Working in Working out Our Salvation

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

"Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights or stars in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes.

"And if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service for your faith, I am glad, and I rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me."

In Chapter 2, as we've discovered, Paul is talking about getting along with each other. And I think that's important that we get along with each other. We're going to be spending eternity together. That's a long time. So we need to know how to get along with each other if we're going to spend that much time with each other.

Last week we discovered the example of Jesus Christ, who made himself of no reputation. He emptied Himself. He became a man and became a servant, even to the point of death on the cross.

Now Paul begins in this little section in Verse 12 by saying therefore, or because of the example of Jesus Christ, my beloved or dear friends. I love the way Paul approaches people. Using the example of Jesus Christ, he comes close to them. You know, Paul was never interested in a hierarchy. I am Dr. Reverend Paul the Apostle, higher than all of you. He came as my beloved, my dear friends. That's the example of Jesus Christ. Paul assumes that example for himself, and he approaches his people with that, my friends.

You know, we talked about last week. Some of those ministers manuals that tell ministers like me, don't get too close to people. Keep up the professional image. Don't let them call you by your first name. Paul said, my beloved, my dear friends. And Paul sought to come just recognizing that we're all one in the Body of Christ, not establishing a hierarchy, coming here with that example.

Now when Paul is writing this, we need to remember that he's writing it from prison, not in a nice, plush office. He's in a dank, dark jail cell. He is on death row, probably, recognizing that at any moment, Caesar or Nero could demand his death as he said, "for me to live as Christ. To die is gain. I'm going in a straight between two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ. "

Skip ahead to Verse 16. "Holding fast the word of life, that I might rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and I rejoice with you all for the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me."

Paul is facing death and he knows it. He says, "If I am being poured out," which is an Old Testament phrase for a libation pouring out of a fluid as an offering to the Lord. And he speaks of his life being poured out as a witness what he's saying here is I'm facing death, and it's quite possible that God might call me to pour out my life, even as Jesus poured out His life. He emptying himself, even to the point of death. I might have to do the same thing, but it will be worth it if I can go to my death knowing that you are maturing, that you are becoming effective. I rejoice in that. I can rejoice in the fact that I haven't labored in vain.

The word labor here means toiling to the point of exhaustion. And think about that for a second. Toiling to the point of exhaustion. Paul says, I have toiled, and it's an athletic term, somebody working out. Toiling to win the prize.

When Paul lived his life, he toiled to the point of exhaustion. You say wait a minute, Skip. I mean, I've always heard if the Christian life is one of ease and rest, for to rest in the Lord or rest for victory. What do you mean, toil to the point of exhaustion?

Well, Paul spoke about the Christian life. One of his favorite terms was athletic terms. Remember? He talked about running the race, disciplining himself, and pouring energy into it?

When Paul talked about the Christian life, he talked about it as running the race, as walking the walk. He never said veg out in the spirit.

[CONGREGATION LAUGHING]

Kick back. Have a Kool-Aid in the Lord.

There are three aspects to salvation. You are not saved by works, but we need to realize three aspects, past tense, present tense, and future tense. Past tense, you have been saved already from the penalty of sin. That's guaranteed. You will be saved future ultimately from the presence of sin. You are being saved now through the power of sin. You follow me?

is a progression. It's not an immediate. You've been saved. That's guaranteed. The penalty of sin, you're going to heaven, but you are being delivered. It's called sanctification, by the way, the Bible calls it, from the power of sin in your daily lives, and there's progress there. And that's what we're going to talk about in these few versus here when it talks about working out your own salvation. It's a progress.

Remember when you learn to ride a bicycle? I remember the first bike I had. It was a tricycle. Had to have three wheels. I'd have ate my lunch if I didn't. And I'm going down, and I'm thinking I'm pretty cool because I got three wheels. I can't turn it over. When they took the training wheels off and I was on two, I was wobbling.

[IMITATES CRASHING]

Eventually a kid learns to ride from a tricycle, to a bicycle, to a 10-speed. Pretty soon he's popping wheelies down the street. He's learned through a progression how to ride. Salvation is a lot that same way. We're saved already from the penalty of sin, from death, from hell. We're just going to be saved in the future from the presence of it. We'll be in the presence of the Lord. We won't have what's going on in the Earth, but now there's a progression of salvation.

Now, in the first part of this chapter, and we talked about last week, we have the example of Jesus, of what he did. And we can look at that example and say, great. Jesus emptied Himself. He made himself a no reputation. He became obedient and humble. Well, that's great, but how am I going to do it?

I have this wonderful example, but how can I do what Jesus did? Can I presume that I can do exactly what He did?

Mark Twain said, "There is nothing more frustrating than the annoyance of a good example." I think what he meant by that is we can look at a model example and it can frustrate as sometimes, because we look at a good example, we hear the Scripture, we hear the sermons, and we feel guilty, or because we say how can I do it?

When we look at a good example, we have a model. We have somebody to imitate, but that doesn't give us the power to do it. You see, we need more than the good example from the outside. We need power on the inside to do it. And God never just says, do this. He says, I'll give you the enabling, the power to be able to do it."

So we need more than just on the outside a good example. We need the power, and these next few verses give us the power. God gives us the pattern which is Jesus, and he gives us the power, which is God working through us and in us.

Now if that person who is your example, let's say you have someone you admire, and you want to be like that person. You look at that person. You have the role model, but she's saying I just can't be like that one. But if that person could enter into your life, and walk next to you, and share hours of the day with you, and share with you his skills, then you'd have the power, and that's what Jesus does.

Paul says the pattern is Christ. Now He will do it in and through you, and that's why it says Verse 13, "It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

I know for a fact that many who attend here are spiritual refugees. Spiritual POWs. They've been beat up by the world. They're grabbing on to what they call Christianity, but they lack so much power when it's at their disposal, power of victory over sin, the power to stay close to the Lord. And we need to recognize that and tap into this. So let's see how it all works. The in working and the outworking. God works in us, and then we work out our own salvation.

First of all, we notice in Verse 13 that God energizes us with his own plans. Let's read it again. "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

At first, it would seem like Verse 12 and 13 contradict each other. Work out your own salvation. I got to work out my salvation? Then it says God works in you to do in His good pleasure. At first, it might seem contradictory, but it's not. It's two parts of the same thing, and you will see that when God works, we need to cooperate with Him. But first of all, we have God's power, God's enabling, God's energy working through us.

You see, God first has to work in our lives before God can work through our lives. We have to experience the power of change before we can do anything for God.

I speak to people many times on a spiritual rebound. That is, they've just come back from some backsliding, some gross sin, and they just get established walking firm and the Lord again. And as soon as they do, they come in and say, I've got to serve God right now. And I say, whoa. You need to get established first, firm and strong in the Lord, and the power of change in your own life, and be established on the rock before God can work through you.

Example, Moses. God took 40 years to hammer that guy away before he was able to lead the children of Israel. 40 years God worked in him, and then 40 years God worked through him, a beautiful man who was used by God.

Now this word in Verse 13, God works in you, is a word that means energy. We get our word energy from it. It means God energizes you. I love that. I love that concept of God's energy flowing through me. It is God who, excuse me, God who energizes you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Now as we said, there's two parts to this concept. There is us working out our salvation, but there's God who works in us, and it's important that we read this and get it firmly fixed in our minds first before we discover what working out our salvation means. We need to discover the power source, and this is it.

What if you were to buy a home and all the appliances you wanted? Had the trash compactor, the big refrigerator and freezer with the automatic ice maker, the food processor. Go in your bedroom, push a button. Speakers hydraulically lift out of the ground for your stereo. And this is your dream house. It's all electric. It's electric!

The day that you close, people who built the house, for instance, now you go ahead, move into your health, and enjoy all those wonderful appliances, and in two weeks, we'll turn on the electricity. It's ridiculous. There's no power. You're not plugged in, right?

This is the source, God working in us, that gives us power for God working through us, and doing anything for the Lord is what we need to experience, the in working of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives before we're of any use.

Have you guys ever-- maybe you men have a razor that you-- it's rechargeable. It's battery operated as well as you plug it in. And when the batteries start getting low and a little lights flash on it, it starts to, and then the woo, and then goes,

[IMITATING RAZOR]

And starts ripping your face apart.

[CONGREGATION LAUGHING]

It is possible to do the energy of the work of God in the energy of the flesh. And that's what happens. It's like that razor. We start going. We get the batteries, and we're working, and all of a sudden, we start going slow.

[CONGREGATION LAUGHING]

We got energy, but it doesn't last, does it? We're not plugged in to a power source. So keep this in mind before we talk about working out your salvation, that we have a power source to plug into. And without Verse 13, you are rendered useless and helpless. It is God who energizes you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

The greatest day of your Christian life is when you start believing what Jesus said. "Without me, you can do nothing." When you come to really believe that, and I think most of us don't, "Without me, you can do nothing."

We really come to believe that there's a freedom. There's a freedom to rely upon His power. We start plugging into the power source, and our batteries don't wear down. The power of God.

There was an American and a Britisher. There were in New York, and they were viewing some of the tide pools on the river just before the Niagara Falls drops. And they were talking. And the American says, I'm going to show you the greatest source of power, the greatest source of unused power in the world. And he took the British down to the foot of Niagara Falls, watching these huge falls coming down, hearing the roar of them.

And he said, that, my friend, is the greatest source of unused power in the world. The Britisher said no, no. The Holy Spirit of the living God is the most unused power in the universe. It's at our disposal. It's the only way we can effectively do anything for God. It's the only way we can do anything and effectively growing or maturing, is God working in us so that God can work through us.

Notice how He does it, both to will, that is, He gives us the desire. And then to do of His good pleasure.

The energy of God working in you produces a desire to serve Him. That's what this means. When God works in your life, He produces a desire to serve. And one translation puts it this way. God makes you willing and gives you the energy to do what he wants you to do.

Do you realize that you and I cannot even desire to do the will of God unless He puts that want within us? We can't even want to serve God unless He has put that desire and that want inside. Think about that for just a minute.

Think about before you were a Christian, OK? Before you had the power of God working in your life, did you ever have a burning desire to serve God? Before you were a Christian, you said oh, I want to be a missionary. Oh, but I wasn't a Christian. I had all sorts of desires. They had nothing to do with God.

As God changed my life, He started putting desires within me to serve Him. I speak to frustrated people a lot of the times. They come to my office and are so frustrated. I want to serve God. I want to use me. I'm aching inside. I've got to serve God. Maybe He doesn't want me. And I smile inside, because I realize that they couldn't even have that desire unless God put it within them. And what they are desiring, that's a work of God. They're just not recognizing that's the work of God. That's the beginning.

The reason God does this folks is that when we do His will, we enjoy it. It's not like we've got to serve God today. Ah, man, I got to fill my obligation. Then don't do it. God has that beautiful ability to energize you with His plans, energize you with the desire to serve Him, and that is the work of God, Him putting that desire within you.

I remember when I started getting a real desire to go overseas when I spent some time in Israel sharing the Gospel. And I thought back to before I was a Christian, before God was-- even my early Christian life. I didn't want to go and be a missionary. Farthest thing from my mind. Leave the United States? Leave air conditioning? Leave T-bone steaks? Forget it.

But God, as the energizes me, places those desires within me. It's so beautiful.

Then it says, and to do or to act out His good pleasure. Two parts, to will and to do. He gives you the power. He puts a desire within you with that power, but then it comes to acting out, the acting out time.

A lot of people have plans for God that never get used up. I know Christians who have so many desires for the Lord, and they always talk about what they plan to do someday. And it is true, the timing of God is important, but many times some day never arrives. That desire and goal to serve God gets stifled. It gets frustrated because it's never used. It gets shoved aside. And we become very selfish. We join the Holy Ghost Bless Me Club.

And people, many times, have that attitude. What's-- I want this. I need that. And people shop around for churches like food on a menu. Let's look in the ingredients. Oh, I want this one. I'll have all have one of those on rye.

The desire that God puts within you to serve Him, you must look then for an avenue to vent that desire to do His will.

There are two bodies of water in the nation of Israel at present. There's the Sea of Galilee and there's the Dead Sea. Both of them are below sea level. Both of them are pretty warm during most of the year. One of them has fish and all sorts of life and plant life. It's a living sea, the Sea of Galilee.

The Dead Sea is just like its name, it's dead. 25% saline content. There's nothing but maybe some microbes that can even live within it. It's called dead. Why? Because the Sea of Galilee, water flows into it. It has an inlet and an outlet, and water flows out of it. The Dead Sea has an inlet, but no outlet. It takes in, but it never gives out. And it's dead. You get the illustration.

Life comes from receiving the power and the desires of God, and then acting out His goodwill. Spiritual demise and frustration comes from taking in, but never giving out. It becomes dead. So it's God's power working within us, which brings us, really, to the next point, in Verse 12, and that is that we cooperate in our spirits of growth.

Look at Verse 12. "My beloved brethren, as you have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

Now a lot of people get confused at this verse, as if it is to say you can earn your salvation. It does not say work for your salvation. It doesn't say work to maintain and hold on to being saved. It says work out, which is a word or a phrase that means carry your salvation to a complete end. Don't stop halfway. Carry your salvation to an ultimate conclusion. Don't let it be hindered. Carry it out.

When a student is in class, we say he is working out his math problem. What does it mean? It means he is carrying that problem to its ultimate conclusion. That's what work out your salvation means. Carry it out to an ultimate conclusion.

Look at Chapter 1, Verse 6. "Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Now, in Chapter 2, He says, "Carry out your salvation to a complete end." God is working in you. He is going to complete it. But you and I need to cooperate with God in our spiritual growth, carrying it out to its ultimate conclusion.

What's its ultimate conclusion? To be like Jesus, Ephesians tells us. That our goal. That's a completion, is to be changed to be like Him. So take your salvation to its ultimate conclusion, its ultimate goal. Don't stop halfway. It's becoming like Jesus Christ.

Let's say a person just comes to know the Lord, brand new, even within minutes. Let's say I'm sharing with somebody on the street. At that point, he decides to give his life to the Lord. When he bows his head and receives the Lord, and God comes inside of him, he's a new creation, but not much has changed in his life. Yes, he has salvation, he has eternal life, but not a whole lot has changed as far as what's going on with him than moments before.

Let's say he has a lot of misconceptions about God. Chances are he'll probably have a lot of misconceptions still about God until God changes it. Maybe he has a behavioral pattern that is wrong. Well, chances are it's going to take a period for the Lord to change that. It's not like all of a sudden, boom, you're an adult. You're born again. He's a baby.

But as he lives his Christian life, it dawns on him. Hey, there's a lot of things in my life that aren't pleasing to God. I better change. I better stop that. Lord, help me to change. That's the power of the Holy Spirit working in him, causing him to change his behavior and to act out God's will.

I'll confess to you. When I was a young Christian, all right, this was the first two weeks of my salvation. I believed I could still smoke all the dope I wanted to and love the Lord at the same time. That's how I witnessed. I witnessed to my brother. He and I used to take drugs. And I said, hey, accept the Lord. You don't have to change anything, man. You can still take your drugs. It's no big deal. I was cussing up a storm for the first two weeks I was doing drugs.

As the Lord spoke to me, He said, this is wrong. You need to change. I had to make a decision to obey Him. What he was working in me, I had to work it out with His power who energizes me. I have to say yes to righteousness and no to sin.

There is a cooperation going here. When God does something inside of us, He does the in working, we do the outworking through his power, through His energy. It is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Verse 13 is the divine enablement. Verse 12 is the human responsibility.

Just as it is wrong to say work for your salvation, work so that you can be saved, that's wrong because you're not saved by works, but by faith. It is equally as wrong of this attitude that says let go and let God. You don't rest for spiritual maturity. You don't rest for victory over sin. It's not let go and let God. It's let's go, God. Take hold of God and cooperate with Him. It's a mutual kind of a thing.

Calvin put it this way. "Faith alone saves, but faith that saves is never alone." Let me give you an example. Turn a 2 Peter, Chapter 1. 2 Peter, Chapter 1.

You're going to see basically the same thing, two parts of the victory and maturity in our lives, God's working and us. Verse 3. "As His divine power," Notice that. "His divine power," this energy, the power of God, "Has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which we have been given, or have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these, may be part takers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

Do you know what this means? This means that you can grow as much as you want. He is giving you the power, all things that pertain to life and, godliness through knowledge of Him. His divine power is working. You and I can grow as much as we want.

If you're saying I'm not growing in my walk with the Lord, well, whose fault is that? You can grow as much as you want to. Jesus said there's some that bear 30-fold fruits, some that bear 60-fold, some the bear 100-fold. It depends on how much you're cooperating in working this out and carrying out to its completion the work that God is doing through His power in you. And that's what God is doing, these two versus, His power, His enablement.

The next few verses talk about what we do. You say you mean, I got to do something? I really got to do something? No, not to be saved. You believe. You trust by faith. But to grow for victory from eternity? You betcha. Look what it says. "But also, for this very reason." For what reason? For the reason of spiritual growth, power.

"Giving all all diligence," which means apply, exert yourself. No, notice that. Apply, exert yourself. Add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge, or knowledge by experience. "And to knowledge, by experience, self-control, to self-control, perseverance. To perseverance, godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. Brotherly kindness, love. If these things are in you and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Add it to your faith. Can you see it? God's given you power, enablement. Add, give all diligence, exert yourself to add, which means lavishly supply. Lavishly supply.

Then we have a list of additives that Peter gives us for our faith. You're saved. God's working in you, but now you've got to exert yourself to lavishly supply all of these additives to your faith. Don't just stop right there. Bring these additives. You know like, you have additives for your car that make it really special? Well, add to your faith. Make it a super charged faith. Don't just stay right where you're at. Lavishly add these things, and you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Physical maturity is, for the most part, automatic. You stick stuff in your body in a good environment, it's going to grow. And grow up from a baby to an adult. Spiritual growth can be stopped and maintained as a stifled position for a long, long time. You've seen it yourself.

You've seen people who are young and the Lord, maybe a year old in the Lord, becomes spiritually mature spiritual giants. They take the fire that God has put within them, and they work it. And I mean, it's not like they're working for their salvation, but they just have so much zeal, and they grow, and they mature, and they taken the Word, and they're effective.

And you've also seen people who have been Christians. They've known God for 10, 15 years, and they're still spiritually in the diaper stage. When at time they ought to be teachers, they need to be taught the basic principles of the faith.

So time and maturity are not always directly proportional. A person can grow old, but not necessarily grow up. What God is working in us, can you see it? We need to lavishly add and exert ourselves. And then notice what he says at the end of this in Philippians. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

What does that mean? Does that mean I'm supposed to be scared of God? Is it the fear of the Lord is, to be scared, and tremble, and terrified of God? No. What this means here, fear and trembling, means not really scared of God, not like a slave who would cringe before his master. This is being scared and horrified to displease God, which is a mark of love, would you agree?

See, when you really love someone, you're really concerned about them, about hurting them, not hurting yourself. Remember when you were a little kid, if you did something wrong, you thought, oh, what would my mom think if she knew I did this? Oh, my mom or my dad will be so displeased at this. That's love. That's the motivation of working out your salvation. Fear and trembling, the fear, the horror of displeasing God, of coming short and displeasing, though not afraid of God. He's our father. We're not afraid at all.

Now let's conclude this in the next few verses where Paul now makes a little shift. He talks about taking it to the world. He says, "Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless, harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."

God has given us the energy, the power, the desire to do as well and to act out His good pleasure, but he does that not so we can just sit around and grow personally, but so that we can grow and give to others. This shows us, in these few verses, what our place. It's supposed to be in the world.

Notice it says in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Did you read that? It didn't say out of it, but in the midst of it. That is our place, to be in the world.

I don't know who first came up with the idea that being separate from society meant spirituality. Hide yourself away from the world and that's spirituality. I read about a monk, a Syrian monk, who sat on top of a 50 foot pillar to get away from the corruption of the world. I don't know why. You're going to have to come down sometime. A monk named Anthony who's spent all of his life in the Egyptian desert by himself. You can still have problems.

Separation in the sense of being-- separating yourself from people doesn't guarantee you to be without your problems. Our place is in the world, in the midst of a crooked and a perverse generation. It is no use to have a mountaintop experience unless it helps you live in the valleys.

It's no use to just grow, and learn, and be mature, and get Bible studies unless it's helping us live after those spiritual times of blessings in the valleys, in the world, on the streets. Christianity is not learned just for opening a book. Where is it learned? On the field, not in the bleachers, right? Not from observation and listening, but on the outside in the field, on the streets.

As people ask me, we want the meat of the Word. We want the meat. Favorite response is, you want to meat? It's in the street. That's where it really becomes alive and real, is when it's lived out. That's our place in the world in the midst of a crooked and a perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights.

Now I'm sure you will agree with the accuracy of the Scripture in Verse 15 where it says, "A crooked and a perverse generation." I think that's a pretty good description, don't you, of this world? Crooked and perverse.

I like the Phillips translation. It says, "Warped and diseased world." Pretty accurate. Brings us to the next point, our purpose in the world. It is also 15. "Among whom you shine as light or stars in the world, holding fast the word of light. Now it is important that you and I see, first of all, that the world is black, and perverse, and crooked. Because if you and I don't realize that and really believe that this world is out to lunch and is dark and black, you're never going to shine very brightly as a light unless you really believe I'm a light in the midst of darkness. If you don't, you'll never shine.

Light shines brightest where? In the darkest areas. In World War II, it was reported that the pilots could see a soldier on the ground striking a match to light a cigarette from 11 miles away in the air because of the blackouts. We're to shine as lights in the world.

This is a true story of a conference speaker. There was a conference speaker. He was speaking one time. Anyway, after his message, a little 8-year-old girl came up, and the little 8-year-old said, "Sir, is it OK to commit suicide?" He said, "Why would you ask me a question like that?"

He says, well, she said, "In Sunday school, we were taught that if a person dies who's a Christian, he goes to heaven. Isn't that right?" He said, "Well, yeah, but why would you want to commit suicide to do it? " She began telling the man about her home. Said, "My parents are both drunks. I come home, they're fighting. The house is in disarray." She said, a mess.

"I have to get up, my sisters, and my brothers, and I. We have to make our own breakfast. We have to go to school ourselves. Our clothes are dirty. Kids laugh at us and make fun of us. I come home, they're fighting again. We're so scared to live there. If heaven is a better place, and why not commit suicide to get there?"

And he bent down. He said, "Little girl," her name was Mary. "Mary, let me tell you something. One of the reasons and the purposes we are here in the darkness is to lead people out of the darkness, not to make lives better for ourselves, but to lead people out of it."

This happened in Chicago. That little girl's mother, through the little girl's witness, became a Christian months later. I don't know if the father ever did, but the mother did, shining a light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. And let's look at the process. We'll finish up.

Verse 14. "Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Do everything without murmuring and disputing." Does that mean dishes? Does that mean taking the trash out? Well, I think that comes under the category of all things, don't you?

It's possible to enter into a situation very negative. Take a task on a job, and that's never going to work. I don't really like this. I don't to bear witness. I don't want to do it. And you will have the most miserable time and be a miserable person to be around, and it'll take you all day long. Or you can do it unto the Lord, and it can be a joy, and you can get it done in a fraction of the time, and it's more joyful for you, and it's a lot more enjoyable to be around you.

Do all things without murmurings and disputing. Now what he's getting at is that you may become blameless and harmless in a crooked generation. He is telling us how we can further affect the world for the Lord, and it's interesting how he tells us we can do it, by living the life, being blameless, by it not murmuring or complaining, and that's sort of an interesting way.

And this is a truth. How many unbelievers have said, you know? And I know there's a lot of excuses and cop outs, but all the Christians, there's no difference in the world. They argue so much. You go to the church, and it's this committee against this committee, this group against this group. And they come and see argument. They think, I don't need to be a part of that stuff. Christians can't even get their act together. They want me to be one of them, join their ranks?

"Do all things without murmuring and disputing, without complaining and arguing, that you may become blameless and pure children of God in the midst of a crooked and a perverse generation." One of the greatest things that can destroy our witness is murmuring and blaming. When you're on the job and you're telling people at the love of the Lord, and the boss says, I have this little job I want you to do. Oh, man, get someone else to do it. I like doing this.

[GRUMBLING]

It blows your witness right out the door, like the old saying that says when you're in deep water, it's best to keep your mouth shut.

[CONGREGATION LAUGHING]

When you're in the world and you're facing the kingdom of Satan, and you're representing Jesus Christ, that's deep water, and the mouth and the attitude can detract or attract people to the Lord it's an interesting way to further the Gospel. That's how we are to be to the world.

God's power is working in us, but we're to do all things without murmuring, and disputing, and complaining, that you may become-- that you may shine the light, holding forth the word of light.

Let me read as I close. You don't have to turn to it. It says concerning Daniel in the Old Testament. "So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or fault because he was faithful. Nor was there any error or fault found in him." That's the way he lived in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. He shined his lights. He did his job without murmuring and complaining. He got along, and he shined his light. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we would ask-- could I have the whole group come up here, please, the worship group? Father, we ask it in Jesus' name, Lord, that as we are relying upon your power, our power source, that we could take, and cooperate with you, and carry to the ultimate conclusion the work that you're doing in our lives by letting you work in our lives, taking the desire that you implanting within us and serving you, Lord. Doing it in a way that would not detract from Christ, not complaining, not griping, so that as the world see us, we could become blameless, without blame. Pure, unmixed, that we could shine our light without the light becoming dim because of our attitudes. In Jesus' name. Amen.