SHINING AS LIGHTS IN THE MIDST OF A CROOKED AND PERVERSE WORLD

Philippians 2:12-16

  1. Intro.
    1. a grave concern for any thoughtful Christian is how fast our society is changing, and for the worse
    2. some theologians would describe our society as a "post-Christian culture"
      1. this simply means that the old norms that we once held as true are no longer accepted by the majority
      2. the majority no longer believes in the God of the Bible, or the Bible as the Word of God
      3. the majority no longer accepts certain basic principles of morality as found in the Bible
      4. Bible believers are often ridiculed, and called "old-fashioned" and "un-enlightened"
    3. that we live in a "post-Christian culture" is true socially and religiously
      1. socially: divorce, remarriage, living together, and homosexuality are seen as alternate lifestyles
      2. religiously: women in church leadership, homosexual minister, and new age religions are accepted by many
    4. how are Christians to react to these changes in our society
      1. what can we do to change the direction in which our society is heading
        1. form political action committees
        2. boycotts, pickets, or violence
      2. what can we do to protect ourselves and our children
        1. change our views and conform
        2. isolate ourselves, or form communes
    5. the Bible has the answer
      1. Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written to Christians who lived in a "pre-Christian culture"
      2. this city was heavily influenced by the Roman culture, paganism, and immorality
      3. what Paul wrote to them, he would write to us today
      4. our text contains guidance for Christians living "in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation"
      5. it provides direction, hope, and warnings so that we can "shine as lights in the world"
  2. things we must do to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation
    1. by working out our own salvation – Philippians 2:12
      1. make sure we don’t have a beam in our eye – Matthew 7:1-5
        1. this passage is often misused to prevent us from making any kind of judgment
        2. the emphasis is on us getting our act together first
        3. once we have removed the beam form our eye, then we can and should help remove the mote that is in someone else’s eye
      2. if we are not careful, we can lose our usefulness
        1. many people go about trying to change society, but never think about changing themselves
        2. if we don’t practice what we preach, we will not be very useful in changing our society
    2. with fear and trembling – Philippians 2:12
      1. the word "fear" in connection with God is not very popular today
        1. in many respects we have diluted the concept of the "fear of the Lord" by our definitions
        2. the definition has been so diluted that there is no room for "trembling" in the definition
        3. Jesus certainly taught us to "fear the Lord" – Matthew 10:28
      2. we need to have proper "fear and trembling"
        1. without it, we will not seriously make an effort to "work out our salvation"
        2. this could be the reason for so much apathy and fruitlessness in the church today
    3. let God work in us – Philippians 2:13
      1. to succeed as lights in this world, we must let God work in us
        1. this is something He is able to do beyond our ability to comprehend – Ephesians 3:20
        2. God begins this work at salvation, and He will finish it – Philippians 1:6
        3. how does He do it
          1. "to will" means He will help us in our motivation
          2. "to do" means He will help us in our ability
      2. if we are not careful, we can easily quench God’s efforts to work in us
    4. without murmuring and disputing – Philippians 2:14
      1. maintain a positive attitude
        1. living in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation can easily get us down, and make us complainers
        2. allowing that to happen will render us less effective
      2. get along with others
        1. unity among the brethren is extremely important as we try to change this world for Christ
        2. if the church is going to influence the world the way it should, it cannot devour itself
    5. children of God without fault – Philippians 2:15
      1. this requires us to become "blameless"
        1. not that we will be perfect, but above reproach
        2. we should live in such a way so that there are no "outstanding faults" that are clearly seen by others
        3. nothing hinders our ability to shine as light like inconsistency and hypocrisy
      2. this also requires us to be "harmless"
        1. though we firmly oppose sin in all forms, sinners should never fear bodily harm from us
        2. the "eye for an eye" approach is not the way Jesus taught us (turn the other cheek)
    6. holding forth the word of life – Philippians 2:16
      1. the Word of God is the "Sword of the Spirit"
        1. it is the only weapon we have in the armor of God
        2. it is the instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to convict this world of sin
        3. it produces repentance and brings about the new birth (it is the word of life)
      2. before we can hold it forth, we must hold it fast
        1. hold fast the Word in our own heart, by constantly feeding on it
        2. hold forth the Word to those who we are trying to change
  3. conclusion
    1. in these verses we find the way in which Christians are to shine as lights in a crooked and perverse nation
    2. it involves …
      1. working out our salvation
      2. with fear and trembling
      3. letting God work in us
      4. doing things without murmuring and disputing
      5. children of God without fault
      6. holding forth the word of life
    3. if our objective is to change the hearts of men, then this is the way we can do it