Working Out your Salvation

Philippians 2.12-13

Working out your salvation, the ongoing work of God's Spirit within these jars of clay, these earthen vessels.

Working out your salvation. Each of us has a path to Christ and a personal walk with the LORD after salvation that obviously needs attention. In fact so much that we are to do it with fear and trembling! We all have dark sides to our souls which need restoration. We all have had similar experiences and at the same time unique experiences which are ours alone.

Working out your salvation is the most important thing you can do. It concerns me that many people who say they are Christians are not giving it the priority it deserves... That their walk with Christ is so fruitless and they don't seem to be bothered by it.

What does it mean to work out your salvation with fear and trembling?


1. Obedience to Christ
Following His Spirit, being led by the Spirit. Romans 8.12-14
Keeping in step with His Spirit. Galatians 5.25
Living By the Spirit Galatians 5.16

This is an inner surrender.
Often difficult, always rewarding.

Obedience is sweet.
Obedience is peace.
Obedience is joyful.

Continuing to love the LORD with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself. This will be going on until we meet Jesus.


2. With Fear and Trembling
Work= bring it to completion
Consider what is at stake! We are talking eternity here. We are talking destiny. How horribly entangled one can get caught up in current events, in the worries and cares which have not a wit to do with eternity, with those besetting sins.

Work out your own salvation: What Paul does mean is he calls the Philippians to put forth real effort into their Christians lives. This is not to work their salvation in the sense of accomplishing it, but to work out their salvation - to see it evident in every area of their lives, to activate this salvation God freely gave them.
“The believer must finish, must carry to conclusion, must apply to its fullest consequences what is already given by God in principle . . . He must work out what God in His grace has worked in.” (Muller)


3. Allowing God To Do His Work in You.
Cooperating with the LORD
Illus- Dr. Prescribing medicine. We must cooperate by taking it.
What has God prescribed for us?
Reading His Word
Books of Substance Paul to Timothy, "bring me the parchments."
II Timothy 4.13
Encourage us
Challenge us
to take risks, to be daring, to humble us, talk to people, Stephanie, the medical student. Peter, the man looking for a job in Burger King Thursday morning. We need to be around other believers but we need to engage lost souls. Souls for whom Christ died. Tony, at Peter Pan this week.
It is God Who gives me the desires, and then the capacity to fulfill the desires.

Spurgeon:
If I meet with any man who says, "I have no need to examine my self any more, I know I am saved, and therefore have no need to take any further care," I would venture to say to him, "Sir, you are lost already. This strong delusion of yours has led you to believe a lie." There are none so cautious as those who possess full assurance, and there are none who have so much holy fear of sinning against God, nor who walk so tenderly and carefully as those who possess the full assurance of faith. Presumption is not assurance, though, alas! many think so. No fully assured believer will ever object to being reminded of the importance of his own salvation and the need to continue to work it out.

The Author of souls is the Author of our salvation. He is the only One Who can speak peace and help us. God is the Enabler. It is His work alone.
To live more like Christ.
Use every effort! Labor earnestly with meticulous reverence.


Obey the LORD. Pray, Search me O God.
Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Allow God to complete His work in you.
God help us to be faithful.