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Scripture
Lesson:
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
it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do
all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 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" Phil 2:12-15 (ESV).
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This morning we are going to look at
the five traits of a growing disciple of Jesus.
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But before we do that it would be
helpful for us to again consider what a disciple is. What does the word disciple mean?
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In the simplest sense, a disciple is a follower and a participant.
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Jesus’ first disciples were
followers and participants in his ministry.
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They watched Jesus at work;
gradually, Jesus began to include them in helping him do his work; then Jesus
began getting them to do more on their own with some supervision from him; and
finally Jesus sent them out to do his work by twos without him.
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Being
a disciple is much like being an apprentice, as the
skills of an apprentice develop and grow the master craftsman steps in to give
guidance only when absolutely necessary.
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As we think about the process that
Jesus led his disciples through from being watchers into being full doers, what
we need to realize is, that process requires growth, somewhat like an
apprentice.
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The more a follower or disciple of
Jesus grows then the more fully engaged is their participation in Jesus
mission.
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What, then, are the traits of a
growing disciple?
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Most Christians are well familiar
with the first 11 verses of Philippians 2, which reminds believers about the
overriding or controlling attitude that needs to be upon the heart and mind of
the believer, which is the humility of Christ himself.
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The apostle Paul, however, was
writing a letter to the dear Philippians, and we realize, of course, that Paul
was not done writing at the end of verse 11.
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He had more to say about the traits
of a growing disciple, in addition to followers of Jesus needing to be humble
like Christ, and Paul talks about five traits of a growing disciple in our
passage for this morning.
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Let's look to the Scripture.
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Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved,
as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in
my absence..." (v.12a).
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Paul applauded the Philippians for
their obedience because they didn't just obey when he was there in person; they
obeyed even when he wasn't there.
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The same needs to be true of us. We
need to faithfully obey Jesus even though we can't see him. That's our first
trait.
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Trait #1. Disciples need to be
persistent in faithfulness.
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Discipleship
to Jesus is not a Sunday practice, but a daily process.
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Let's take a moment to visualize a
linchpin and its purpose.
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Let's say I have a trailer that I'm
pulling along with my tractor (I don't have a trailer or a tractor, but for the
sake of argument let's say I do).
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If I put the pin in to fasten the
trailer to the tractor’s hitch and forget to fasten the linchpin in place or
don't fasten it properly, then I'm going to have a problem. My trailer is going
to come unhitched.
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I know that's going to happen because,
growing up on a farm, I've had that happen.
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Engaging
the Bible every day is the linchpin of daily discipleship.
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Now why would I say that Bible
engagement is the linchpin of daily discipleship?
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God's people need to live for Christ
seven days a week, not just on Sunday morning when we gather together to celebrate
our risen Lord.
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God's people need to be working on
their discipleship to Jesus outside of Sunday morning.
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We need to be engaging the word of
God every day.
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Dr. Stetzer gave three sets of
disturbing statistics about Canadian evangelical Christians that are very
relevant.
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Participants in the study were asked
to respond to the following statements.
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First, "I desire to please and honor Jesus in all that I do."
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2% disagreed strongly; 10% disagreed
somewhat; 22% said it was not applicable; 37% agreed somewhat; and 29% agreed
strongly.
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Second, "If I go several days without reading the Bible I find myself
unfulfilled."
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38% disagreed strongly; 24%
disagreed somewhat; 16% said it was not applicable; 15% agreed somewhat; and
12% agreed strongly.
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Third, "How often do you read the Bible?"
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11% said every day; 14% said a few
times a week; 13% said once a week; 13% said a few times a month; 14% said once
a month; and 34% said rarely or never.
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Friends, there are a large number of
people claiming to be evangelical Christians whose wagons are not secured to
God's tractor, their linchpin is insecure or completely absent.
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This is why some people are walking
away from the church and why many churches are struggling to live for Christ
and not growing.
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What
can we do to change this?
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A
Canadian evangelical Christian is 10.2 times more likely to disciple someone
else if they were discipled or mentored themselves.
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We
need to mentor and disciple others who are new to the faith, so they know how
to grow and can own their faith.
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Disciples need to be persistent in
faithfulness.
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Let's continue on with our Scripture
passage.
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Paul writes, "work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling," Work out your own salvation.
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That brings us to trait number two.
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Trait #2. Disciples need to
make an intentional effort.
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Paul told the Philippians that they
needed to work out their salvation (v. 12b., "work out your own
salvation").
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They didn't have to work for
their salvation because it was purchased by the finished work of Jesus Christ
in the cross.
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The Lord Jesus secured salvation
entirely with his blood in his death; no other work is required for salvation.
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Since Christ's work is finished, our
work has just begun.
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Paul instructed the Philippians to
work out their own salvation because the
reality of being saved must be lived out in daily life intentionally.
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Disciples need to make an
intentional effort. What does it mean to
be intentional?
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To be intentional is to do something with purpose; to act according to a plan.
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Most of us have probably heard the adage,
"when you fail to plan, you plan to fail." That is true, and it also
applies to our Christian walk.
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When
we are not intentional in our efforts to grow in our walk with the Lord Jesus,
then we will not grow.
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Experience is a great teacher, and,
as I look back over the course of my adult life, I can see the times when I
grew coincided with the times when I was making an intentional effort.
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The times when I did not grow and my
faith stagnated, those were the times when I was not working out my own
salvation, when I failed to put forward an intentional effort.
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What
is the role of believers as they grow as disciples of Jesus Christ?
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Listen to what the apostle Paul
wrote to the Colossians.
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Colossians 1:28-29, "Him we
proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may
present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his
energy that he powerfully works within me."
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Paul, in working out his own
salvation, admits that it is toil and struggle, but also that the power of God
and all God's energy was at work within him.
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Since Paul was convinced that all of
God's energy was available and powerfully at work in him, then we can be
certain that he expected all of God's energy to be available and powerfully at
work in the rest of God's people as they toiled working out their salvation.
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It
takes toil, intentional effort, to work out our own salvation.
For this we toil.
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Our efforts do not replace God's
grace. Grace is not opposed to effort,
but to earning.
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Disciples need to make an
intentional effort.
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Making an intentional effort
connects directly to our third trait.
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Trait #3. Disciples need a radical
reliance on God.
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Paul has already said to the
Philippians that they needed to work out their own salvation, that they needed
to make an intentional effort, but he says also that effort needs to be made how?
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"With fear and trembling, [why?]13 for
it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure"
(12c-13).
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Disciples need to have a radical
reliance on God because human effort
alone doesn't give success. It is God working within, which brings growth
in salvation.
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That's why we need a radical
reliance on God. What does it mean to have a radical reliance on God? For that
matter, what does radical mean?
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Radical
means going to the root; getting back to the fundamentals or the basics; it can also mean extreme.
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In the news media, those terms have
taken on a damaging tone, especially when we hear them applied to Islam.
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We have been taught to equate
radical, fundamental, and extreme with terrorism.
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However, these terms can also be
seen in a positive or optimistic light.
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When we think of disciples having a
radical reliance on God, we need to think of our dependence upon God going
beyond our normal level, being rooted in the essential truth that our salvation is accomplished by the power
of God.
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As Paul wrote to the Colossians,
"For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he
powerfully works within me" (Colossians 1:29); and as he wrote to the
Philippians, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians
1:6).
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God is at work in us!
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Working out our salvation requires
intentional action on our part, but the power to accomplish it comes from God.
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God
starts, maintains, and finishes the process of making us like Jesus.
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As we grow, we will find God is
accomplishing his purposes in us even when we are not aware of what his
purposes are.
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Disciples need a radical reliance on
God.
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That brings us to our fourth trait.
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Trait #4. Disciples need a
Christ-like transformation.
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Let's listen to what the apostle Paul
had to say again.
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14 "Do
all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be
blameless and innocent, children of God..." (v. 14-15a).
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As
disciples of the Lord Jesus, we need to reflect the character of God in our
lives.
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As we intentionally cooperate with
the Spirit of God at work in us, our lives are changed, and we do the work God
calls us to do without complaining or rebelling.
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As we do all things without
grumbling or disputing, it shows that we trust in the sovereign will of God
over all circumstances, that we love him, and that we love one another.
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To do all things without grumbling
or disputing demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a disciple
(Gal. 5:22-23); it shows that the power of God is at work in our lives.
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God's purpose in salvation is not
merely about believers going to heaven when they die.
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Salvation is much more than about
where you get to spend the afterlife.
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God's
purpose in salvation is to make the saved just like Jesus.
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That's what it means to be blameless
and innocent children of God, to be just like Jesus; our life will be a
reflection of his perfect life.
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As Paul wrote to the Romans,
"For those who he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son" (Romans 8:29a).
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What Paul is simply saying is this:
God, who knows all things, chooses those who repent of their sins and marks out
before hand their final state of being, which is to be just like Jesus,
conformed to the image of his Son.
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He has planned from the beginning
for us to be just like Jesus in our character, in our actions and attitudes
towards others.
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The apostle John puts it this way:
"Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made
known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see
him as he is" (1 John 3:2).
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Disciples need a Christ-like
transformation.
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That brings us to our fifth trait.
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Trait #5. Disciples need to
display an obvious difference from the world around them.
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As Paul wrote, "...without
blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine
as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15b).
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When we are living every day for
Christ, we stand out in obvious contrast to the culture around us.
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When we are living every day for
Jesus, we are so obviously different from the people around us who are not
saved.
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The
Bible calls believers to be so distinct from unbelievers that we stand out as
positive models. (The real stars are not in
Hollywood or Nashville.)
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As God is working in our lives, we
become so unlike the people around us that they become curious about why we are
not just like them.
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If we're going to shine as lights,
then we need to be displaying a positive difference in the world; we need to
stand out in a positive way.
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"You are the light of the
world," said Jesus. "A city 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
all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that
they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven"
(Matthew 5:14-16).
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God's people need to love the
unsaved, where they are as they are.
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We cannot hate people and reach them
at the same time.
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People will not be drawn to Christ,
if we stand in judgment of them.
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As the fishermen say, you can't
clean them before you catch them.
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"God did not send his Son into
the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him" (John 3:17).
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Disciples need to display an obvious
difference from the world around them.
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Let’s review the 5 traits of a
growing disciple.
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Trait #1. Disciples need to be
persistent in faithfulness.
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Trait #2. Disciples need to
make an intentional effort.
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Trait #3. Disciples need a
radical reliance on God.
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Trait #4. Disciples need a
Christ-like transformation.
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Trait #5. Disciples need to
display an obvious difference from the world around them.
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Those are the five traits of a
growing disciple but if you're anything like me, you're still left with one
question, how?
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How
do we shine like stars in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation?
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The apostle Paul gives us the answer
very simply and succinctly in verse 16.
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We shine as lights in the world
by "holding fast to the word of life."
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We grab hold of the gospel of Jesus
Christ as it is in the word of God and we never let go.
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Only the gospel of Jesus Christ
presented in the word of God has the power to change our lives and the lives of
others who see Christ shining in us.
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We shine as lights in the world
by holding fast to the word of life.
