A reverent perseverance that depends on God's power, and a unity that refuses grumbling. A witness that shines in a dark world. And two living examples, Timothy and Epaphroditus, who embody the same gospel-shaped self-forgetfulness. So as we read, we're in chapter two, finishing it up. We're going to be doing 12, verses 12 through 30. Again, three points.

Verses 12 through 18, worked out salvation, warm-hearted servanthood, Timothy, verses 19 through 20, and willing-to-risk servanthood, Epaphroditus, verses 25 through 30. So let's begin verses 12 through 18. Paul says, 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 own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good, pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ, I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. So look at with me at the opening words in verse 12. It says, so then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed. Those first two words, so then or therefore, are Paul's way of fastening this new paragraph to everything that he has just said. So he's not changing subjects.

He's drawing a straight line from Christ's story to the church's life. And that and what has he just said before? So recall the great gospel hymn of Christ that we talked about last Sunday, the hymn of Christ's humility and exaltation in verses five to 11. A key word from that hymn reappears here in verse 12. In verse eight, Christ humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Now, Paul turns to the Philippians and says, so then, just as you have always obeyed, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

And that repetition is deliberate. Paul is anchoring their obedience in Christ's obedience, showing that what he calls for is not a self-salvation, but gospel-shaped faithfulness that flows from the belonging to the obedient son. So Paul is saying, in view of the Lord's perfect humility and obedience, obedience that held steady under the most extreme pressure, and in view of the Father's vindication and exaltation of the Son, presses on the same posture. That therefore, verse 12 is the bridge of adoration to imitation. From worshiping Christ's descent to walking in humility and steadfastness, his grace produces in his people. And he speaks with a pastoral warmth here.

He says, my beloved, and he's not driving them with harsh demands. He is gently shepherding them forward with the kind of encouragement that strengthens weary hearts. The Christ who stooped for you is the Christ who now steadies you. So that obedience becomes the livid response of a church learning to think and walk in Christ. So now look carefully at verse 13. Notice the little word that begins the sentence.

For. See, that conjunction matters. Paul's for gives us the ground. It explains how he can possibly say what he has just commanded in verse 12. So in 2.13 he writes, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. So Paul is not canceling human responsibility.

He has just given us a clear weighty command. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. But now he pulls back the curtain and shows us what is happening underneath that obedience. He's saying in effect, let me tell you why this is even possible. Because behind your working stands God working. See, you are not left to grind this out alone or on your own.

As though you were stranded on an island running an individual race with no help and no hope. The One at work in you, Paul says, is God Himself. Notice how specific he is. God is at work in you both to will and to work. So in other words, He is the One shaping your desires and strengthening your actions. You see, He grants the will and He supplies the power so that your obedience is real.

Your effort is required, but the ultimate source and sufficiently are entirely His. So the exhortation to work out one's salvation with fear and trembling is left to stand on its own. I'm sorry, if left to stand on its own would indeed be a word of condemnation to the Philippians. Not a word of encouragement to continue living in a way consistent with the Gospel, which results from embracing the attitude of Jesus. But this exhortation to work out our salvation does not stand alone. It comes in a particular context.

You see, the Philippians are to stand firm in Paul's absence. And it's followed by a reminder that salvation is God's work within us in the sense that the desires to work out our salvation and the fear of God is a fruit of His work already began in us. Or within us. So as John Calvin wisely reminds us, there is a will or desire to do something which we may have, and the power to do these things which we do not have. Therefore, we must have nothing to boast about. But as Calvin adds, a good will is accomplished in us entirely by God and God alone.

So Paul now turns to what that obedience looks like. in the ordinary and often difficult rhythms of life. Look with me at verse 14. He says, do all things without grumbling or disputing. So Paul goes straight for the tongue and beneath that for the heart. The language deliberately echoes Israel's willingness story.

Where grumbling and complaining became their hallmark theme of unbelief. So instead of trusting the God who had redeemed them from Egypt, the people murmured against him and against his appointed servants. So Paul does not want the Philippian church so rich in gospel privilege to repeat Israel's pattern of complaint. So one commentator notes that Paul is not addressing some minor irritations, but the kind of chronic discontent and relational friction that can quietly hollow out a congregation's joy in unity. So verse 15 gives the purpose. That you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.

So Paul is echoing here Deuteronomy 12. I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 32. Where Moses describes Israel's unfaithfulness as that of a crooked and twisted generation. Only here Paul applies the phrase to the surrounding world and calls the Philippians to live as faithful children of God in its midst. So the contrast is stark. A grumbling, twisted world on one side, a grateful, blameless people on the other.

And it's precisely in that contrast that their witness shines. Among whom you shine as lights in the world. And that imagery draws from Daniel 12.3. Where the wise shine like the brightness of the sky and like the stars forever and ever. See the Philippian believers are to be like that. Points of steady, quiet light in a dark sky.

Not because they are impressive in themselves, but because God, because the God who works in them is displaying his character through their conduct. So verse 16 shows what makes that light truly distinct. Which says holding fast or holding forth the word of life. So this phrase can mean both clinging to the gospel and offering it to others. And in context both of these ideas fit. See the church shines as it refuses to let go of the world.

They gave it life and extends that life giving word to a watching world. As Dennis Johnson puts it, believers shine not by drawing attention to themselves, but by holding out the gospel as a lamp in the darkness. So that their integrity and their message reinforce one another. For Paul, you see this has deeply personal dimension here. He longs to be able to look back in the day of Christ and see that his race among them was not run in vain. That the seed he sowed was born fruit and persevering, joy-filled obedience.

Notice verse 17. 17-18 with me. Paul says, even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoiced with you all. So he reaches for sacrificial imagery from the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the drink offering was not the main sacrifice. It was a smaller libation poured out on top completing and honoring the primary offering.

See, Paul sees the Philippians' faith and obedience as the main sacrifice. The sacrificial offering to God. So his own suffering, even the possibility of martyrdom, would simply be the wine poured out on their suffering. That is how he views his life. Gladly expended to adorn and complete the worship of God's people. And remarkably, his tone is not grim, but joyful.

He says, I am glad and I rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Suffering for Christ far from canceling joy becomes a shared participation in it. Stephen Lawson notes that Paul's imagery here shows how deeply he has embraced the downward path of Christ's own humility. He's willing not merely to labor for the faith, but to be poured out for it. And he invites the Philippians to see this is not a tragedy, but as a privilege.

He brings this section to a full circle. The God who works in us, verse 13, calls us to a life without grumbling. Shining in a dark world. And rejoicing even when obedience costs us dearly. It is the pattern of Christ. Humble and sacrificial.

So how do these verses land? How do they land on us? Paul calls to work out your own salvation. And to live without grumbling or disputing means that everyday areas of our lives become the stage where God's grace is put on display. The way you and I respond when things are inconvenient. The way you speak when you're tired or mistreated.

The way you handle disappointment or delay. These either dim or brighten your witness as a child of God in a dark world. Yet, none of this is meant to drive you into despair. The same God who commands you is the God who is powerfully at work in you and within you. Shaping your desires and supplying your strength. As you yield to Him, you hold fast to the Word of Life.

And your life becomes like Paul's. A joyful offering poured out in worship. Not a grim duty carried out in your own power. So having painted this picture, Paul now helps the Philippians to see what this looks like in flesh and blood. He moves from exhortation to example. So instead of merely saying, live this way, he says, in effect, let me show you people who are living this way.

And the first is Timothy. A warm-hearted servant whose concern for others proven to be true.