A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall speaks of a spiritual workout.

John Randall: Listen. Do you want to go farther in your walk with the Lord? I say, yes, I do. John, do you want to learn more with the scriptures has to say or have you figured it out? I need to learn more. All right, then work it out. Continue to do what you're doing. Again, not to earn your salvation, but because you have salvation. Here's your responsibility. Not to be saved, but because you are saved. The Bible says that we are his workmanship. But the Bible also calls us workmen. Here then is the balance.

Guest (Male): Well, hi there friend, and welcome again to a daily walk. Pastor John Randall will be with us shortly to continue our study of Philippians. John's message is called spiritual workout. When we come to Christ for salvation, we must realize it's a total work of God by grace. But then God goes to work in and through our lives. He gives us a job to do, but this too is to be fueled by grace and the power of the Spirit. You see, he supplies the power and ability to live the life we're called to. But we have a part to play in this.

With more, let's turn to Philippians chapter 2.

John Randall: Some 19 times already throughout this letter written to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul talks about the joy of the Lord or rejoicing in the Lord. 15 times he talks about the mind or thinking. And the amazing thing is that Paul writes these encouragements on joy from a prison cell. Paul had learned the same lesson that we are learning, that joy isn't something that you can manufacture in and of yourself. It's not thinking positive thoughts or having a positive mental attitude or thinking happy thoughts, but actually it's a work of the Holy Spirit. It's thinking biblically.

It's reasoning scripturally. It's looking at whatever it is that you're going through through the lens of the word of God, through the promises that he gives. And when you have that kind of mentality, then you may be able to rejoice in the midst of all things. And so Paul writes so many valuable truths concerning the life of joy. But when you come to the second chapter, the letter changes somewhat as Paul begins to address some of the problems that the church in Philippi was having in the area of unity. And so he exhorted them to be like-minded, to walk in humility, to love one another, and to reinforce this exhortation.

He gave them an example to follow. The best example that there is, Jesus. And he pointed to Jesus and how he said, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, and how that Jesus, although he was God, laid aside his divine privileges in order to come and be clothed in humanity in order to die for us on a cross, to rise again from the dead. And now he is exalted to the right hand of the Father where he is glorified. And so it is in light of the example of Christ and this call to unity that we come to verse 12 and the word says therefore.

Ah, you know why it's therefore? It's therefore to connect us to everything he just previously said in light of everything I just said to you. In light of the example of Christ, therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Paul reminds these believers, first and foremost, that he loves them. He calls them my beloved. This exhortation that he's about to give was motivated by love. He wasn't coming down on them, but he was encouraging them. And when Paul was with the church, that is when he first planted this church, when he discipled the people, when he taught them from the word of God, they were responsive.

They were obedient to the word of God. They put into practice what it was that Paul was teaching when Paul was physically there among them. But now he says, just like you were obedient when I was with you, I'm encouraging you to continue to do those things when I'm not with you. Paul never wanted the relationship of the church to be based on him, but to be based on Christ. And so he reminds him, listen, when I was there with you, you guys did exactly what we taught you. Keep doing that. Don't stop doing that just because I'm not with you there physically.

Their life in Christ, their walk with Jesus, their relationship with God was not dependent upon Paul. They had to be mature in their walk with the Lord and continued to grow. Paul's past commendation is being used to motivate present and future conduct within the church. Remember how you guys loved each other? Remember how when I was with you, you served one another? How you shared the gospel? Listen, keep on doing that. Don't stop that. Continue to grow. Well, how does that work its way out into our life practically? Well, that brings us to verses 12 and 13.

And here we have, folks, a balance between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. Did you know that the Bible teaches both, that God is sovereign and man has a free will? How can that be? That just I don't That doesn't make sense to me. Oh well, it's in the Bible. It's there. And you don't have to try to reconcile these two ideas. You just simply believe it when you read it. When you come to a place that talks about the sovereignty of God, that's exactly what you teach. God is sovereign. That's what the Bible says.

Well, when you come to a place that says that man has a free will and an opportunity to decide something, then that's exactly what you teach. Well, how do you reconcile it? You don't have to. You just believe what it says. Did you know there are many things in scripture that I don't fully understand about God? And yet I accept it. I'm so glad. I'm so thankful for his grace, his love, his mercy, his compassion, his justice, all of these attributes of God. I don't know and fully understand the length to which they go. But what I do understand, I appreciate such is the case with the sovereignty of God and the free will of man.

Look at the balance here. First of all, Paul says this, workout your own salvation with fear and trembling. Here's the other side, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Now when commenting on this verse, let me begin first of all by describing to you what it doesn't mean. And the reason is because there is some confusion. People just read verse 12 and they don't read verse 13. It does not say nor does it imply work for your salvation. Work for your salvation with fear and trembling.

It doesn't say that. Keep in mind that Paul is writing here to believers. He calls them saints. They are born again Christians. So he 's not saying work for your salvation. They were already saved. So he's not saying that. Salvation is not, I repeat not, a work of man. It is a work of God on behalf of man that was accomplished through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through his resurrection. If you try to add to the work of salvation, you take away from it. You There's nothing that you could do or I could do to earn salvation.

The gospel means good news. It's good news that I've saved by grace through faith, that it's a gift of God. It's bad news to say, hey listen, you got to work for it. Do your best to give it a Give it a try. See how you do. See if you can make it. I mean, that's not a biblical doctrine. You don't work for your salvation. It's a gift. It's not of works. We're justified by faith that is trusting in the finished work of Christ, justified because of what he's done, not by my works, but because of his mercy.

Okay then, if it doesn't mean work for your salvation, what does Paul mean when he says workout your own salvation? It means to carry out to its ultimate conclusion. The word in ancient times was used for those individuals who worked inside of the minds. A miner goes into a mine and he takes out, works out what has already been placed inside of the mind by the creator. You're You're working out what's already been worked in. Working out your salvation then is working out what God has already placed within you. These people were saved. Paul saying, hey, walk that out.

Walk out this salvation, this walk with the Lord. You remember when Paul wrote to Timothy in 1st Timothy chapter 4 verse 7? He told him to reject the profane and old wives' fables. And then he said, and exercise yourself to godliness. He would say for bodily exercise profits a little, godliness is profitable for all things. The word exercise, where we get our English word gymnasium. Work it out. The Philippians were saved and now they needed to continue to work out practically arriving at the conclusion of Christ's likeness. Listen. Do you want to go farther in your walk with the Lord?

I say, yes, I do. John, do you want to learn more with the scriptures has to say or have you figured it out? I need to learn more. All right, then work it out. Continue to do what you doing. Again, not to earn your salvation, but because you have salvation. Here's your responsibility. Not to be saved, but because you are saved. The Bible says that we are his workmanship. But the Bible also calls us workmen. Here then is the balance. Paul's talking about a mutual cooperation with God called to work out and to apply what God has worked in.

Did you know that God has given us all the tools that we need? The Bible says that we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, meaning everything that you need and that I need to grow as a Christian. I got it. I found it. It's here in the word and in fellowship and in prayer. Everything that we need to make it. The spirit of God, it's all available to us. He's given us the tools. He's given us the armor with which to fight with. I mean, everything that we need, guys, to walk out what he has given is available.

It's accessible to us. The question is whether or not we're going to work it out. Are you going to work it out? Think of it in these terms, physically speaking for a moment. You say, well, I'm seeking to maintain my health. I'm going to get in shape. And so I'm going to order a Peloton. Heard those things work great. And so you get a Peloton. Like, it's here. Oh my goodness. And you can have it there and you can stare at it. You can look at it. And you know, look at the pictures and and you know, you you have it and you don't use it.

Well, I take that back. You use it. You hang clothes on it. You just you have it, but you're not really using it. It's there. The tools are there. Get on the thing and ride. I'm not riding. Okay, you're not working it out. You have what you need, but you but you don't do it. And And in a sense when Paul says saying, listen, you've been saved. You You You're born again now. Workout what's been worked into you. Exercise yourself toward godliness. Workout spiritually. I'm saved. I'm born again. Imagine the repetitions. One. Yeah, I love that verse.

Two. It's four. You know, you just you're working it out spiritually and suddenly you're growing. If you don't work it out, how do you expect to grow? It's It doesn't Just doesn't You can't just stare at this thing and go, yeah, that's awesome. I got a Bible. You You actually have to open it and then you work it out. You read it. That's the point. Now Paul says as you're working out your walk with the Lord, how do you do that? He says with fear and trembling, which when you first read that, you think that doesn't sound like a great workout.

Fear and trembling and and it's alarming. You think, well, if I don't read enough verses, is that mean I'm going to lose my salvation? If I didn't pray enough prayers, does that mean I'm not going to make it? I'm not working out hard enough? God's up there like you're not working out hard enough, you know? That was That was five chapters. No, no, no. I call for 10. Give me 10. You know, you Suddenly you're worried, fear and trembling. No, no, no. On more than one occasion, Paul uses these two words, fear and trembling together.

When he wrote to the Corinthians, for example, and he talked about when he first arrived there, he said, when I came to you, I came to you with much fear and trembling. In 2nd Corinthians, he exhorted the church to receive Titus with fear and trembling. When he wrote to the church in Ephesus, he exhorted that the servants obey their masters with fear and trembling. It's not suggesting that we are to be afraid that if we're not working hard enough that we're not going to be received or we're going to lose our salvation. Fear and trembling simply implies a determination against temptation.

It's an understanding that I have concerning my own weakness of my flesh and the tendency to run to temptation instead of away from it. As I am working out what God has worked into me, we're still susceptible to the attack to the enemy. Temptation is still a real thing. And I know that as I'm working this out, I still know that there's things I need to be aware of and avoid. So the fear and trembling is in essence a humble dependence on God knowing what I'm susceptible to. I I am aware. Even as I 'm working out, I realize I need to There's fear and trembling.

I know what I'm capable of. Again, maybe physically speaking you think, I I'm working it out. I'm working out physically. But man, that donut shop is calling my name and you just Your car just suddenly just I don't I can't stop it. I can't stop it. I can't stop it. And then you're there. The big old glazed donut and hot chocolate. You know, just stay away. There's fear and trembling. Keep driving. This is the point kind of. There is an awareness of the sinfulness of sin, the deception of it. And therefore I have to have my spiritual wits about me.

There's a There's a real sense of I I don't feel like I've spiritually arrived. You know how many reps I got in today in the word? No, I didn't. Well, you should check me out spiritually. I am buff. I am huge, massive. Like suddenly you're like this spiritual giant and as if, you know, you're going to go on the platform and you know, and what what what No, no. You never arrive. This goes on until we go home to be with the Lord. And so Paul saying there there should be a sense of humility and dependence on God as I'm working out what he has worked in me.

Paul himself would say, I haven't arrived. God's not done with me yet. There's still work to be done. And so there is a humility about us, a continuous, sustained effort on the part of the believer. But here Paul, and I love this, oh thank you Jesus, he balances out this truth with the description of the continual, sufficient provision that comes from heaven, a power to work out what's been worked in. How so? Verse 12 we see human responsibility. Verse 13, God's sovereignty. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.

The The Greek translation is God is the one who is constantly putting his power in you. Isn't that wonderful? He gives me what I need to work out what he has worked in. The Greek word is the word energize or energy. God gives us the energy to work out what he has worked in. The will to do it, the ability to do it. As I remain in the word, as I remain in fellowship, as I remain in prayer, I find that there is a strength and power to do what God's calling me to do. Again, this is sometimes a problem for believers is that they understand positionally, I am righteous and justified because of the finished work of Christ.

And it is true. I have the power to overcome temptation, the power to overcome and resist sin. And yet if you don't read your Bible, if you stay away from the word or you stay away from fellowship or you stay out of prayer and and and suddenly you find that when temptation comes knocking, I I don't have the resources. I'm not working out what's being worked in. And so I find myself susceptible to those things. This isn't the power to as Paul was saying here, it wasn't that there wasn't power, they weren't saved. They They chose to no longer If they chose to no longer work out their salvation with fear and trembling, that's really when it becomes a problem.

So listen, guys. We are saved if you are a believer. God is working in us and he's just asking us, hey, workout what I continue to work into your life. Just allow And And what happens is you'll see that strength within your life. The power that compels us is from the power of the Holy Spirit. It's the power of the Holy Spirit to do what he's calling us to do. And I can tell you just in walking with the Lord through the years that that right there, that understanding that God is working in me and he he gives me everything I need to do what he's called me to do has been a tremendous encouragement to me because I in of myself I don't have what it takes to do what he's asked me to do.

Example, if you are a husband here today or a wife and you say, Lord, I I need you to help me be what you've called me to be. Listen, he'll he'll provide it. He's working in you. He'll work through you as you yield yourself to him. If you're a parent today, you say, oh Lord, I do not have what it takes to raise these kids in the midst of everything that's Lord, would you help me? Oh, he'll work in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure as you work it out and partner with him.

I love that passage in Mark chapter 16 and verse 20 and I've taken great comfort in it when it says concerning the apostles when they were sent out, it says they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them. Aren't you glad today that God is working with you, working in you, working through you? All glory and praise to God. Paul said in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20, I love this. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you could ask or think. Notice this, according to the power that works in us.

God does above, beyond what we can even think or imagine. How does he do that? Because his power is working through us. It's worked into us and we are working it out and we're seeing it take place. The Christian is working out his salvation and the Lord is working in the Christian. Now as the Lord is working in you and working in me, working through you, Paul adds this. And here's an important point. It says here in verse 14, do something. No, no, not some. The word is all. May underscore it. Do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God.

Paul now encourages the Philippians as things are being worked into them and they're working them out. Make sure that you're doing so without complaining. It's interesting when God is doing a work in your life. I don't know about your walk with the Lord. I know about mine. And there's certain things that God is working into me that I don't necessarily like. And I can find myself complaining. I am sure nobody here does that, but people other people do that. Paul encourages the believers to avoid these things that could ruin your joy and ruin your witness.

Like what? Like complaining and murmuring. And it's a word that actually means to mutter. To mutter. It's also used as a word that resembles actually the sound that it makes and murmur murmur And it's it's it's not the loud, outspoken dissatisfaction of complaining. That is something that is real. That's a real thing. This is more This word remind is more like something that's under one's breath. What I'm sorry, what did you say? I didn't say anything. No, I heard you say something. I didn't I didn't Really? Okay, I think you murmured. No. There's something caught in my throat.

The murmuring against It's murmuring against other people rather than God. And sometimes murmuring can be packaged and even spiritualized in prayer circles and gatherings with other believers. Oh, she's a What? I don't have an interpretation for that. That's not right. You're murmuring. You're complaining. Are you a complainer? Don't raise your hand. Don't raise it. Charles Spurgeon described a scene of complaining. I thought it was funny. He said he saw a heavy wagon that was being dragged along a country road by a team of oxen. And he And he said that the wheels on the wagon were making all kinds of disturbing noises, groaning and creaking and so forth.

And he said, suddenly the oxen turned around and spoke. And they said, hello there. Why do you make so much noise? We bear all the labor and we, not you, ought to cry out. He went on to say, those who complain first sometimes in our churches have the least to do. He said the gift of grumbling is largely dispensed by those that do nothing else as if it were their gift. What's your spiritual gift? Murmuring. I'm very gifted in that area. In fact, if there was a gold medal for murmuring, I would probably get silver.

I am that good. You know, you you just You're a murmurer, a complainer, a whiner. Not here. I'm talking about other services. Murmuring is is half concealed, half uttered complaints. Sometimes when people complain, it makes them feel better. But the person they complain to feels terrible. Murmuring Christians are seldom of any use in the cause of Christ because they hinder the work. They bring heavy burdens that other people who are simply trying to serve Jesus are forced to bear. They really never help in anything except murmuring. And they know people on their job who are unbelievers that won't want to hear it, so they won't do it at work.

Or maybe they do. Or in their own house. But in the church, Christians have to endure it. So this is the place to really just air out all your grievances. You know, the children of Israel were examples of murmuring and not good examples. It wasn't like God was like, I love my kids because they murmur. It's great. Actually, it was a real bad thing. And they murmured about everything. God would provide something and they'd be like, sick of manna. Okay, let's get some quail. Ah, tired of quail. Let me get I'm thirsty. Give them some water.

We want more water. We want We want Egypt. I mean, they just constantly murmured and complained. Moses was like, no wonder he struck the rock. You rebels. Must we get water from He was just so fed up. I mean, it was wrong, but he he was upset. He was complaining. They were complaining to him. And And Moses said, listen, don't you complain against us. God hears what you're complaining about in your tents. He knows what you're saying. They complained about everything.

Guest (Male): Rather than grumbling and complaining, we're to be a thankful people. Just one of the things the Lord can help us with as we draw on his power in our daily walk. And this is a daily walk. Like you heard today as part one of a study in Philippians from Pastor John Randall. You can hear this program again at adailywalk.org, oneplace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Pastor John's teachings are also accessible through our app as well. Search for Calvary South OC in the app store or Google Play. Looking for a gift to give your dad this Father's Day?

Allow me to suggest Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes. This will help us, guys, grow in godliness through the disciplines of purity, friendship, devotion, prayer, worship, integrity, perseverance, leadership, and more. We'll send you the updated edition and order an extra copy to give to dad. It's available for the special price of $11 at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. And thank you for helping us get the word out on stations all across the country. People today desperately need the hope and encouragement that God's word provides. And your support helps to make that possible.

To donate to the ministry, please go to adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. I also want to mention Pastor John is on X and Instagram. If you are too, start following him on X at PJRandall7 and on Instagram at JohnPRandall. Well, it is time for us to part ways, but we'll catch you back here next time on a daily walk with Pastor John Randall where you never have to walk alone. This program is brought to you by Calvary South OC and made possible through the support of listeners just like you.