Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:
Sleep................23 years...........32.9% Work.................16 years...........22.8%
TV....................8 years...........11.4% Eating................6 years............8.6%
Travel................6 years............8.6% Leisure.............4.5 years............6.5%
Illness...............4 years............5.7% Dressing..............2 years............2.8%
Religion............0.5 years............0.7% Total................70 years............100%
(Source: Our Daily Bread, November 25, 1992.)
The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.
(Source: Richard L. Evans, Bits & Pieces, March 4, 1993, p. 2.)
What keeps you from living for God? We must live the gospel as we depend on God’s enabling.
The Philippian believers have shown a strong respect for and a heart to listen to the apostle Paul. Paul commends the Philippians on this point more than once in this New Testament letter. It is with this background that Paul urges the Philippians to heed his teaching once again.
The Believer’s Responsibility
v. 12 – “work out your salvation”
One thing is for certain, this is not a reference to works based salvation! To interpret this as a text supporting works-based salvation would contradict other scriptures and thus make God a liar! Rm. 3:28; 5:1; Gal. 3:24; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5.
Only God does the work of the forgiveness of sin and saving a soul from eternal judgement, for it is only God the Son who paid the price that all of mankind owes for their sin! However, God clearly calls the believer to a work after their salvation (Rom. 6:12-13; II Cor. 6:1).
In the Greek, this phrase is connected to “in my presence only.” In other words, do not live the gospel only in Paul’s presence. The words “much more” underlines Paul’s emphasis that “much more” care and attention are needed in his absence.
“Believe as if you have no power. Work as if you have no God.”
(Source: Vincent Word Studies)
It is widely reported that a US Forest Services Employee started the 2002 Colorado Hayman Wildfires (some believing it to be her attempt to prove her abilities as a firefighter, thus attempting to start and extinguish a fire). The fire swiftly overwhelmed her and the co-workers she eventually called in to help stop her fire. The fire was finally declared under control 24 days later, but not until $238 million was spent in fighting the fire. 350 people lost their homes to this wildfire…and you can be sure that 350 people were reviewing the coverage of their fire insurance policies. The reality is insurance policies often declare exemptions of coverage for various reasons.
The gift of salvation has no exemptions! The security of the believer is summed up in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” However, salvation is so much more than a fire insurance policy. The Holy Spirit will indwell the genuine believer as His temple at the time of salvation. His presence will enable a transformed lifestyle and the one with relationship with Jesus who is yielded to his Savior will bear the fruit of real love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal. 5:22-23). Make no mistake about it! A true believer has been called away from drunkenness, immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, wrath, strife, and more (study Galatians 5:19-21). Our current day culture blatantly embraces what the church is to “put off” (Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:1-11). The church is called to live counter cultural! Are you embracing a Bible-centered culture in your views of marriage, children, thought life, and love for others (to name a few)?
The Believer’s Approach
v. 12 – “fear and trembling”
o This is “not a slavish terror” (Source: Vincent Word Studies).
o “This fear is self-distrust; it is tenderness of conscience; it is vigilance against temptation.” (Source: Wardlaw, On Proverbs)
o This same understanding of fear is seen in I Peter 1:17.
Bernard “Kip” Lagat is a world-class runner from Kenya. During the Sydney Olympics, an interviewer asked him how his country was able to produce so many great distance runners. With clever wit, Lagat told of the African strategy for motivating success in running. He said, “It’s the road signs. ’Beware of Lions.’” (Source: Unknown)
Walk with great care, child of God! Live out the gospel with careful attention to guard against sin – just as though you would live in an area with signs that read “beware of lions!” I Peter 5:8.
The Believer’s Supply
v. 13- “For it is God”
We cannot emphasize enough that genuine salvation is the work of God alone. So, just as the Philippians need not deal with Paul regarding the state of their souls, we also cannot find justification and atonement through any “holy man of God on this earth.”
Years ago, I worked as a patient advocate in a Wisconsin hospital system. Patients would share their concerns with me, I would investigate the claims, talk with the medical team, and then work to resolve their concerns. This process would require numerous leaders to intercede on the patient’s behalf.
Jesus alone is our mediator (I Tim. 2:5)! There is no saint to whom we must pray and there is no statue of a dead church leader we must depend upon. It is in Jesus, through Jesus, because of Jesus alone that all of mankind finds true forgiveness and the promise of heaven securely his own! That wonderful truth does not end at the beginning salvation! Salvation is the starting block of the race! The source of a person’s will and power to live the gospel is solely God. So, believer, do not run to your bank account first, do not run to your friends first, do not run to influential connections first – instead, run to the source…run to Jesus!!
The Believer’s Target
v. 14- “without murmurings and disputings”
God has graciously provided His church with the desire and ability to live out the gospel. He has given you more than you need to follow Him! So, live the gospel without complaining or quarreling.
7 Considerations for Living the Gospel:
1. Purposely pursue unity within the church (2:2)
2. Refuse to embrace selfishness or self-importance (2:3)
3. Believe others to be more important than yourself (2:3-4)
4. Lead by serving others (2:7)
5. Let God guard your reputation (2:7)
6. Obey God among the unjust behaviors of others (2:8)
7. Live life rehearsing you are accountable to Jesus (2:9-11)
Many a company has promised customers they will lose weight without changing their diet if they simply take this fat sucking pill. The claim goes something like this, “Just take one pill a day, change nothing in your diet, and your body will literally be getting rid of fat while you sleep!” Companies know there is an endless supply of people desperately wanting to lose weight – AND if you tell them they do not need to sacrifice their cravings for soda, donuts, and sub sandwiches – they will have 1,000’s of people order the pills. However, a month or two passes and the customer has actually gained weight. They discover the company’s talk didn’t match their walk.
It looks like the old phrase “talk the talk and walk the walk” is at least 200 years old. According to The Phrase Finder, the earliest usage of this expression comes from the Mansfield News, an Ohio newspaper printed in June 1921. A line from the newspaper reads: “Although he has no gilded medals upon his bosom, Howard Herring of the North American Watch company, walks the walk, and talks the talk, of a hero today.” (Source: knowyourphrase.com)
Your talk talks and your walk walks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks!
We must live the gospel as we depend on God’s enabling.