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Philippians 2:12-18

Welcome back! Thank you for joining us as we work through Philippians.

In Philippians 2:12-18, Paul is expressing what it means to live as people who worship. And he has two images that are shaping the examples he shares: the exodus and the Temple. The exodus happened when God led the Hebrews out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promised land. So how is Paul using that as an image? Because we are people who are being led by God.

And as he leads us through the wilderness, we have to "work out" our "salvation." What does that "work out" look like?  It looks like us growing up and becoming more mature in our faith. It looks like us knowing God in a new way--a way that's personal. And it looks like us developing our minds so we learn to think the way Jesus does. So this working out our salvation means that we figure out what "salvation" means in practice. Salvation in practice looks like holiness.

Holiness is not a word that's in style. When we hear holy sometimes we think about this perfect person who follows a thousand rules. That's not the image Paul has in mind. For Paul, holiness is about a radically different way of life.

Earlier, we mentioned that Paul had the image of the Temple shaping his thoughts. How? The Hebrews believed that the Temple was where heaven and earth met, or overlapped. So when  you were in the Temple, you were in the presence of God. What Paul is saying is that we are in the presence of God. God is at work among us and that--God working in us--is what enables the new life we find in Jesus.

Paul sees holiness as being genuine. Genuinely human. There's a true way to be human and it's fragile and it can be destroyed.

There's one more phrase that stands out to me--"shine like stars." What does it mean to shine like stars in a dark world? It's all about a new and better way to be. If we look back at the early Christians, we'll find out so many people became Christians because of their testimony--because of their way of life. They were kind to everyone. They were generous to their neighbors. And instead of getting revenge when they were wronged, they forgave. They were living in this new way. They were being genuine humans.


Thought to ponder: A drink offering was a gift given to God that was poured out but not wasted. What can you do this week to make your life that kind of a gift to God and others?

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