Work out your salvation

Let's go to the Word of God, Philippians chapter 2, and we're going to read verse 12 and 13, two verses. The Word of the Lord says: "Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed" and this is very important that you listen, "not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling , because God is the one who produces in you both willing and doing for His good Will." And the essential focus, the main part of this sermon is there in chapter 12 in the part that says: "work out your salvation with fear and trembling."

The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, to a community that he himself had planted years before during his ministry. And now the apostle Paul is in a prison and writes this letter to his brothers in the city of Philippi to encourage them in faith and as their founding Pastor, to give them sound advice for their spiritual life. By extension, the advice that the apostle Paul gives to the Philippians can be applied to our lives both as a Church and as individuals. Paul's desire was that the Church of Philippi would be a vital Church, filled with the Holy Spirit, that it would be a healthy Church, that could do the work that God had entrusted to them.

And among the many pieces of advice that he gives to the Philippians is this advice that is work out your salvation with fear and trembling. The Lord's desire is that León de Judá be a Church filled with the life of the Holy Spirit. The world, this country needs healthy communities, full of the vitality that only God can give. And I believe that we can be one of those churches that blesses and strengthens the Spirit of God in the city of Boston, that we can be a Church that inspires other churches and pastors to seek more of God for their personal lives and the call of God for their congregational lives as well. And I say this with great humility and simplicity, do you know that many of the eyes of Christians and people in this region are on this congregation?

Many consider León de Judá a vital, healthy Church, filled with the Holy Spirit, and I say this exclusively for the Glory of the Lord, not for our glory, because we are a Church with as many defects and imperfections as any other Church, only because of Thanks to the Grace and Mercy of God, we can do something worthwhile for Him. But the fact that many people think that here is a healthy Church, of people committed to the Lord, who cares about the needs of the city That encourages many people to also try to have a Church filled with the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday when we were in Hopkington where we baptized 30 people, we could see so much joy among the brothers, and we could see the harmony that there was between people of so many different races, cultures and languages, we could see the joy, the laughter and the fellowship, and the food that flowed abundantly everywhere, the game of dominoes and volleyball, and times of prayer that we had, in praise, brothers praying together in little groups here and there, I thank the Lord for those signs of health that there is in us in our lives. And I think that one of the reasons why this happens is because in our Church there is a large group of people who take their Christian life seriously.

Every day I see more members of our congregation consecrating themselves to the Lord, giving more and more of their lives, and becoming aware of the importance of a serious life lived before God. People who are taking seriously the advice of the apostle Paul to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. A healthy Christian life, at the individual level or at the level of a congregation is not possible unless one takes seriously the advice of the apostle Paul. Unless a person doesn't feel God's call on their life to say, you know what? I have to take authority and own my own responsibility before God.

Each one of us has to appropriate his faith and his responsibility before God. A powerful Church is the product of many people, individual members who have each assumed a sense of relationship and responsibility directly to Christ and to the Holy Spirit. A successful Church needs people who are personally committed to Christ. That is why Paul says, my beloved, that is why you have always obeyed, not in my presence but now more in my absence. What the apostle Paul is saying is that we cannot depend on others for our own spiritual life. Brother, you cannot depend on the Church, nor on the pastors, nor on the elders of the Church for your own spiritual health, you need to depend directly on Christ Jesus only.

The Bible says to "fix your eyes on Jesus." You know, there are people who while you call or visit them, they come to the Church, but if for some reason people stop calling or looking for them, after a short time they disappear from the map of the Church. There are Christians who look like the rubber on a car that I had a while ago. This rubber had a small hole through which air was escaping, and every time I went to the pump it would blow air into it but after 5 days it came back and it was deflated, and I tried to do everything possible to avoid having to buy a new rubber but I finally had to change it and put a rubber that would do what a rubber is supposed to do. And so there are Christians, right?, who have a puncture in the rubber, they come to Church, people call them, they inflate again but after a while they are deflated and they have to be inflated again to keep them going.

The Bible says put your faith in Jesus Christ. Brothers, the Church can betray you, the Church may not do everything you expect it to do, the Church fails the people. Pastors often fail people, that woman full of virtues that you have put your faith in her, you have said no, this is a saint of God, one day she will fail you too and if you have put your faith in she your faith will fall too. The Church needs healthy Christians, directly connected to Christ Jesus with a life filled with the Holy Spirit, glued to the Word of God, with a personal life of prayer and search for the Holy Spirit.

An ideal Church is a Church that is made up of healthy Christians living an independent life with Christ who come together at a given time to celebrate their vitality together and raise a great chorus of hallelujah and praise to the Lord in their personal health in Christ. Jesus. Yes, that's why Paul says hey, you have obeyed, and I'm glad that you do it not only in my presence but also in my absence. Look at the case of the apostle Paul, they put him in jail, they put him in a prison, and he was no longer there for him to directly communicate his faith, his teaching to these people, they had to depend directly on the Holy Spirit. I was telling the brothers this morning, you cannot depend on a man for your spiritual life.

One day, if Christ doesn't come first, I'll be missing, the Lord will take me to a different place, or I'll disappear, whatever, if you're depending on me or Gregory, you're leaning the wrong way, faith has to be in Christ Jesus only. Never glorify a man, never put a man on a pedestal, that place belongs to Christ Jesus only. And what's more, I've been praying for years for the person who should succeed me, when the Lord takes me, it's not that I have a plan for it to be at a specific time, but you should also pray so that when I have to be thrown out On one side there is someone chosen by Him, who can continue to take this Church to higher levels every day, pray for that, brothers.

And I encourage you brothers, cultivate a personal life with Christ, do not depend on this hour and a half, two hours that you spend here in the Church, you have to appropriate your faith, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you are on watch, on duty, you are there alert, the call of a soldier, seeking your faith, your flame, your spiritual faith always. So the first part is that, how they have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence. So look at what Paul says, now knowing that you have obeyed both in my absence and in my presence, now I encourage you to work on your salvation. The word in Greek behind the word take care, catarguesdoma, means to put into practice with energy, with purpose, with zeal, to fight, to surrender, it came out Dominican (laughs).

Many times the apostle uses the image of an athlete, focused on winning his medal, his main goal. At this time we are looking a lot at the Olympics, which celebrates the peak of human effort to do athletic things, but to win a prize this represents many years of effort, many years of almost inhuman discipline to surrender, to prepare to win that medal. . I saw one of the races that took place with women, which forced them to run at full speed for half an hour in an inhuman effort for a human being, one lap and I'm already lying on the ground. A marvel to see the beauty of the human body. That sport of running represents basic athleticism, doesn't it? Push yourself.

And I saw in the last lap, a woman who ended up winning, from Africa who made a terrible effort and gave everything, and starting from fourth position, she passed everyone and ended up winning by a lot of space, and it was marvelous to see the product of years and years of focused effort and preparation. And I think that's how it should be with us too. When we come here to Church on Sunday, it must be like that moment of the final race, when we simply come to bring the accumulation of what we have done in the week, the prayers, the times of fasting, of spiritual communion, so A large number of healthy Christians are supposed to come and deliver to the Lord the result of that life of seeking God and working out our salvation.

Get busy, get busy, work with purpose, focus on God's calling on your life. Personal salvation requires personal effort and work, the true Christian life involves moments of agony and effort, of sweat. And many people believe that the Gospel is easy, and there are many people willing to present God as the great provider, you open your mouth and He will give you everything you need. We have seen God as a Santa Claus who gives all the gifts and demands nothing. But he knows that God does demand and expect from us. Christianity has privileges but it also has responsibilities. The Gospel is a blessing but there are also tests and there are demands on our part. You know maybe God is going to call you to a time of trial to strengthen your faith. God is like that coach who wants to prepare an Olympic athlete and that is why he sometimes puts us through times of stress and effort because He wants to bring out the gold that is in us.

You know, I encourage you brothers, the Word encourages us to see the Christian life as something glorious that requires surrender, consecration, God wants a consecrated Christian life. That call to care reminds me that there are two kinds of sanctification that the Bible talks about. There is a sanctification that is instantaneous and gradual. When we convert, there is a work of grace within us that makes us pure and clean before God. At that moment, God now sees us through the eyes of his Son Jesus Christ, and the righteousness, holiness, and perfection of Jesus Christ are delivered to us also through the merits of Him, and God now sees us as clean and pure before of Him, without any kind of sin or condemnation. And that is why the apostle Paul says that now there is no condemnation for those who stand before God, because God has done a work of instantaneous grace without actually being so, but He considers us holy by the grace of the blood of Jesus.

But there is a second type of sanctification that is not instantaneous, but is gradual, progressive and long-term. And it is that type of sanctification that the apostle Paul is speaking to us now, take care of your salvation, take care of your salvation. That sanctification requires the transformation of our mind, it requires a change in our behavior patterns, our attitudes, our habits, our way of speaking, of treating others, of dealing with conflicts and the trials of life, it is a transformation of the mind and heart, it is a total transformation of our lives, and this process does not end until we die and we are before God, and this change of personality, this sanctification is not going to happen unless you are committed with Jesus. You will never become a strong and healthy Christian unless there comes a moment of crisis where you say, you know what? I have to commit myself to being a Christian with all my heart, with all my strength.

Yes, there are two types of Christians, Sunday, religious, social that does not please God because God hates spiritual lukewarmness. In the Bible it talks about because they are neither hot nor cold I am going to vomit them out of my mouth, yes the Lord says I wish they were hot or cold, so I would know what to do with you, but since they are lukewarm I have to expel them from my mouth. Have you had a glass of warm water, what's up? Brothers we have to define ourselves, the Holy Spirit says you have to deal with your salvation with fear and trembling. You have to consecrate yourself with a main goal, I want to become an Olympic Christian, a Christian winner in the Spirit.

Now the apostle Paul says occupy yourself with fear and trembling, it must be admitted that it is horrifying to think that there is fear involved in the Christian life. We tend to speak only of the positive aspect of our Christian life, of joy, happiness, blessings, but there is another aspect, there is a weight and sobriety in the call to be a Christian as well. You have to understand that the Bible says that God is love but he is also a consuming fire. We must also know that we live in a dangerous world where there are forces that want to destroy us and undermine our Christian walk. There is an enemy who is consecrated 24 hours a day to destroy every man, every woman who has made a firm decision with Christ Jesus. We were on vacation this past week in Maine, and a person who was with us took a walk through the place where we were, he was walking on a fairly secluded path, in those Maine woods, and at the moment a deer crossed his path. , it turned out to be the mom, and she came out of the woods, looked and crossed the road and went back into the other side of the woods.

And he froze like that so as not to scare him and about thirty seconds later two little deer also came out of the brush and crossed behind the mother, and finally later the father deer came out behind them and crossed behind protecting, because men are like that, they play a more conservative role but they are there to protect, don't believe it, I fixed it, I fixed it (laughs).

These animals know that they live in a hostile world, if they get in the way, anything can happen, so there is a pattern of conservation, of preservation where one of them goes first and then the others pass, there is a hostile element that we have to be careful how we walk. We live in a world full of dangers and an evil presence that only wants to kill, steal and destroy the soul of Christians. The Word of God says be sober and watchful because your adversary walks like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. I think the world is full of Christians like careless bunnies, they go out on the road, they don't care, they think everything is fine, and there a tiger is waiting for them to devour them and eat them alive.

And I encourage you, brothers, to take the Christian life seriously. The world is getting worse every day, the enemy has been given more and more space to steal, kill and destroy. The world is being filled with violence and with so many terrible things that militate against the spiritual health of man. And a lukewarm and careless spirituality will not be able to resist the evil that has been unleashed on the earth. Parents, you need a double measure of spiritual vitality to be able to transfer your faith to your children in a world that is doing everything possible to destroy them, destroy their souls, you have to be twice as strong spiritually as you were perhaps 30 years ago. 40 years, because the fight is worse than ever, you need a strong, vital faith.

Young people, you have to recognize that you matter to God, you have to be young radicals for Christ, taking your Christian lives seriously.

I saw a young man coming out of a bank office the other days, in his shorts, no shirt, he looked Latino, listening to music, a careless bunny in life. And I saw this young man who seemed so empty, as devoid of a future as so many young people in our community, and I wondered, what is this young man going to do when he is twenty-five, thirty years old and wants to get married, and he finds that mother and dad are no longer willing to buy him tennis shoes, the latest model pants, the bicycle, or whatever? Then he will find that he lived carelessly, he did not live life seriously, he did not take life seriously, his called as a man, or a woman, a young lady also seriously, I want to call you young people, life is not just joy and joy and everything, sometimes you have to fear and tremble, you know? Sometimes you have to take your calling seriously. And I tell young people, God is telling us to become men and women filled with the Holy Spirit, people who are serious about their salvation.

What does Second Peter chapter 1 verse 10 say? It says: "Therefore, brothers, try all the more to make your vocation and election firm because by doing these things you will never fall." There are many people who believe well, I have already surrendered to Christ, I have already come forward, I no longer have anything to worry about, my passport is stamped, my visa is prepared, it no longer matters how I live here on earth. There are people who believe that their salvation depends only on God and that they have nothing to do about their salvation. There are many sectors of the Church that emphasize the sovereignty of God so much that they forget the responsibility of man. But here the apostle Peter tells us hey, make his call and his election to the Kingdom of God firm. Because if you do that you will never fall. I don't know if you read the text like me but it is saying that it is possible to fall if one does not take care of oneself in the Christian life.

If you don't take care of yourself, you can definitely lose your salvation, that's what I understand from the Word of the Lord. If you take God's call on your life too lightly, you are on very dangerous ground. The apostle Paul says that the only way you can be totally secure is to work hard on your salvation and do everything in your power to care for God's call on your life. You have to have a holy fear, that is necessary in the Christian life. There is a fear that comes from God and that produces a life of holiness. We know that we serve a terribly holy God, and sometimes a healthy measure of fear is very important to spiritual life. So brothers, that is God's call for you, we conclude with that, God is telling you that you are a Christian of all congregations, take your salvation seriously. Do everything in your power to defend what God has done in your life. Take seriously the call of God in your life, do everything you can to enliven the gift of God that is in you. Serve the Lord and give him everything that is on your mind. Serve the Lord and give him all your heart and mind.

Ask the Lord to remove everything that is in your mind that does not suit him. Understand that there is nothing more important that you can do in your life than to become a man, a woman of the Holy Spirit. I want to see our Church filled with men and women with a fever, a consuming love for God and His Kingdom. People who have died to the world and are now living exclusively for the Glory of God. People who are not afraid to say I am a servant of God and I live for the Kingdom of God. People who testify that Jesus Christ is their Lord and who bring souls to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and who live saying Lord use me, I want to be used by you, I want You to do a work in my life. People who cry over their sin and who are not happy with who we are but who want to be more and more like what God wants us to be.

People who want to die so that Christ is in them who is transferred through them. Brothers, how many want this type of life, a life busy with the things of the Lord, a life submerged upside down in the waters of the Spirit? God willing that this be the meaning of each one of us this morning.