Discipleship Week 10: The Call to Obedience

Philippians 2:12-18

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (v12-13)

Obeying God can be hard. Often we can’t see the benefit or reason behind the obedience that God calls us to. Often our self-centeredness gets in the way and we desire what we want over and above what God wants for us. Often our obeying God means giving up things that are really hard to give up. And many have had bad experiences with earthly authority figures, which makes it harder to trust in our heavenly Father who is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

But simply because obedience is hard does not mean that we should give up on obedience. In this passage Paul encourages the Philippians to keep on obeying and trusting God, regardless of whether he is there or not. And he makes several excellent points that should challenge and encourage us to deeper obedience:

1. Our obedience is based on the work of Christ (v12).

Paul begins this section with the word “therefore,” which means what he is about to say is directly tied to what has just been said. In this case, what comes before this passage is the beautiful and powerful poem about the work of Christ; his self-emptying to take on humanity, his selfless obedience, his humiliation, his death on a cross for us, and then his vindication and exaltation, and the promise that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This is so critical, because so often I believe that we have the wrong reasons for obeying God. Sometimes we obey for the sake of obedience, which then elevates obedience above God himself. Sometimes we obey because we think that our obedience somehow earns us some part of our salvation, which makes a mockery of the cross and Christ’s sacrifice for us. And sometimes we obey simply because we know it will make us look good, which deepens our self-centeredness and stands in stark contrast to the example of Christ selflessness from the previous passage. However none of these reasons will lead to sustained and joyful obedience to God.

Our obedience is based on the work of Christ. When we look at the cross, we see God’s extravagant love for us, we see how far God was willing to go to save us from our sin, we see how obedient Christ was to his Heavenly Father, and we see the price that was paid for our sin. Christ died so that we can live. And that should motivate us to joyful obedience.

2. Our obedience is ongoing (v12).

In our busy culture we are all about appointments and to do lists: I have a class at nine, I have an appointment at 11, I’m having lunch with someone at noon, I get off of work at 5. Our calendars are dominated by points of time. And given our busyness this is somewhat necessary. But it can be easy to do the same thing with God, and reduce our obedience to God to a list of do’s and don’ts or to points on our calendar. I need to go to bible study, I need to go to church, I need to have a quiet time each day, I need to not get drunk with my friends this weekend, and I need to be more loving to people when I see them at church. All of these things are good acts of obedience. But if our obedience to God is reduced to a checklist, then we miss countless opportunities to obey God throughout our day. We miss opportunities to talk to people about Jesus, and we miss opportunities to show God’s love and mercy to someone we meet. And then we don’t think about obedience at the times that we REALLY need to think about obedience. We’re not thinking about obedience when we put ourselves in a compromising situation that will lead us into sin. But if obedience is an ongoing act, and throughout our day we are in a dialogue with God, seeking God’s wisdom about the people we meet and the situations that we face, then we will truly honor God with our entire lives, and not just obey God at certain points in our lives. Obeying God can truly be an ongoing, continual act!   

3. Our obedience is empowered by God (v13).

How often have you struggled with an area of sin in your life, and responded by saying something along the lines of “I need to do better. I need to try harder.”? Ironically, when we focus on our own efforts to please and obey God, it actually orients us to our flesh and leads us deeper into the sin that we struggle with! Any effort to please God on our own will ultimately fail! Thankfully God is already at work in our lives. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, shaping our wills and giving us the strength to obey God and follow him. So much of our obedience to God is simply stepping back and getting out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can do what he desires to do in us. Now that certainly requires us to surrender our will and the idea that only we know what is best for us, but it is certainly worth it to have Holy Spirit cultivating both the will and strength to obey God. And it is certainly easier than the grind of trying to obey God in our own strength.

4. Our obedience should be done not only in deed, but also in heart and mind (v14).

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning…” Let’s be honest: we have all had times where we have done something that we needed to do, but our heart wasn’t in it. And we have all had times where we have done what was required of us, but with mixed motives. But Paul makes it clear that how we obey God, and the heart and mind behind that obedience, is just as important as the act of obedience itself. Our heart and our mind should line up with our actions. This is biblical integrity. And this call to integrity is seen throughout Scripture. The prophets are filled with criticisms of people who worshiped God by the letter of the law but had no love or concern for those who were suffering. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus made it clear that sins that we think of as only external acts can take place inside our hearts, even if no external act is visible. And James challenged his readers to not swear oaths, because as a Christian you should never have to swear an oath…you life should be enough to back up the promises that you make.

Now certainly there are times where an act of obedience comes before the heart and the mind catch up. Let us not fall into the trap of thinking we should not attempt obedience until we are ready to obey in heart, mind, and deed! If that were the case we would NEVER obey God! Often the act of obedience is what leads to our hearts and our minds following in obedience as well. But if our obedience is only external, and not internal, then we are going to have problems, both in our relationship with God and with others.  

5. The goal for our obedience should be set to the highest standard (v15-16).

Look at the words Paul uses to describe our obedience: blameless, innocent, children of God without blemish, shine as lights in the world. When we look at the sin and brokenness in our lives we can clearly say that this describes none of us as we currently are. But this perfection should be our goal. We should shoot for perfection for three reasons: One, this is God’s standard. He is holy, and he calls us to holiness. Two, we will be perfected when we are with Jesus, and we will be like that for eternity. So we can begin to live for eternity now by striving for that goal. And three, if we don’t have this standard then really the only other standard we can shoot for is to be a little better than the rest of our culture. And the bar that our culture sets is a VERY low bar. Like the Philippians, we live in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.

Sadly however, many Christians only aim to be a little better than the world around them, and feel that this accomplishment somehow satisfies God’s call to obedience. I don’t get as drunk as my friends do. I don’t gossip as much as my co-workers do. I didn’t cheat as much as my classmates did, I just looked at one answer. I don’t look at hard porn like my friends do, I just watch some “soft” stuff from time to time. All of our friends who are dating are sexually active, but my girlfriend and I just play around a little…we don’t go all the way. All of these rationalizations are based on a belief (consciously or unconsciously), that God’s call to obedience is only a little higher than the rest of the culture. But in reality, these rationalizations are simply attempts to justify sin.

6. Our obedience blesses the Christians who have poured into our lives (v16-18).

Certainly pleasing others should not be our primary motivation to obey God (the cross should be our primary motivation, see #1). But it is important to note that others are blessed by our obedience. It brings them joy, not because they have done a good job at pouring into you, but because they see God at work in you and God’s kingdom being furthered through you because of your decisions and acts of obedience. And that truly is a blessing and a joy. I can easily say that my greatest blessings as a pastor is not when someone verbally affirms my ministry (although those affirmations are greatly appreciated!), but when a person who I am pouring into makes decisions to honor and obey God, especially when those decisions require hard choices between following God and their former way of life. So in those times where we are struggling with a decision to obey God, let us keep in mind that obedience not only honors God, but it brings joy and blessing to others.

Obeying God can be hard, and at times it requires us to make really hard decisions, and calls us to surrender things in our lives that we don’t want to let go of. But we have the extravagant love of God as our motivation, as well as the beautiful example set by Christ. And just as God is glorified in the self-sacrificial obedience of the son, so will God be glorified in our self-sacrificial steps of obedience. May we continue to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

1. What are the areas in your life where you struggle in obeying God? Why do you think this area is a struggle for you?

2. How do each of the points above challenge and encourage you regarding your obedience to God?

3. What steps do you need to take this week to continue in and grow in your obedience to God?

Discipleship Week 9: Pay It Forward

Philippians 2:1-4

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Paul’s exhortation in these verses is about giving of ourselves to others. Specifically, his argument is this: If you have received any blessing as a Christian, you have an obligation to pass that along to others. There are many who have selflessly invested in our own spiritual lives; many who have encouraged us, challenged us, comforted us, and pointed us to God even in the most difficult of circumstances. Personally, I can say that the list of blessings I have received as a follower of Christ is extensive, and the list of people I have received those blessings from is equally extensive.

But the Christian life is not just about receiving those blessings, it is about passing those blessings onto others. In other words, pay it forward. If you have been loved and encouraged in your Christian life, you need to love and encourage others. You cannot just receive. And the heart behind passing these blessings on to others requires selflessness on our part. We can’t be a blessing to others if we are focused only on ourselves. This is why Paul bluntly admonishes us to count others more important than ourselves. And this short passage is sandwiched in between two beautiful illustrations of radical selflessness. In 1:29 Paul describes how the key to gospel living is suffering, coming to an end of yourself, and completely dying to yourself. And 2:5-11 is a beautiful poem about Christ’s selfless and humbling sacrifice for us. And so if we are to pass on the blessings we have received, we cannot have selfishness dominating our heart. D.A. Carson says it this way:

“We owe love and encouragement to others because we have received so much. Above all, we owe this kind of character and stance to others because we profess to follow Christ Jesus, and that, supremely, is his character and stance. It is always deeply disturbing to find some professed Christians, members of the church, who think only of what they get. What a pathetically Christ-denying attitude! Give and give and give. We are called not only to enjoy the comforts of the gospel but also to pass them on.”  -D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Give and give and give. May we follow Christ’s example as well as the example of those who have blessed us.

1. What are ways you have been blessed as a Christian? Who has given those blessings to you?

2. Are you more selfish or selfless? How does that impact how you view your world and the people around you? And how does selfishness keep you from blessing others in the same way you have been blessed?

3. What are some practical ways this week that you can sacrificially and selflessly give of yourself to others? What are ways that you can count others as more significant than yourself?

Discipleship Week 8: Gospel Living

Philippians 1:27-30

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…”

In the first 26 verses of Philippians, Paul does an excellent job describing the importance of the gospel, and how it must come first in our lives. But Paul is never one for teaching truth without application, and this passage begins to outline our response to how we should live in light of the gospel. “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ…”

So what are the characteristics of gospel living? One, we should be consistent, we should live the same whether our pastors and mentors are around us or not. Two, we should be unified with other believers, standing firm in one mind and one spirit. Three we should be fearless about the gospel. And four, we should always seek to promote and share the gospel. All four of these characteristics are important… If we do not live consistently or are not unified in our commitment to the gospel and each other, we come across as hypocrites when we share Christ. If we are fearful then we look as if we do not really believe in the gospel. And if we do not actively promote the gospel and contend for the gospel, then how will others hear the good news?

But the key to embodying these characteristics and having a manner of life worthy of the gospel is found in verse 29: “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” Suffering is the key to gospel living. We are called to suffer as followers of Jesus Christ. Without suffering we cannot reflect how Christ suffered for us. We cannot reflect the gospel. And this is not circumstantial suffering, where we take on some discomfort in a given situation to honor Christ, although we are called to that from time to time. This suffering is like that of Christ: the complete and total surrender of ourselves. D.A. Carson says it well:

“Recall what Jesus tells his disciples in Mark 8, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me’ (Mark 8:34). This language, too, is shocking. To first-century ears, it does not mean that we must all learn to put up with a wart or a disappointment or an obstreperous mother-in-law or an impending mathematics exam: ‘We all have our crosses to bear!’ No, to first-century ears this means you must take the cross-member on your beaten shoulders and stagger to the place of crucifixion and there be executed in blistering agony and shame. To take up your cross means you have passed all point of possible reprieve, all point of hope that you will once again be able to pursue your own interests; you are on your way to death, a dishonorable death at that. So for Jesus’ disciples to take up their cross, even to take up their cross daily (Luke 9:23), is to say, in spectacularly metaphorical terms, that they are to come to the end of themselves—no matter how costly that death—in order to follow Jesus. This lies at the heart of all Christian discipleship. Every time and every place that we refuse to acknowledge that this is so, we sin against Christ and need to confess the sin and return to basics. We are to take up our cross daily.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

1. In what ways do you need to come to an end of yourself? What are the areas of your life where you are pursuing your own interests above God?

2. Many of the things that we pursue are good, honorable things. Why is the pursuit of those good things above God damaging to our relationship with God and to our gospel witness?

3. What is holding you back from suffering for Christ in the way that Carson describes? What do you need to do so that nothing is holding you back from daily taking up your cross and following Jesus?