The title of the sermon is gonna be what the church is supposed to do. What the church is supposed to do. Before we move forward, let's offer up one word of prayer for our time together. Lord, thank you so much for this time that we have to gather together as a local body here at Southside. Thank you for being able to sing praises to you, to worship you, to fellowship with each other, with the commonality of our faith in Christ. Please bless this time that we have together. Please be with me as I attempt to preach your word and guard me from error. And we hope and pray that this service is pleasing in your sight. We thank you, we praise you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen. So as Brother Adam said, we're starting in verse 12. And Paul starts here in verse 12, and he makes kind of a bold statement. Wherefore, my beloved, As ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. We've seen as we walk through this epistle that Paul has asked the Philippians to do multiple things. He's instructed them to be filled with the fruits of righteousness, chapter one, verse 11. That their conversation or their manner of life was supposed to be cometh the gospel of Christ, chapter one, verse 27. They were supposed to be standing together in one spirit, one mind, and one accord. Chapter one, verse 27, and chapter two, verse two. They were also supposed to mind others better than themselves. Chapter two, verse four. So we have to remember too that Paul is in prison here. He's not with this group of believers. But he trusts, he has confidence that if he sends instruction, they're gonna obey. They're gonna do what he asked them to do. That takes a lot of confidence. I mean, we ask people to do things in our everyday life and they forget. Things get in the way. We ask people to pray for us. It doesn't get done. But Paul had this confidence in this church. He had a special affinity for this church. He founded this church. And as we've talked about, there's a lot of emotional language from Paul in this epistle. But the next phrase we come across in our walk through verse 12 is, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. So what does this mean? So some had proposed that we do all that we can to keep and secure our salvation. This is a goal that one works towards, to hang on, to keep it. But mainly the idea is being that there is care for the salvation of our souls. Now, that's true. We're supposed to care for the salvation of our souls. But I don't think that that's what Paul's talking about here. What he's talking about here is the word salvation, and that's used two different ways in the New Testament. The first way we're all familiar with, someone hears the gospel, puts their faith in Christ. We see that in Romans 10, 9, Ephesians 1, 13, and 14. But the second way that it's used in the New Testament, it's of a future salvation that believers are promised once we go and be with the Lord. It's where the spirit of adoption in Romans 8.15 reaches its full conclusion. The redemption of our bodies, Romans 8.23, and ultimately glorification, Romans 8.17. So Paul is saying here, not hang on to your salvation, not keep your salvation, but work up until the point that you're glorified. Don't stop working. Don't stop serving the Lord. You're saved. That's great. That's what God calls us to be, is saved, reconciled to him. But that doesn't mean that the work stops. That doesn't mean that we stop serving God. Don't stop working until you are glorified. And it fits kind of with the latter part of the verse Fear and trembling. Before coming to salvation, the fear and trembling would be of God's judgment on us, condemnation, God's wrath. But he's talking to believers here. This is a healthy fear. This is a healthy trembling that motivates somebody to serve him. We love God. We're in awe of God. And because of his awesomeness and his amazingness, we serve him. It's a healthy fear, not of judgment, not of condemnation. So we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We work to serve God. But how do we do that? Well, Paul keeps talking. Verse 13. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. So notice here that God worketh in you. This is present tense. God is working. God is active in you. Now this is written to the believers at Philippi, but it applies to us too. It's not that God stopped working in the first century in believers. He works in us too. This person that God is working in is somebody who is saved, who will be saved when they're ultimately glorified. But this work that God is doing, it's not for naught. It has an effect to will and to do God's good pleasure. So what does that mean? So to desire and want to do something is good. That's a good thing. There's nothing wrong with that. It's an improvement on where we were before we came to Christ. Before we came to Christ, we had no desire to do things according to God's ways. Now we're saved, but God's still working in us. So it's not enough now just to desire to do what God wants us to do. He works in us to will and to do his good pleasure. This desire now has action attached to it. God doesn't just want us to want to do his pleasure, but in actuality, in reality, when the opportunity presents itself, to accomplish that which he wills and desires for us. There's action involved. And what's interesting here is that the word worketh and the word to do later in this verse, it's the same word in Greek and it's where we get our English word energize from. So the concept that was kind of laid out when I was doing my studying is that an electrical current that was energizing a wire and it travels down a wire and it lights a bulb. And I think that's a good analogy. The problem is it doesn't work if the bulb is burnt out. It doesn't work if the bulb is broken. If the bulb is not functioning properly, the energy doesn't get to where it needs to go. So, what does that look like? We're gonna look at that in the next few verses. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, verse 14. Now, we have to note here that this is not advocating for not speaking about things you disagree with. We're the body of Christ, we're a local body here, we're gonna disagree on things. You're not to keep your mouth shut, however, The context here and what he's talking about is muttering under your breath, saying, you know what, that's right, and just kind of muttering over here, I can't believe he's really saying that. That's the murmuring it's talking about, not being honest, not being open, not being edifying to the body. Same thing with these disputings. It's about disagreements. We're gonna have disagreements. We're people, we're imperfect people. God works through imperfect people. We're gonna have disagreements. This doesn't say even that we can't have doubts about things. What someone says, or even doubts about God. If you think a Christian has no doubts about God, I challenge you to read the Psalms. I challenge you to read David. And when he asked, where is God? The key being is that at the end, David doesn't leave it there. He still worships God, even if he doesn't understand what's going on. But the doubt is still there. The turmoil is still there, and it's real. So what do we do with these doubts, these questions that we have? Do we seek counsel from our fellow Christians? Or do we struggle and fight in silence and isolation? The problem always arises when we go to seek answers and seek it in our own effort, that we don't seek the family that we have in Christ when we have issues. And more importantly, we don't seek God in answering these questions. It is entirely self-reliant, and that's what is the problem. Throughout the New Testament, Scripture tells us to function as a body connected to each other. Our commonality is Jesus Christ. Because we have commonality in Jesus Christ, we can have fellowship, we can have unity. Wednesday night, we're going through the catechism, and I was actually teaching this week, and the question was, what is the church? And the church is a body of people who believe in Jesus Christ. And Sister Ree brought up that unity does not mean uniformity. And I agree with that. We don't all agree on the same things, but what's the commonality? The gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what unites us. That's what brings us together. So, if we're struggling with something, why not go to family? Those of us who are not struggling with these doubts or questions. What do we do when someone comes to us? Do we brush them off? Do we just say, just have faith? or do we come alongside them and lift them up? We're going through Hebrews in Sunday school, and we're in Hebrews chapter 10, and it talks about exhorting one another. Now, exhorting means to lift up, but also it means to come along beside somebody and to point out pitfalls that they may not see. That's part of the exhortation. That really only works when we're involved with each other, when we care about each other's souls enough to ask questions, to come alongside, to weep with somebody, to pray with somebody. It's not just lip service. This is action. And it's God who is working on us, in us, with this action. Because if we don't take the time to care about each other's souls, to really care, We're disobeying what Paul's talking about here in this chapters one and two. He lays it out how people are supposed to care for each other, to be of one mind, one spirit, and one accord. How we interact with each other matters. As individuals and as the local body here at Southside, it matters. It has an effect. So again, the next question is, what's the purpose? Why do we need to mind how we behave as a local body, as individuals? Paul continues, verse 15, that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world. So the effect of God working in us is that we're supposed to be a light to the world that we live in. A crooked and perverse nation. I mean, that definitely describes America. It describes a lot of places. But it's God that's working in us, and Paul is emphasizing the believer's life in what it conveys to the world around us. This verse alone, in my mind, shows that Christians are not to live in isolation. Because if you're supposed to be light and you're supposed to be shining to a crooked and perverse nation, how can you do that if you're by yourself? How can you do that if you're secluded and not interacting with the world? God calls us to shine as lights. The word light means to shine, to illuminate that which is dark. The description of a wicked, I'm sorry, a crooked and perverse nation is moral in its nature. It's a moral description. Crooked means dried out and twisted, and perverse means the opposite of what it should be. It's not supposed to be this way, and yet it is. So these moral descriptions, and this is why Paul is telling the believers at Philippi that God is working in them, he's energizing them to desire to do his goodwill, to actually accomplish it, to live a moral and upright life. And it's for a purpose to be a light to the world around them. Jesus states in John chapter 8 verse 12 that, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He also says in Matthew 5, 14 through 16, to his disciples, ye are the lights of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. The church, the body of Christ, has the light that the world needs. We have that light. But if we only shine in our house, amongst each other, We're not being obedient to what Paul said, and even more importantly, we're not being obedient to what Jesus said. It's not just about us. So what is being blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in this midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom you shine as lights in the world look like? What is the foundation upon which one can stand in that capacity and make those claims? Verse 16 tells us, holding forth the word of life. So what is the word of life? I have a better question, who is the word of life? Jesus, Jesus Christ is the word of life. I believe that's clearly stated in scripture. And let us not remember that what gives life is not a concept, an idea. Not our works, not a checklist, not even our love. Jesus gives life. Jesus Christ is the one who gives life. Peter says to Jesus in John 6, 68, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. But Jesus goes even further later in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, verse six. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And the life that he gives us through the Holy Spirit, it looks a certain way. I'm sure we're all familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, affectionately known as the love chapter. So what's the point in that chapter? That things that are done in the body should be done in love. I think we can all agree with that. Doing things God's way means doing them in love. Now the context going back to verse, I'm sorry, chapter 12 in Corinthians is having to do with how spiritual gifts work in the body, how they work together. Not everyone is the same, not everyone has the same gift, but they all participate in the local body and they do so in love. Now this love should extend past our local body to those who don't know Christ. The Bible tells us to warn people of their sin against the holy and righteous God. To tell them that the only way to be saved from God's wrath is by giving their life to Christ, trusting him for their salvation. We're supposed to do that. This is truth, that everyone is supposed to be saved. We cannot minimize or downplay sin. We can't do that. But Paul addresses this in his letter to the Colossians chapter four, verses five through six. He tells them to walk in wisdom towards them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. Truth can be hard to hear sometimes. It really can, especially when it comes to sin. No one wants to hear about their sin. Believer, unbeliever, doesn't matter. We don't like to hear about our sin. But Paul is instructing the believers at Colossae to be careful how they speak to those who are without, to speak with grace. Be honest, but also striking that delicate balance of demonstrating love and compassion with relaying the truth of Scripture. And it is a delicate balance because as we see in 1 Corinthians 13, love rejoices in truth, not iniquity, verse six. Is kind, verse four, and does not behave unseemly. And the Philippians doing this, it gives Paul a reason to rejoice in verse 16. That I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither labored in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. For this same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me." So Paul had invested a lot of time and effort into this church to see the fruits of his labor that he had done for the Lord, but to see that actually take root and manifest He rejoices. Those of y'all who have been members of this church for a long time, seeing people grow up in their faith, not just in age, but just growing in their faith, it's a beautiful thing. It happens when you do life together. That's what we're called to do, to do life together. So this local church, had a special place in Paul's heart. The rest of the chapter highlights how much he cared. He cared enough that even though he trusted that they were gonna obey and do what he asked them to do, he still sent people to check on them. We're still fallen creatures, we still mess up, we still need guidance. Paul realized that. He sends Timothy, he sends Epaphroditus, He sends people that he trusts to this body to make sure that things are going as they're supposed to. Now, Brother Adam and I were talking through text a little bit earlier this week and kind of how we see certain things in scripture, and he brought up about how he had a thought about some of the apostles and that they were kind of old, seasoned, wise men. And I got to thinking of how I think about Paul as he's writing these letters, and I immediately go to Galatians. And he's very forthright, and we would say maybe a little harsh in Galatians. He calls them foolish. That's the same person who wrote this here, these tender words to a church. It shows the duality that just like God can have wrath and be just and be loving, that we can say harsh things and still show tender love and care. And we're supposed to. God gives us that example. Paul's giving us that example here. Don't skate on doctrine. Paul delivered doctrine. He founded churches. He rebuked when necessary. But why did he do it? Because he cared. He had a heart for the body of Christ. We are to have a heart for the body of Christ. That's the purpose. That's the goal. We have Epaphroditus here who's sick. And this church, they heard about it and they cared. They cared that this man was sick. It affected him so much that he made a special effort to make sure he got to go back to them. He didn't want them worrying about him. When we show that kind of care to each other, we're being obedient to scripture. So again, the title of the sermon was, What Should the Church Do? We should love each other. And in that love for each other, obey what scripture says and shine as lights in the world. What does that shining look like? Holding forth the word of life, which is Christ. It's as simple as that. And as complicated as that. As Brother Bell says all the time, where you work is a mission field. If you live in a house with unbelievers, it's a mission field. The grocery store is a mission field. And sometimes you don't even have to tell somebody that you're a Christian because sometimes God's already working in them and you don't even know it. And sometimes they come and ask you for prayer when you thought they'd be the last person to come and ask you for prayer. How we live our life, how we shine to a crooked and perverse nation means something. Our conduct is to be above reproach, without rebuke. And the only way that happens is when we recognize that God is working in us. He has not ceased working in us. Do you feel run down? You feel like your faith is small? God hasn't stopped working in you. You're just not fixing the bulb so he can energize and light you up. We can fix the bulb. God's already fixed us. We don't have to be broken anymore. God has repaired what needs to be repaired so that we can shine. Our problem is we don't want to obey. We don't want to be like the Philippians. God tells us to do something, we don't want to do it. And sometimes we're even resolved not to do it. but Scripture calls us to a higher standard. So what should the church do? Hold forth the word of life in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Let's pray. Lord, thank you so much for this time. Thank you for your mercy and your grace. Help us each to meditate on this this week, to be your light shining in the world. We know that you energize us, you work in us, I pray that none of us quench the spirit, that we do your will and your good pleasure for your glory, not for ours. In the name of your son, Christ our Lord, amen.