“Let him who standeth take heed lest he fall.”

Steve Brown:
“Let him who standeth take heed lest he fall.” Let’s talk, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
That was Steve Brown, and this is Key Life. We’re dedicated to the teaching that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don’t get any better, God will still love them anyway. Steve is an author, seminary professor, and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. If you have your Bible, open it to Philippians 2:12 and 13. Powerful verses, and we’ve been talking about how you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. And we spent a good deal of time defining the terms. And we saw that Paul is talking, not cutting the legs off of salvation being a one time event. It is. But saying there’s more to it than that because that’s a beginning step and I’m going to work with you God says in some incredible ways in circumstances, in what you’re taught so that you grow and you become mature in Christ. Let me tell you something, some of you guys are overly obsessed about being good. Stop it. Some of you, all you can think about is did I do that right or did I do that wrong? Did I get an A or did I get an F? Stop all that stuff cause I have a promise for you.

He who began a good work in you

this is Philippians 1:6

will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

And so, we go back to Philippians 2:12b.

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

And we’ve seen, as we’ve talked about this particular point that Paul is making, that attitude reflects your reality. Now, don’t misunderstand what Paul is saying when he says.

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

He doesn’t mean that you should go before the throne, scared to death that you’re going to be kicked out. The God who sits on that throne is your Father. And the Scripture teaches we don’t call him just Father, we call him Abba. And that is a term of endearment for one’s Father. So, it doesn’t mean be scared to death that he’s going to say I’ve had it with you. You haven’t done enough. Trembling, not because you are cold, or because you’re afraid that he’s going to whack you upside the head with a 2×4, but trembling in the same way you do when you stand before a gigantic ship. And it is so big, and so awesome, and so gigantic that you just begin to shake and go, Wow! Wow! That’s the attitude. And if you were listening yesterday, and it’s worth repeating, learn the difference between intimacy and flippancy. We’re supposed to have intimate prayers. The Scripture clearly teaches that. If you ever came into my study early in the morning when I was praying, you would be shocked because it’s the only honest place that I have where I wear no masks, not even one. The intimacy that I have with my Father. And I’ve been doing this longer than most of you guys have been alive, is sometimes incredible. I say it often, and every time I say it, I wince because it sounds so pious, but I’m a man of prayer. And Jesus and coffee get me up in the morning. And I couldn’t survive. Well, maybe without coffee, but I’m not sure, but I’m absolutely sure I couldn’t survive without Jesus. And that time is the most intimate time of my life. I’m totally honest, but I’m not flippant cause I remember the attributes of a sovereign God who’s in charge of my life, who wants the best for me. And who’s going to see that the best for me happens. Now, listen carefully. The difference between the action of a pagan and the action of a Christian is this, the Christian acts in awareness, or as Paul puts it, in Godly fear, knowing who God is and trembling and something good happens. The unbeliever acts in pride and confidence. And falls on his or her face. I Corinthians 10:12

Let him who standeth take heed lest he fall.

And that’s what Paul is saying in this. He’s talking about our attitude when we come before God. An attitude reflects your reality. Your words don’t, sometimes, not even your actions. But attitude, what goes on in your heart, is really important. I heard someone, in fact, you would know who it was if I told you, but I’m not going to. But it was a wise comment, and he was criticizing the celebrities within the body of Christ. And he said.

That he sometimes prays for the celebrities that God would shut them all down. It’s all flesh. And then the leaders of the ministries should go back to the mountain and let God break them. Then and only then should they return to the ministry.

Oh my, that’s not good. Well, it is good. It’s just not very comforting. But I go there, and I want to go there. And that’s because God wants me to go there. He wants me to remember who He is. There’s an old story about a child who was approached by his father who was in the Roman army. His father had a big plumed helmet on, and the armor on, and the little boy ran to his mother. And then the soldier took off his helmet, and the boy saw that it was his father, and ran to him, crying, Daddy, Daddy. That’s the attitude that a Christian has, and it makes a difference as we work out our salvation in fear and trembling because attitude reflects your reality. Let me show you something else. Not only do I want you to note the activity and the attitude of the believer in the process of salvation, I want you to note also the animation of the believer in the process of salvation. And please note that these all begin with an A, I worked hard on that, Philippians 2:12b through 13a. And I love this.

Continue

Paul says

to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Here it comes.

For it is God who works in you to will and do his will.

Now, the Greek noun form of the verb Paul uses here is the Greek word from which we get the English word energize. And so, Paul is saying, where do you get the energy? The energy comes from him. Let me again read, I have an amplified Bible in my study and I sometimes check it out. Sometimes I think they go too far, but most of the time they help me understand the text better. Listen to what they say with this.

Work out your own salvation, not in your own strength, for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you, energizing and creating in you the power and desire, both the will and to work.

Let me tell you something you may not know. You may not feel it. You may not understand it. You may not see it, but it is nevertheless true that God is working in you right now as you work out your salvation. And the truth is, as you’ve listened to me teach this text, and as I’ve applied it to myself, and I have been convicted, and you have been convicted, we would not have been convicted if it weren’t for God who was working out our salvation and energizing us inside, to do and think and be what is pleasing to him. And so, back to what I said earlier, if you’re obsessing on this, cut it out. You’re going to get better. The Scripture is so clear on that. You really are going to get better. And our obsessing on getting better is sometimes the reason we don’t get better. So, trust God, do all you can, and then for God’s sake, let the devil take the hindmost. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve. And that does it for our study of Philippians this week. As always, thank you for taking this journey with us. On Monday, Matt Heard will join us again for another special Advent episode. Don’t miss that. But first Steve will be back tomorrow, joined by Pete Alwinson for Friday Q&A. Tomorrow, they’ll tackle this question, is the story of Noah’s Ark true? Mmm, tune in for their answer from the Bible. Well, throughout the year, we do a handful of Steve Brown Etc. episodes with just us, no guests. And while they’re all fun, it’s, it’s hard to top our Christmas episode. Last year, we told stories, we ate cookies and even had a surprise appearance from the Grinch. Plus as always, Steve read the Christmas story from Luke 2, which if you’ve never heard him read it, just amazing. So, check out that episode for yourself by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE and we’ll send that show to you on CD for free. Again, that number to call is 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to order that CD. Or to mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact for our mailing addresses. Again, just ask for the free Steve Brown Etc. Christmas show CD. And finally, if you’ve been blessed by the work of Key Life, would you help share that blessing with others through your financial support? Giving is easy. Just charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or you can give safely and securely through text. Just text Key Life to 28950, then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.