How Is Your Salvation Today?

Philippians 2: 12-13 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (NLT)

A dear brother has left us this day. He has gone home to be with the Lord and have every tear wiped away. He has moved on from his suffering. He has moved on to his peace. We rejoice for the time God gave us with him and for becoming better for having known him at all. The world is a harsh taskmaster. Cancer is a harsh taskmaster. But the yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light. We often reflect at moments of personal loss and think of the unsaved. We will ask them at funerals to consider their life against the backdrop of eternity and the fragility of our existence. While this is of course monumentally important, I think it is equally prudent today to take stock of our own salvation and where we are at. Lest a life be ever wasted in vain.

In the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Church at Philippi, we see an important distinction regarding our salvation. It is often in vogue in the American church to view salvation as merely an event. A moment in time where we passed from the darkness of this world into the glorious light of Jesus Christ. And yes, it most certainly was that. But salvation was meant to be so much more than that beloved. Our key verses today highlight several truths for us. The first is that there should be results from our salvation. It is not merely an event in our lives it is a change in who we are. We become saved.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2Corinthians 5: 17 (NLT)

We need to change our mindset as believers. There should be a tangible result of our salvation, not just a change in our eternal address. What should some of those tangible results be? Paul continues in his letter:

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Philippians 2: 14-16 (NLT)

Do everything without complaining or arguing! Uh-oh. What is it that people see when they look into your salvation? Realize that a complaining spirit is not happy, right? If someone is satisfied, why would they complain? The arguing spirit is one that is not at peace. One that is constantly looking for turmoil, drama, or disagreement. Now honestly think for a minute about the people you encounter in your life. At work, in your family, and even people you may not know. What do they see in your salvation? If they see complaining and arguing, why would that attract them to have what you have?

We talk all the time about our inability to witness to our family. We love quoting that a prophet has no honor in their hometown. But how does our salvation look to our family? Often times it is not that they "knew us before" it is that they know us after! The event of your salvation should have had a dramatic change in who you are. If it does not, you may be able to fool some people who don't know you very well but your family will be able to tell. We also like to talk about the people we work with and how we can't seem to reach them either. But what do they see when they look into your salvation? Do they see you gossiping at work? Do they see how you talk bad about your supervisor behind their back? Do they hear your Christian music, see your Jesus coffee mug, but can't quite seem to locate your salvation? Your talk has to line up with your walk beloved. Don't wear Jesus on your sleeve if He is not at the forefront of your heart because people will see the hypocrisy. What about the unknown people we come across every day in our lives? That person we hope doesn't sit next to us on the bus. That homeless person we convince ourselves will just spend our money on alcohol. Any number of people that walk right by us every single day. What do they see when they look into our salvation? Can they see it at all? Is there a discernable difference between us and the people sitting next to us that people can pick up on? Is there the love of Christ in us or do we act the same as those around us? Moving through the crowds, pushing people aside, never interacting. Can the people who do not know we are saved, tell we are saved? Can the people who know we are saved see anything different inside of us; inside of our salvation?

Besides not complaining or arguing, Paul says that we are to live clean and innocent lives and hold firmly to the Word of God. Too often our lives are dirtier than our profession of faith says they should be. We tell our family we are saved but we still curse. We still go places we know we should not. We still have illicit relationships. We tell our co-workers we are saved but we still cheat our boss for time. We still go to happy hour. We still remain in the filth of the world while claiming Jesus. And what about His Word? The Bible is the operational manual for this life yet so often we can go it alone. We can rely upon the logic of the world and the solutions it offers instead of reflecting to what God has already said. When Joshua was set to rule over Israel God gave him some advice:

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1: 8 (NIV)

God did not give Joshua military advice. He did not send him to a leadership conference. He did not give him self help tips or the latest seeker-friendly fad. He gave him the answer to any and every problem he would ever face the Word of God! Well the answer has not changed since then. God's Word is transcendent it transcends all time, cultures and kingdoms. God's Word is still the answer for anything we might encounter in this life.

The second truth in our key verses today is that these results we should be seeking regarding our salvation are only obtained through hard work. You want to show the results of your salvation? Work hard to do so then.

Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers. 1Timothy 4: 7-10 (NLT)

This is why we work hard! Look, I am not suggesting this is easy beloved. The ways of God are contrary to the flesh we live in. The world we live in will mock the things of God because they do not understand them. It is easier to think that the homeless person deserves their fate rather than show them compassion. The truth is that we can easily get lazy in our Christianity. We do not feed enough on the Word of God. We do not praise enough or spend enough time in prayer. Take a good look at how much time the world gets in our lives. Unless you work for the church, the world gets the majority of our waking time to begin with. The Bible says we are to be salt and light to a dying world. Salt because your salvation should be flavorful to people. It should be attractive to people. Things you touch should be more savory to people. Salt also preserves it does not destroy. Our salvation should be preserving in nature to others. Likewise, we should be light to the world that is walking in darkness:

"You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5: 14-16 (NLT)

Our salvation is the light of Jesus that everyone needs to see. Is our salvation hiding in a basket somewhere when we leave our house? How much light do we let our unsaved family see? How much light do our co-workers see? How much of our salvation can truly be seen so that they will want what we have?

The third truth today is that along with working hard to show the results of our salvation, we need to obey God out of deep reverence and fear. Let's be real some in the modern church have lost a sense of reverence and fear when it comes to God. Some praise music has started to tell God what He has promised us instead of worshipping Him for who He is. The devil had convinced the world that God was an angry old man hurling lightening bolts down at us from the sky. The church however has gone in the opposite direction turning God into a fluffy veggie-tale character. A spiritual ATM who apparently only exists to distribute blessings to us at our command. We see the Gospel being distorted for financial greed, for political gain, and for any number of fleshly designs. When the world sees us treating our God so flippantly, it is not lost on them. The number one reason why people say they won't come to church is not Christ; but Christians. Hypocrisy is not lost on them beloved. If your co-workers know that you claim the mantle of Christianity yet have no problem stealing office supplies what message is being sent to them? If they hear your Christian radio playing while you curse someone, what message is being sent to them? There is a verse in the Book of Job that asks us, "doesn't His majesty terrify you?" Solomon put it this way:

That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 (NLT)

But sometimes we would rather judge everyone else who is unsaved, hide everything we don't want anyone to know, preach Jesus with our mouths and then live a life that shows no fear of who He is. If you sing the song Majesty, but have no real fear of the true majesty of God what are you actually saying to Him? We need to be terrified again of the majesty of the God we serve. People want to turn God into something He is not so they can feel better about their sin. I hate to break it to you but love, does not win. God wins.

Yet despite these facts and the fact that we deserved death for our sins, God sent His only Son as an atoning sacrifice. We see a movement in America also towards a bloodless Christianity. A church where we don't talk about things that might seem unseemly, for fear of turning some people off. Another lie from the pit of hell. Without the blood there is no remission of sin. We need the blood of Jesus every day in our lives. Remember, God is trying to do a work inside of us, which is where the key verses end today. God is giving us the power and the desire to do what pleases Him. If you are saved, you cannot deny it. But we are constantly at war with our flesh, which seeks to do the opposite of what God wants:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5: 22-26 (NKJV)

The fruit is what God is trying to produce in us. It is of His spirit, which lives inside of us. It is at war with our flesh nature, which must be crucified in order for the fruit to be made manifest in our lives. For our salvation to be worked out.

So, a dear brother has left us today. He has overcome the world and is home now where there will be no sorrow or pain. We pause to remember the time God gave us with him and to ask ourselves how is my salvation today? Am I working it out with fear and trembling so that the results of it will be plain to all who God has me encounter? Or are there things today that I need to nail to the cross so that the fruit of the Spirit can be evident to my family, friends, co-workers, and whoever God sends across my path. Has my salvation become an event instead of a definition of who I am? Has my Christianity become lazy? God saved us for a reason beloved. Let not any life ever be wasted in vain. Rest in His glorious peace Ricky. You made it home.

Reverend Anthony Wade November 8, 2011