Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
“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, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
In Ephesians 2:10 we read: “For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them.” And in Titus 2:14 we read that Jesus Christ “gave himself
for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for
his own possession who are zealous for good works.” And then we read in James
2:17: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
While it is true that we are not saved by our own fleshly
works, it is not true that works have no part in our salvation. It is just that
the works now are the works of God which he works in and through us as we
cooperate with him in doing the works that he has called us to do in his
strength and power. He initiates, he equips, he provides, and he empowers, but
we must do what he says to do. We must go where he sends us and say what he
says to say.
Philippians 2:14-16 ESV
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”
We are not to grumble against God or dispute with him when
he leads us to go a certain direction or to say what he gives us to say or when
he allows a particular hardship to come into our lives. Now, we can certainly
pray as Jesus prayed, “Lord, if you are willing, let this cup pass from me,
nevertheless not what I will but your will be done.” But we are not to argue
with God or complain to him that we think we got a raw deal.
Jesus never said that life would be easy for us if we
believed in him. He said that if we are going to come after him that we must
deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow
(obey) him. For, in essence he said that if we hold on to our lives of living
in sin and for self that we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our
lives (die with him to sin), for his sake, then we will have eternal life with
him (Luke 9:23-26).
Jesus also said that if we are to follow him that we will be
treated as he was. We will be hated, despised, and rejected. People will desert
us, ignore us, not want to be with us, mock us, call us all sorts of things,
lie about us and even attempt to turn others against us. We will be persecuted
because of our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus and because of our stand on the
truth of the gospel and because we do not blend in with the people of the
world.
If that is not what you signed up for, then perhaps you didn’t
believe in the Jesus of the Scriptures, and perhaps you didn’t believe in the gospel
that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught. For to believe in Jesus means
that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are raised with Christ
to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. The old us is dead. The new us is alive in Christ.
We are to no longer live like we did before we believed in
Jesus. Sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives. For Jesus set us free
from our slavery (addiction) to sin. Thus, we do not go on living in sin and
for self, going from one sin to another repeatedly and deliberately, but we now
walk in holiness and righteousness in the power of God. We are to no longer be
part of this crooked and twisted generation, but we are to shine as lights in
this world.
And while all people are without excuse if they reject God
and they decide to go their own sinful ways, instead, definitely if we have
made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and if we know the Scriptures, and
especially if we have taught the Scriptures for any length of time, we are
without excuse if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin in direct defiance
of God. We can’t claim ignorance, though many do. We can’t say we didn’t know.
[Lu
9:23-26;
Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas
1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col
3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27;
Rev 22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10]
Philippians 2:17-18 ESV
“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”
Now, if we are those who are following Jesus Christ with
wholehearted devotion to him and to his service, and if we are shining as
lights in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, and we are not
conforming to the ways of society and of this sinful world, but we are living
holy lives, separate (unlike, different) from this sinful world because we are
being conformed to the likeness of Christ, we are going to be rejected and
persecuted.
If we are teaching the truth of the gospel, and if we have
not compromised the truth in order to be liked by the people of this world, and
so we are standing on the word of God, and we are teaching on holiness and
righteousness, and we are warning against continued sin and its consequences,
and we are calling people to repentance and to holy living, we are not going to
have people flocking to us or to our writings.
But when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, we are
glad and rejoice because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Even if we cannot see much fruit for our labors as of yet, and perhaps we won’t
in this life, we can be confident that God is using what he is having us do for
his purposes and for his glory and that other lives are being changed because
of it. So we entrust ourselves into the hands of God and we keep on keeping on.
[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25;
Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-17; Jn 15:18-21]
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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