Skip to main content

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?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Philippians 2:19-30

The way many people see Philippians 2:19-30 is that Paul is doing something similar to many preachers who say, "And one more thing . . ." and then preach for another twenty minutes. But I don't see Paul as the typical Baptist preacher. I think this pause is intentional. I don't think it was an early ending and then Paul had more ideas and kept writing. Paul is sending two people to the Philippians, and he's explaining why he's sending them. They are, as Bishop Wright says, "working models" of what Paul has been teaching. They think like Jesus. They understand the gospel, it's meaning, and they're practicing it. They are humble and they are living in this new Jesus way. While these verses may not be the most exciting, they help us to piece together the story of what's going on. Around the year 55 or 56 AD, Paul is in prison--likely in Ephesus. During that time, Paul wrote this letter. Timothy will hand-deliver this letter to the P...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ash Wednesday 2019

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive (Joel 2:12-13 CEB) Today is a new beginning. A new season. And anytime we step into something new, we can feel vulnerable. We know our own brokenness. This is a season where we journey through the wilderness of our hearts and souls to the heart of God. This is a time that calls for us to walk carefully and to think deeply. And if we are to make progress on our pilgrim's path, then we must be willing to lay bare all that is hidden, buried, or repressed inside of ourselves. This path is uncomfortable. But if we want to move closer to God, then it is a path we must take. Lent doesn't make sense. It's counter-intuitive. We begin with death and move towards life. Today, many Christians will go to chu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Good Friday

John 19:17-20 in the Common English Bible (CEB) reads: Carrying his cross by himself, he [Jesus] went out to a place called Skull Place (in Aramaic, Golgotha ). That's where they crucified him--and two others with him, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a public notice written and posted on the cross. It read "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city and it was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. Today is called Good Friday because it is the day that proclaims God's loving  and his purpose for redeeming the world through the cross of Jesus. We call it Good Friday because God was drawing the world to himself through Jesus. As verse 17 says "by himself," we see that Jesus was in control of his own death. He was not making the best of a bad situation. Jesus was fulfilling God's purpose: providing the way for all people to be saved. The ...
Post a Comment
Read more