the life of God you
already have. Do it with a sense of urgency." In
fact, be a little bit afraid of not working into your
living the life of God that you have. Two reasons: Number
one - because it's God who's at work in you, which means,
among other things, we are not playing church, spiritual
pattycake. This is a serious thing -- that God of the
universe is at work in you. Second reason: It is
important --vital in fact -- to work out into your living
the life of God you have is this; because in a crooked
and a perverse generation where evil men and impostors
grow from bad to worse, you appear as lights. You hold
forth the word of truth. Paul said all of that this way:
"So then my beloved brethren, just as you have
always obeyed not as in my presence only but now much
more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and
trembling." Fear and trembling? Why? "For it's
God at work in you, both to be willing to work for His
good pleasure; do everything without grumbling or
disputing" --we don't have time for that--"but
you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent
children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights
in the world holding fast the word of life." The Four Questions  Two phrases
specifically in that twelfth verse that leap off the page
at me begging for explanation are these: 1) Work out your
salvation. 2) with fear and trembling. Those two phrases
raise in my mind four questions. The four questions are
these: What on earth does it mean to work out your
salvation? I'm going to say a little more about this
later, but let me tell you first of all what that does
not mean. That does not mean work FOR you salvation, work
AT your salvation, work ON your salvation. We don't work
for our salvation -- we have been saved by grace through
faith. What it means at the simplest level is this: Work
out what God has placed in here by His spirit. Work it
out into your life where people can see it.Second
question: Why is that so important? Third question: How
does verse 12 where it says "work out your
salvation" fit with verse 13 where it says "God
who is at work in you." My question is: Which is it?
-- God who works it out? Or is it I who works it out? |
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