The Gospel of Grace!

Well, good morning. It is such an honor to be with you all this morning. I want to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Jeremiah Nortier. I serve as a pastor at 12 -5 church. It's kind of by the hilltop area.

We are a church plant and I serve with pastor Nathan Hargrave. And so I want to tell you a little bit about why I'm here this morning. A little over a week ago I did a debate with a Church of Christ preacher at ASU and we had been kind of putting out this information for people to come be a part of how we can lovely talk.

Talk about things that we disagree and Greg Smith reached out to me. He was like, hey, I know you but you don't know me. I've known you your family since you were a baby. He said I'd love to talk with you about all of these things and he told me that he grew up in the Church of Christ Movement essentially and I said absolutely let's have lunch and I love Greg's passion and heart and he was like Have you thought about this this this and this and I'm like, yes.

And I would tell him what I thought he was like, whoa. Yeah, you have thought about that. And so we really started to talk about these things and we talked about how we want to be able to be there for one.

Another in ministry, so I want to encourage you look up the debate. We actually filmed it. We have it recorded really well, you can look it up on my Facebook page at Jeremiah Nortier or 12 five Church.

Because we really talked about the heart of the gospel. Is this a gospel of grace of divine accomplishment where Jesus Christ did everything or do you have to bring your works to the table? And so I was very encouraged about how everything went down.

I think it was very obvious what one side was saying that it's by grace alone and the other side said well We actually have to do works of righteousness in order to be made right with God. So I just want to encourage you all to do that.

So I want to begin this morning by talking about there are actually two Religions in the world you have true religion. Which is Christianity where God accomplished salvation by his grace and then you have false religion all false religion fits in this category of works.

Righteousness and so all works righteousness systems basically are the same thing. They're saying that you have to get up and do X Y Z in order to obtain favor with God. But Christianity stands alone and says no God accomplished everything on our behalf.

It was God the Son Jesus Christ. He took on flesh. He was sinless. He paid the full punishment of sin by dying on the cross and he resurrected the third day defeating sin and death. It is a beautiful gospel of grace.

And so we have to understand that the works of Jesus Christ alone are righteous because he was without sin. And so Christianity teaches that we do not merit Salvation by adding our own works to the already finished work of the Savior.

We obtain salvation. We have our sins forgiven by the holy and perfect just God and we receive forgiveness of sins. By faith alone in Jesus Christ alone all to the glory of God alone. Amen and so this morning I want us to talk about the contrast between false religion that says works and then the true religion of Christianity that is by love and walking relationship with God.

So if you have your Bibles, please turn with me and your copy of God's Word to Philippians chapter 2. We're going to be examining verses 12 through 18. And so we're also going to be talking about how salvation is a process.

Salvation is a process of God working in you. Earlier in the book of Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 We learned that it is God who began a good work in you and he will bring it to completion. So when I say salvation is a process some of you may think huh, you know I've never thought a bit like that.

But what I mean is there is a sense in which we were saved past tense. We were justified. We are being saved present tense. That is our sanctification in one day. We will be saved from this evil corrupt world in our flesh and sin.

That is our Glorification and so salvation is a process that God is working in and through his people. And so I really want to bring to the forefront of your mind that the word Sanctification again because I want us to keep this in mind as we look at this passage because Paul is talking about believers Sanctification we are called to be set apart as lights in the world and we are called to never complain about our circumstances.

Because God has appointed every moment of a believers life to make us more and more like Christ. So with that being said, let's examine our passage this morning. Sorry, I gotta wet my whistle a little bit there.

So Philippians chapter 2 let's begin in verse 12. Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only in my presence but much more in my absence. Work out your own salvation with fear in trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to work.

For his good pleasure do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless. 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. Even if I'm 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. Let's pray again this morning. Heavenly Father you are so wonderful. You are holy you are transcendent and God you pour out your grace and your mercy on us each and every day.

And we do not deserve it. God I pray that was we spend time in your word that you would give us wisdom. By your spirit that you would give us ears to hear and a heart to learn from your word that we would leave Differently this place to give you glory in light of what we learn from your word praise things in your name Jesus.

So let me draw your attention back to verse 12 where I believe the heart of this verse is the part where we read work out Your salvation. Okay, so look back at verse 12. Therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only in my presence but much more in my absence.

Work out your own salvation. With fear and trembling. Now, let me start by telling you what the verse is not saying. It is not saying that you must earn your salvation by working it out. In fact, the scriptures could not be more clear in Ephesians chapter 2 for by grace You have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing it is a gift of God not a result of works.

So no one may boast. Now this is so important because we're talking about the gospel. You cannot think in any way shape or form that you were adding. Getting up and adding your works to the already finished work of Jesus Christ, and I've met with cult members.

I've met with people that are under this umbrella of false religion and they will appeal to this verse and say see you have to Work out your own salvation, but it's talking about sanctification. It's not talking about our justification.

That is by faith alone. And so sanctification is so important to understand here when I say sanctification. We're talking about being set apart for special use. I think about it in two ways. We are set apart from the world and we are being conformed more and more into the image of Christ.

So when we look at verse 12 There are five truths that I would like for you note-takers out there to jot down and remember. I believe Paul is suggesting five truths that believers must understand in order to work out their sanctification.

Number one believers work out their sanctification by understanding Christ's Example now you notice the the verse begins with the word. Therefore, maybe you've heard someone say why is that therefore therefore?

That's always a good point because it's Paul is building his case on a previous point that he has already talked about. He has already explained how Jesus Christ. He is our perfect example of humility.

Submission and obedience. Think about this. We believe in the Trinity the triune God the second person of the Trinity God the Son took on flesh. He was a humble servant and he was perfectly obedient to the Father's will even to the point of dying on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.

Now this is the whole essence of the Christian life. We pursue after Christ. Likeness and friend we do not look to ourselves and try to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. That will end in futility every time rather we put our gaze on the Savior and he transforms us From the inside out and so that's why he begins with therefore.

We look to Jesus as our perfect example of how we ought to live our life and give God glory. So number two. Believers must understand that the driving force and our sanctification is love. This is so wonderful because this really is the driving force.

That's why Paul says therefore my beloved I Could ask the question why is Paul so concerned with believers at Philippi? It's because he loves them, right? Why should we count other people's and needs and interests above our own because we're called to love them.

Why should I receive Jesus and follow after him. It's because he lovingly laid down his life so that we may believe in him and have ever lasting life. Love is the driving force the driving force in true religion.

Christianity over here false religion is cold. It is legalistic and it is devoid of any meaningful love and So Christianity we are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart with all of our soul with all our whole Being right and so when we're being filled up in this loving relationship with God.

Then that love overflows to our relationships with other people, right? We can love our neighbor as ourself. And so the driving force in our sanctification is love number three we must understand the importance of Obedience now, this is where People that twist the scriptures they will really go to this mindset.

Yeah, you have to obey God you have to obey this set of lists right of do's and don'ts and you'll earn favor with God. You got to obey. That's not what he's talking about here. Those of us who have already been justified by faith in the Savior.

We desire obedience to give God glory. Obedience is wonderful. We want our whole life to be a sweet smelling aroma to God. That is our spiritual worship. So understand our obedience flows out of a heart that loves Jesus, right?

It fits in our Sanctification and so I think in a single word obedience means to worship God. We worship him with our entire life with what we say and what we do and we desire Obedience and with obedience comes great blessing.

And so we must understand the importance of obedience so number four. Believers work out their sanctification by understanding their personal responsibilities and Resources, let me say that again believers work out their sanctification by understanding their personal responsibilities and Resources, so I want us to think about context a little bit here because Paul he's in prison and he is writing to Philippian believers.

The Philippian believers were called to work out their salvation and he says so now not only in my presence. But much more in my absence now, why would Paul say that? Well, it would have been so tempting for the believers at Philippi.

They would have been developing a strong dependence on the Apostle Paul for their spiritual happiness. It would have been tempting for them to begin to grumble and complain because Paul wasn't around right?

He's in prison for preaching the gospel. They were about the they were developing a strong dependence on him and I believe there is a an application here that we can all Learn, it's so wonderful that God gives us gracious means of being able to fellowship together here to have pastors teachers wonderful commentaries to teach us about God's truth but these things are never the primary source of our contentment and spiritual growth.

As Believers we have the responsibility to always follow Christ's example and we have the resource of the Holy Spirit. Right, that's why we sing the song to invite the Holy Spirit here right to indwell us that is our resource.

We look to the Spirit in his life-giving word that he inspired. It's so wonderful that we have this fellowship, but that must we must never depend on someone else for our spiritual contentment. And so we have a responsibility to handle the Word of God with with care to be filled up on the Word of Christ.

That's what it means to be filled with the Spirit so number five. Believers are to work out their salvation because of the consequences of sin. Now Paul says once again here work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

We have to keep in mind that God is loving. He is merciful and he is so quick to forgive but nevertheless He holds believers accountable for their sin. Now for believers, I don't believe that this fear is talking about.

Oh, man, he may condemn me one day. No, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We're not going to fear God that he's gonna punish us for our sin. Oh, he already dealt with that at Calvary.

So the fear that's being talked about here for believers I believe it's it's pointing us to have this ongoing awe and worship and reverence for the holy holy Holy God that we serve and so trembling here carries this idea that believers are aware of their own spiritual Futility right?

We are weak and frail on our own. We depend on God filling us up and so this fear and trembling will cause believers to pray earnestly for God's help in avoiding sin and Praise God that he is a loving father and he will interrupt our lives to discipline us not as judge but as father.

And I find that to be wonderful. And so as we are pursuing our life We want to go down the path of obedience and blessing and we try to avoid going down the path of discipline. But praise God when we do fall into sin.

We have an advocate a paraclete that comes on our behalf and guards us and builds us back up. Now those are five truths and you may say Jeremiah. That was a heavy list. You're talking about doing all these things in our sanctification.

There's no way I can do that and you're right. You can't do it. You cannot look to yourself and in your own strength and your own might to possibly do all these five truths. But that is the point. This is an impossible task on our own.

But I hope you're going to be encouraged with me in verse 13. We're gonna see here that the source of our sanctification is not in ourselves. But in God and so please don't miss this point. We are working out what God has worked within.

God works faith in us as we work our faith out. Verse 13 says for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. So, how are we able to live out our sanctification? Well, Paul is introducing a wonderful divine mystery as I like to call it.

We make decisions to follow after the Lord, right? We are the ones making this decision, but here we're learning that God is also the one making the decision along the way. I just say that is a divine mystery.

I'm making decisions and God is making the decisions to work in me and through me for his good pleasure. And so I really want to capitalize on the word God here. He says for it is God. This is important.

We serve the triune God God the Father Son and Holy Spirit. This God is personal. He has revealed himself to humanity. God The Son revealed himself within time and space. God has clearly spoken to us in these last days through his word and we even look at all of creation that Testifies to the handiwork of God.

But the point is is that God is personal he has revealed himself. And so when we start talking about true religion and false religion something else we see about false religion is their so-called Deities are impersonal.

They have not revealed themselves and you know why because they are alive From the devil and so once again, we're I want us to really think about how God has personally revealed himself. For example in the false religion of Hinduism Hinduism says there are scriptures teach that the absolute Creator God is not a person but is an abstract unknowable reality.

This God has no moral attributes is neither holy or unholy loving or unloving fair or unfair. And let me tell you that doesn't make sense. How are they able to tell us so much about this God if he is so unknowable and hasn't revealed himself.

That doesn't make sense. It is a self-contradiction and I just want to encourage you. That is no surprise because the true God has personally revealed himself to us. Amen. So verse 13 again Says for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Once again, we see the divine mystery this willing and working is a reference to believers. But the source of our decisions come from God. Proverbs 21 verse 1 says the King's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord.

He turns it wherever he wills. And so God is personally working in us both to will and to work wine. Well, it's for his good pleasure. I love this because the chief end of man. Our purpose in life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

This means that God is sanctifying believers. This sanctifying work in our life has divine purpose. God is conforming our will and our desires to be more like Christ. And so it brought the sovereign God joy who is working out all things together.

After the counsel of his will to lavish grace and mercy on rebel sinners. He not only began this work of salvation by changing our wills to believe in Christ. But he continues to move us by convicting us of our sin and making our hearts long for Jesus Christ.

And God does all of this according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians says to the praise of his glorious grace. And I love the person of the Apostle Paul. I've told people that Jesus is the God man and in my mind Paul is the man and so Paul was in prison.

He was going through so many trials and and persecutions. He's chained up, but this sovereign God is where he found his strength. This was the deep well of strength that the Apostle Paul would continually draw from.

Think about it. Paul was in prison and yet he could count it as joy because God was working in and through his life to advance the gospel. In ways that none of us could have imagined. And so I think by reflection we too should draw from this same.

Well renewing our minds with God's sovereignty. How he is working out his plan of redemption. And he will give us strength to be content in all circumstances because everything that's going on in our lives has sanctifying Purpose.

It is for our sanctification and for God's.

Glory.

That is beautiful and so perhaps Romans 8 28 is a verse that many of you are familiar with but I hope you see it in a little bit fuller light. Paul says and we know that God causes all things to work together for good.

To those who love God those who are called according to his purpose. Whose purpose? His purpose and this good is not just you're Trying to get wealthy or for your your well-being. No, the good is explained in verse 29 that we are to be conformed more into Jesus's image.

This is talking about a believers Sanctification and so we just covered a lot of ground didn't we and two verses that's okay. There was a lot of theology there and now Paul is about to make application in the rest of our text.

So he laid that foundation of saying trust in God who is sovereign working out all these things and this is how believers should live in light of these theological truths. Look with me in verse 14 Paul says 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. Now he begins by saying do all things in the context.

He is referring back to the previous two verses where believers are to work out their salvation. We are to work out our salvation in all circumstances of life. And Paul gives the Christian a negative command here doesn't he he says do all things without grumbling and Disputing and so in my time of studying these two words very interesting grumbling and disputing.

Grumbling in the Greek is Gungus moss now that is a really weird word because it's auto-model payek. It means like what it sounds like and so I was practicing this it's supposed to be called.

Gungus moss kind of.

Kind of grumbly kind of raspy and the idea is if someone says something to you that you don't like. You kind of mutter under your breath, don't you? Start muttering right you start having these feelings of discontentment.

And what I want you to understand is that grumbling is a sin. This is the sin of grumbling. It is a an emotional rejection of God's Circumstances that he has ordained for your life. Grumbling is this attitude of complaining and it's totally focused on yourself.

And so disputing kind of carries another idea. Disputing is this idea of reasoning within yourself? And then you start thinking things like I don't deserve this experience that I'm going through. I do not deserve this trial in my life and so think about this grumbling is essentially emotional and Disputing is essentially intellectual and these sins are dangerous but they are especially dangerous together because this will cause discontentment in your Circumstances and this will lead you to have discontentment in God's provision in your life.

You will begin to reason in your mind that you deserve better and you will lead this will lead to questioning and disputing against God's sovereign will. And let me just be quite honest with you and me step on my own toes for a second.

I consider myself to be a positive person. I really enjoy getting to know people try to be positive and yet I was convicted by this passage. I'm like man, I actually grumble in my spirit way more than I thought.

But God is sovereign. God is the creator of the universe isn't he. I'm reminded of one of my favorite psalms in Psalm 139. This is a beautiful psalm that tells us that we were Formed and knitted in our mother's womb and he goes on to say that all the days of our life have been written and planned before any one of them came to be.

Everything that happens in our life. God has specifically fashioned and formed for you to experience in his timing. Therefore Christians we should never have emotional grumbling or Intellectual disputing.

It is always sinful for the believers to complain about anything that the Lord calls us to do or any circumstance in which he sovereignly allows. Doesn't matter if we're going through an easy time or a time of great difficulty a time of blessing or a time of trial.

Negative attitudes are always forbidden. And I think about the Apostle Paul. He was imprisoned at Philippi right in jail. You think he was tempted to have a few negative thoughts along the way. I know he had.

I know that that was a temptation and yet maybe this is the biggest point in the whole sermon. Paul was able to find joy in the joy giver. Isn't that beautiful? No matter what his circumstances what he was going through.

He was always looking to God trusting in him. Longing to be with him in glory one day. It was the Apostle Paul that said to live as Christ. But to die as game in that beautiful when you're preaching the gospel to yourself when you're going through hardship.

You can find joy in the joy giver. We see this amazing example with the Apostle Paul himself. That's why later in Philippians 4 for he exhorts believers to rejoice in the Lord always. Every circumstance of life we are to accept willingly and joyfully without murmuring or complaining or to have Disappointment there is no exception.

We are called to work out our salvation with a positive attitude. The book of Ephesians says rejoice and give thanks always and for everything to God God the Father in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Now God has to be a sovereign in control of everything for him to say give thanks always and for everything. Because you're gonna say in there a lot of messed up stuff in this world. Yes, God has a purpose in that give thanks to the Creator for the grace and the mercy that he has showed you in your.

Life.

Now once again, you maybe say Jeremiah, I know I'm gonna complain one of these days. It's inevitable to happen. I'm right there with you. It's going to happen. These are insurmountable tasks for us to try to achieve on our own.

However, we're gonna see here that we have been given a new nature because we are the children of God. And so we perceive everything in this brand new light. Every moment of our life has sanctifying purpose.

So let's look at verse 14 again. Paul says 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 Paul says I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. I believe the key to Paul's exhortation here is that we must stop Complaining because of our new status our new position as children of God.

Now you maybe have heard this old cliche saying and I don't know where it came from. But have you ever heard someone say aren't we just all God's children? Have you ever heard that? This is not biblical.

I don't know how it crept into the church. I think the confusion is is that God created all of us and as human beings we are created in his image. But the New Testament teaches us so clear about this.

But to all who did receive Jesus who believed in his name he gave the right to become Children of God. We are born into this world. We are not born as children of God. We are born physically and we are born spiritually dead in our sins and our trespasses.

You know what? The Bible tells us that we are born spiritually as children of the devil first. John 3 10 says. By this it is evident who are the children of God. And Who are the children of the devil?

Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. Nor is the one who does not love his brother and. So as children of God we have this new heart. We have this new desire to follow the example of our Lord and Savior.

So since you're in Philippians chapter 2 look earlier with me into the context that verse 8. There we read and being found in human form Jesus Humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross.

Jesus was absolutely submitted to the Father's will and he never grumbled. He never complained about his circumstances. Jesus his heart was set on obedience righteousness love and humility. The Scriptures teach us that there is no greater love than this that someone laid down his life for his friends.

And so here we see the heart of God pouring forth with love while we were still sinners. Christ died for us. Friend that is a gospel of grace. That is a gospel of love and that gets me excited and that's because We are children of God.

This should excite us to look to the example of the Savior as children of God. We possess a new nature that compels us to follow Jesus's example. We walk in the light because he is in the light. We follow Jesus example and we love to fellowship with one together with all of us.

I don't know many of you but so many of y 'all were kind and loving and it's because we have a kindred spirit. We serve the same Lord. We've been entrusted. We have the indwelling Holy Spirit. That's why we can have such a loving connection when we've not even met somebody.

We have the mind of Christ. This moves us to love one another not grumbling or complaining about our circumstances. But rejoicing in the Lord always submitting ourselves in all circumstances to the Father's sovereign will in our lives.

So let's look back at verses 15 and 16 here I got another a little list for you that I believe Paul is giving us three reasons why we should stop Complaining and so number one believers should stop complaining for the sake of their own.

Well-being we said again Believers should stop complaining for the sake of their own well-being. So Paul says here do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish.

Every Christian is in the process of becoming more and more like Christ remember Sanctification and so this includes becoming more blameless and innocent. And so we must forsake grumbling and complaining because this is so vital to this sanctifying process.

Blameless means to be without defect. It essentially carries the idea of desiring holiness in innocent or Innocent is the basic meaning of the word Unmixed so believers lives should be absolutely pure unmixed from the sin and the evil in the world.

As children of God we are called to be without blemish. Without blemish could be rendered above reproach or faultless. And we have to understand this is impossible on our own might but Jesus has told us that he is the one that will guard Us from falling away that he is the one that will present us blameless before the throne of God.

He says this in Jude Jesus he is able to keep believers from stumbling and to make them stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy. Friend since we know that this is our ultimate end goal.

We should desire to pursue after being innocent being without fault. We should desire after holiness because God is at work in our lives. And so that point one more time was believers should stop complaining for the sake of their own well-being.

Number two. Believers should stop complaining for the sake of the unsaved. Right as children of God we dwell in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. Paul says among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast to the word of life.

Now my study here in this verse. I looked at the word crooked. The Greek word is scolios and this means to be bent or to be curved or twisted. This is actually where we get the English word scoliosis.

Maybe some of y 'all are familiar with that medical term. Scoliosis means to have an abnormal curvature or misalignment of the spine. And so when we look at the whole phrase here this crooked and twisted generation.

This is referring to a fallen world that has curved away from God's law has deviated from his righteousness.

That's the world.

Children of God are called to be set apart. We are called to shine as lights in this dark and devious world. Amen. I Love it. The Sermon on the Mount is Matthew chapter 5 6 and 7 meditate on this scripture.

This is the most famous sermon ever preached where our Lord said you are the light of the world. A city Set on a hill cannot be hidden nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a stand and it gives light to her all who are in the house and In the same way let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give glory to your father.

Who is in heaven? I love that. We do works of obedience to glorify God to show the world the transformation that God has worked in our life. But please do not miss this. The only way for the children of God to be a shining light in this dark world is by holding fast to the Word of Life.

Now the Word of Life. I believe this is referring to the transforming power of the gospel. But I would actually extend this principle to extend to all of God's Word. Right. God's Word is like honey. It's sweeter than the honeycomb and so we are filled up on the word so we can be filled up and show that out.

With other people one illustration of this comes from John chapter 6. Jesus says it is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Now Jesus said some other things in this passage and guess what?

There was a lot of followers that did not follow him anymore and Jesus turned back to the twelve and asked do you want to go away also. And Peter now. Peter a lot of times sticks his foot in his mouth, but this is one of those shining moments where I'm like Amen, Peter.

He says Lord to whom shall we go you have the words of eternal life. As children of God we desire the pure spiritual milk of the words so we can grow in our sanctification. Hopefully you've experienced that once you you've tasted the grace of God and his word nothing else will do we need it.

We will be anemic. We will die if we do not have it. So Paul is exhorting Christians here at Philippi. He is saying be shining lights in this dark world if you have a good old King James Bible. I like how it renders this verse it says holding forth the word of life.

My translation says holding fast, but I don't want us to get the wrong idea that it's up to me to hold fast. I don't want to look to myself. I need to look to Christ and so the King James says holding forth.

Almost like this idea like when you're being filled up you can't help but to hold it out to the rest of the world. I love that. So now the wonderful truth again is that once we are born again once we are legit followers of Christ.

We cannot help but to store up God's Word in our heart. So we may not sin against him, right? That's what the psalmist says. How can a young person keep his way pure by treasuring up God's Word in your heart.

That same psalmist goes on to say that your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And so when when the gospel light is shining brightly in our hearts. We cannot help but to hold forth that gospel light to a hopeless dark and lost world.