Glad-Hearted Submission for the Sake of a Good Reputation Now and a Glorious Celebration in Eternity

THE GOSPEL-SHAPED LIFE:

GLAD-HEARTED SUBMISSION FOR THE SAKE OF A GOOD REPUTATION NOW AND A GLORIOUS CELEBRATION IN ETERNITY

An Exposition of Philippians 2:14-16

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   July 15, 2018

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

After four sermons on Philippians 2:12-13, this Lord’s Day we move forward to Philippians 2:14-16. Although verses 14-16 have their own particular emphasis, the larger theme remains the same. That larger-theme is the “manner of life” that is “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27) and that leads to final salvation and resurrection glory (Philippians 1:9-11, 2:12, 3:10-14). The Bible calls us to a way of life that reflects the truth of the gospel and runs “toward the [final] goal” (Philippians 3:14) of everlasting joy in the presence of our God. This is the gospel-shaped, glory-bound path. If we are true Christians, then we walk this path in God’s strength.

If we attempt obedience in our own strength, we will utterly fail. We cannot glorify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:20, 2:9-11, 3:3); we cannot “[stand] firm in one spirit” (Philippians 1:27); we cannot “[strive] side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27); we cannot walk together in unity of mind, heart, and soul (Philippians 2:2); we cannot be humble servants who honor and love our fellow Christians (Philippians 2:3-4); we cannot lean into and lay hold of the wonderful future salvation that God has promised to His people (Philippians 2:12); we cannot do these things, unless God is powerfully at work in our hearts and lives. But be encouraged: if the Father has begun “a good work in you” (Philippians 1:6), if He has reconciled you to Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10), if “Christ Jesus has made [you] his own” (Philippians 3:12), if the Holy Spirit has regenerated your heart and now dwells within you (John 3:1-8, Romans 8:1-17), then God is powerfully at work in you – “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). God transform our desires so that our desires are increasingly godly, and He energizes our doing so that these godly desires get translated into godly conduct. Since God works in us in these ways, we keep moving forward as we follow Jesus on that path that leads to glory.

In Philippians 2:14-16, Paul continues to describe this pathway to glory. Paul gives us instruction in one of life’s most important battlegrounds, and the character we display on this particular battleground will reveal the presence or absence of God’s work in our hearts. If we pass the test – and it is a lifelong test – then we will reveal and demonstrate our identity as God’s redeemed children, we will present a good testimony to the sin-sick world around us, and we will pave the way for a great celebration in eternity. If we fail the test, then we will only fall to our own ruin.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Brothers and sisters, pay attention to the life-giving words of our God. Holy Scripture says:

Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 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. (Philippians 2:14-16)

BRIEF SUMMARY OF PHILIPPIANS 2:14-16

This passage unfolds for us in three parts. First, the apostle exhorts us to live in a particular manner, namely, to have glad-hearted submission to God in the midst of life’s many circumstances and difficulties. We are to have a gracious spirit, not a grumbling one.

Second, we are told that if we live in glad-hearted submission to God, then we will have a good reputation at the present time. We will be “blameless,” “innocent,” “without blemish,” thereby revealing and demonstrating that we are true “children of God.” As God’s “lights in the world,” we will shine brightly for Him and faithfully display His character “in the midst of” this world’s darkness and corruption.

Third, we are told that if we live in glad-hearted submission to God and thus prove to be His faithful children, then we will – in this way – pave the way for a great celebration in eternity. Paul wants the Philippians to persevere as God’s faithful children “so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” Paul will not have “run in vain” or “[labored] in vain” if the Philippians stay the course and safely arrive in the city of God.

Thus we have a brief summary of our passage: glad-hearted submission for the sake of a good reputation now and a glorious celebration in eternity.

THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF ISRAEL

In order to appreciate the riches of this passage, we need to turn back to the Old Testament. In verses 14-16, the apostle Paul draws from the history and language of the Old Testament, especially the tragic history of Israel.

Israel came into being as the fruit of God’s promise to Abraham: God had promised to make a “great nation” (Genesis 12:2) out of Abraham. This promise was handed down to Abraham’s son Isaac and then to Isaac’s son Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Jacob, or Israel, had twelve sons, and these sons became the building blocks of Israel as a nation – each son was the father of a tribe within the larger nation. Under the wise providence of God, the budding nation had to relocate to Egypt because of a famine. In Egypt, God supplied their needs through Jacob’s son Joseph, who had become Egypt’s Prime Minister. In due course, however, Joseph died, and subsequently “there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8), and as such this new king was not sympathetic to Israel – this refugee nation – that was living within Egypt’s borders. So, Egypt’s king – called Pharaoh – subjected the Israelites to slavery, and things went from bad to worse. Therefore “the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help” (Exodus 2:23). “And God heard their groaning” (Exodus 2:24) and sent Moses to bring deliverance to His people.

After several confrontations between Moses and Pharaoh, and after ten terrible plagues, God redeemed the Israelites out of slavery in the land of Egypt. Having rescued them from their bondage, God intended to lead them all the way to the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised to give to the “great nation” that descended from Abraham. Although God’s deliverance of Israel was not a spiritual deliverance – that is, He did not bring about conversion in the hearts of all the individual Israelites – the physical-political-national salvation that He did bring to them established the pattern of the past, the present, and the future aspects of salvation that we have been studying in Philippians and throughout the New Testament. In terms of past salvation, they were delivered from the tyranny of the Egyptians. In terms of future salvation, they had a clear, final goal: the beautiful and fruitful land of promise. The path between that past salvation out of Egypt and the future salvation into the Promised Land, was the path of obedience, the path of submitting to God’s appointed leader Moses, the path of trusting God at every point along the way. But here’s the tragedy: they did not walk this path. They did not trust in God. Therefore, they didn’t make it to the final goal: they perished in the wilderness, and were never granted entrance into the Promised Land.

THE PROBLEM OF GRUMBLING

Now let’s see how this tragic history of Israel relates to Philippians 2:14-16. Do you know what was one of Israel’s most common sins as they journeyed from Egypt to Canaan? Do you know what was one of their grievous sins that prevented their entrance into the Promised Land? Answer: using the language of Philippians 2:14 – grumbling, questioning, murmuring (KJV: murmurings), complaining (NKJV, NLT), disputing (NASB, NKJV), arguing (NIV, NLT); and from Exodus 17, quarreling. Watch out that this sin doesn’t trip you up!

In Exodus 14, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea: they were saved as they “walked on dry ground through the sea” (Exodus 14:29), but the Egyptian army perished in the sea under God’s mighty hand when He caused the waters to engulf them. In Exodus 15 the Israelites sang a song of praise to the Lord, celebrating the wonderful victory that He had given to them. But the Israelites’ faith proved fickle, and that quickly.

Later in Exodus 15, “the people grumbled against Moses” (v. 24) because they were “three days in the wilderness and found no water” (v. 22). Being thirsty, they grumbled. Being gracious, the Lord supplied them with water.

In Exodus 16, “the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness” (v. 2) because they didn’t have bread. Being hungry, they grumbled. In their grumbling, they thought it would be better to hit rewind and go back to Egypt, and they assigned a wicked motive to Moses and Aaron: “… you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (v. 3). But being gracious, the Lord provided them with bread.

In Exodus 17, “the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink”” (v. 2) because “there was no water for the people to drink” (v. 1). Being thirsty again, they quarreled, grumbled, demanded, questioned, and once again accused: “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (v. 3). But being gracious, the Lord gave them water from the rock.

Notice three things. First, instead of gladly submitting to the Lord and to the Lord’s wise orchestration of their journey, and instead of trusting the sovereign Redeemer who had just rescued them from Egypt, their unbelieving and impatient hearts burst forth with grumbling against their leader Moses whom God had appointed. But second, this grumbling against Moses was actually grumbling against the Lord. Moses declared, “Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD” (Exodus 16:8). Third, their grumbling had a wicked root: they did not believe that the Lord was with them for their good. Moses told the people, “Why do you test the LORD?” (Exodus 17:2) How did they test the Lord? “And he called the name of the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling)[1], because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7) They did not believe that the Lord was with them for their good.

That is the root of all grumbling, quarreling, and complaining. If you truly believe in the depths of your heart that the Lord, who has graciously redeemed you, is also with you at all times and in all circumstances in order to do you good and provide you with all that you need in order to get you safely through to the Promised Land, then you will “[do] all things” at all times and in all circumstances “without grumbling or questioning.”

But the vast majority of the Israelites did not truly know the Lord, and their grumbling continued in Numbers 13-14. The day of their entrance into the Promised Land was drawing near, and they sent twelve men to investigate the land of Canaan. These twelve men spied out the land for forty days, and then returned and made their report to the Israelites. Ten of the men brought a “bad report” (Numbers 13:32): though they recognized that it was a beautiful land, they were totally overwhelmed by and afraid of the mighty people who lived in that land. They didn’t believe that the sovereign and all-powerful God who had rescued them from Egypt was with them to give them the victory over the Canaanites. They concluded, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” (Numbers 13:31)

The other two men were Joshua and Caleb, and unlike the others Joshua and Caleb trusted the Lord and encouraged the congregation of Israel to trust the Lord to bring them into the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb declared: “do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them” (Numbers 14:9). Joshua and Caleb believed that the Lord was with them to give them the victory. But the congregation at large was steeped in unbelief, and they were ready to stone Joshua and Caleb. After hearing the “bad report” from the ten, they had “grumbled against Moses and Aaron” (Numbers 14:2). They had said, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?” (Numbers 14:2-3)

To grumble against the Lord is the equivalent of despising the Lord. “And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me?”” (Numbers 14:11) As a result of their unbelief, which was often expressed in the form of grumbling, God judged that adult generation of Israelites who had experienced His mighty power in the deliverance from Egypt. The judgment was this: over the next forty years they would live and die in the wilderness, until the whole generation died off, and they would not enter the Promised Land: “According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.” (Numbers 14:34)

According to Philippians 2:12, God works in His believing people “to will and to work for his good pleasure,” that we might do that which is pleasing in God’s sight. We can be assured that “grumbling and questioning” is profoundly displeasing in God’s sight. As Scripture says in Psalm 95 with reference to that unfaithful generation of Israelites that didn’t inherit the Promised Land:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah [quarreling],

as on the day at Massah [testing] in the wilderness, [2]

when your fathers put me to the test

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

For forty years I loathed that generation and said,

“They are a people who go astray in their heart,

and they have not known my ways.”

Therefore I swore in my wrath,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

(Psalm 95)

THE NEW TESTAMENT WARNS US NOT TO BE LIKE THE UNBELIEVING ISRAELITES

In the New Testament, Hebrews 3-4 picks up this very same theme from Exodus, Numbers, and Psalm 95, and warns us that we who profess to know Christ must be careful lest we, like the Israelites of old, fail to reach God’s promised rest. The reason they didn’t reach God’s promised rest is because of their unbelief: God’s gracious word of salvation was proclaimed to them, but they didn’t receive it in true faith. Therefore, they lived in unbelief, disobedience, and all kinds of sins, including grumbling. The counsel of Hebrews 3-4 is that though God’s gracious word of salvation has been proclaimed to us, we must make sure that we truly believe unto salvation and demonstrate it by means of obedience: “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11)

Paul gave a similar warning to the Corinthians: “We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who things that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:9-12)

So, as you journey through the wilderness of this present life on your way to the final and glorious Promised Land: “take heed,” and “[do] all things without grumbling or questioning.” This means that at all times and in all circumstances, you are to conduct yourself as someone who believes that the Lord is with you for your good – and not only that He is with you, but that He is “[working] in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Think about it: from His throne in heaven, He is sovereign over all things, He is administrating the details of your life, He is working all things after the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11), and He is working all things together for your good (Romans 8:28), that one day you, along with all the church of God, would be a stunning reflection of His glorious Son (Romans 8:28-29). Further, by His indwelling Spirit, He is continually at work in you to transform your desires and energize your obedience, your love, your service, your perseverance. So why would you ever grumble or question or quarrel or complain?

FOLLOW THE LORD WITH JOY, WITHOUT ANY GRUMBLING

In the context of Philippians 1:27–2:16, there are all kinds of difficulties that we are going to face. As Christians we know that the world stands in opposition to our faith (Philippians 1:28). In various ways we must “suffer for his [Christ’s] sake” (Philippians 1:29; see also Philippians 3:10). The calling to be unified with each other in mind, heart, and soul (Philippians 2:2), and to honor and love our brothers and sisters (Philippians 2:3-4), is no easy task, humanly speaking. We’ve got all these different backgrounds, different personalities, different gifts, different weaknesses, different quirks, different sensitivities, and on top of all that, some people you are sorely tempted to dislike. And you’ve got to die to self, die to pride, die to preoccupation with your own selfish interests, and instead live for Jesus and love His church and build up His people. Take up your cross and die to self, without grumbling or complaining. Live for Jesus in a world that hates Him, without grumbling or complaining. Have an agreeable, edifying spirit as your interact with your whole church family, without grumbling or complaining. Participate in ministry leadership team meetings, and in church business meetings, without grumbling or complaining. Show hospitality to your fellow churchgoers, without grumbling or complaining (see 1 Peter 4:9). Come to our Lord’s Day worship service, and sing (though you would have chosen a different song), and listen eagerly to the praying and the preaching (though you have done it a different way or made it a little shorter), and give generously, and greet one another warmly, all without grumbling or complaining. Then go home to all of the imperfections in your family members, and then go to work with all of the imperfections in your workplace, and then run your errands and do your chores and pay your bills, and there and everywhere love and serve and give and help, without grumbling or complaining. And respond to every interruption, every surprise, every difficulty that hits you blindside, every failure that is someone else’s fault, respond to it all with humility, patience, and grateful submission to the Lord God Almighty, the sovereign King who rules from heaven and is with you – and in you – by His Holy Spirit.

Your calling, brothers and sisters, is to follow Jesus on the path of humble, obedient, sacrificial servanthood. Did He grumble against His Father? Did He throw accusatory questions up to heaven’s throne? Then neither should you, since you are called to follow Him.

TRANSFORMED HEARTS, NOT WELL-MANAGED MOUTHS

Some of you will hear this exhortation and think of it in moralistic terms, and the application you will take away is that you need to learn to shut your mouth, and don’t speak grumbling and quarreling words. That’s the wrong application. Shutting your mouth is secondary. You need, and we all need, to grow in the depths of our heart. Don’t be dismayed because you’re not yet perfect when it comes to glad-hearted submission and joyful contentedness[3], but make sure that you are on the pathway of growth. We need to grow in godly attitudes in which grumbling and questioning and resenting don’t factor in. And how will that happen? Only by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) as God’s powerful transforming grace works in us “to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Obedience to Philippians 2:14 doesn’t mean to become a better manager of your speech. Instead, obedience to Philippians 2:14 means to have a joyful, contented heart that rejoices to do God’s will. Out of the overflow of a joyful, contented heart, the mouth will speak joyful, contented, and grateful words (see Matthew 12:33-37).

TWO BEAUTIFUL RESULTS THAT FLOW FROM GLAD-HEARTED SUBMISSION

Now, if you trust your heavenly Father in such a way that you are filled with glad-hearted submission and joyful contentment, and thereby conduct all the doings of your life with a gracious and humble spirit (and not a grumbling or questioning one), then two beautiful and wonderful results will flow from it.

GLAD-HEARTED SUBMISSION FOR THE SAKE OF A GOOD REPUTATION NOW

The first result of trusting God and thus “[doing] all things without grumbling” is that you will have a good reputation now, in the present time: “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” (Philippians 2:15).

Now I hope everyone understands that there is no long-term benefit to having a good reputation if that reputation isn’t anchored in reality. The Pharisees had a reputation for being devoted to God, but in reality their hearts were rotten. A churchgoer today might have a reputation for godliness, but in reality they are anxious, cranky, greedy, lustful, or selfish on their insides. So, I am not encouraging anyone – and more importantly Paul is not encouraging anyone – to desire a public reputation that is at odds with their true character. I am not encouraging anyone to be a hypocrite who lives for the glory of a good reputation.

That said, our heavenly Father wants us to be His faithful children and His faithful representatives. He wants us to be known, and He wants other people to draw a line of connection between our character and the character of our God. This means that our reputation matters: the Father wants us to have a good reputation – a good name – for His name’s sake. After all, as Christians we bear the name of Christ, and shame on us if we carry His name in vain. The New Testament encourages believers to have a good reputation with the outside world. One of the qualifications to be an overseer or elder is that the man “must be well thought of by outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7). Elsewhere Paul tells all believers that they ought to “live properly before outsiders” (1 Thessalonians 4:12).

Consider how Paul describes this good reputation here in Philippians 2:15. First, notice the words “blameless and innocent” and “without blemish.” These are all references to good character. Paul had prayed in Philippians 1 that by growing in love we would “be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). Paul prayed for the Thessalonians that their “whole spirit and soul and body [may be] kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Paul taught the Ephesians that Christ gave Himself for us and “cleansed [us] by the washing of water with the word” so that we would ultimately be “holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). The pathway to final blamelessness, innocence, and unblemished purity on “the day of Christ” is to grow in godly character now – always anchored, of course, in the cleansing power of Christ’s blood, which cleanses and purifies us unto transformation and obedience (see 1 John 1:5–2:6). Now, at the present time, we ought to be blameless, innocent, and without blemish. The standard is clear: “Walk was children of light…, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” (Ephesians 5:8, 10-11).

If we have good character – that is, if we are trusting in the Lord and He is working in us “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” – then it will be visible. Our joyful contentment will be visible. The fact that we don’t grumble will be visible. The fact that we prioritize our church family and love our church family and serve our church family, with joy and not with grumbling, will be visible. The fact that we walk in obedience and seek to honor Jesus in all that we do, with eagerness and not with questioning, will be visible. And in these ways we will stand out. We will be known as a people who walk the straight and narrow. We won’t be guilty of great sin, we won’t soil our Christian garments, we won’t bring scandal upon the name of our Lord, we won’t present mixed messages to the world by saying one thing but doing another, but instead we will be blameless, innocent, and without blemish. And we will present a clear witness to the watching world.

At the same time, trusting in God and thereby displaying good character reveals and demonstrates our identity as true “children of God.” Note well that “[doing] all things without grumbling or questioning” is not how you become God’s children in the first place. Good character is not currency that pays our way into God’s family. The proper way to understand verses 14-15 is that “[doing] all things without grumbling or questioning” reveals and demonstrates that we are God’s redeemed children. On the flip side, to walk in unbelief and disobedience, to grumble and complain, and to display bad character would only reveal and demonstrate that such people are not God’s true children. And it is at just this point I want to call your attention to Deuteronomy 32:5.

The apostle Paul likely had this verse in his mind when he was writing Philippians 2:15. Deuteronomy 32 takes us back to the tragic history of Israel that I was talking about earlier. By the time you get to Deuteronomy 32, that first generation of Israelites who were rescued from Egypt had died off, and now their children – the second generation – is at the doorsteps of the Promised Land. In order to teach this second generation of Israelites, Moses wrote a song and taught it to the people. In verse 5, Moses issued a solemn warning about any generation of Israelites that proved to be unbelieving, disobedient, and idolatrous. Here is what Moses said:

“They have dealt corruptly with him;

they are no longer his children because they are blemished;

they are a crooked and twisted generation.”

(Deuteronomy 32:5)

Do you hear the language of Deuteronomy 32:5 in Philippians 2:15? Because “[they]… dealt corruptly with him,” because they were unfaithful to God, because they didn’t honor the Lord and walk in his ways, because of all that “they are blemished,” their garments are dirty because their hearts are dirty, and as a result “they are no longer his children.” Remember, their salvation was physical-political-and-national in nature, and in that sense they as a nation were His children. So this isn’t a case of an individual regenerated child of God losing his salvation; this is rather a case of a whole generation of Israelites losing their status as God’s children. Though they had been God’s children outwardly, their corrupt hearts and blemished lives revealed and demonstrated that they were not His true children inwardly. In fact, “they are a crooked and twisted generation.”

With this verse seemingly in mind, Paul tells us to walk faithfully with God, so that we will reveal and demonstrate that we are “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” The problem with Israel, over and over again, is that they were the “crooked and twisted generation.” Our calling as Christians is to be the precise opposite: we must not be a crooked and twisted generation, we must not rush downstream with the wider culture, but instead we must be a faithful witness within it, we must stand out by our gracious spirit, godly conversation, and morally upright lives. By God’s grace and transforming power in our lives, “[we] shine as lights in the world.” The world is dark, crooked, twisted, and guilty. We must “not be conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2), and at the same time we must not be cruel to the world. We are to be neither friend nor foe to the corrupt and perishing world, but rather we are a bright and shining witness to the truth, a clear light in the midst of confusion and darkness, a community of straight and narrow in a crooked and twisted land.

And don’t miss something very important here: although we are certainly called to proclaim the gospel to the world, the point of Philippians 2:15 is that “[we] shine as lights” because of our godly character and good conduct, because we walk the path of obedience “without grumbling or questioning.” In other words, the true “children of God” live in such a way that their “manner of life” (Philippians 1:27) calls attention to their heavenly Father: “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Brothers and sisters, you are God’s lights! So then, shine and shine brightly for your God. And the way to shine brightly for Him is to be glad in the knowledge that He is leading you and is with you and is working in you for your good, and then in that glad knowledge to go forth and “[do] all things” – especially those things that He specifically instructs you to do – “without grumbling or questioning." 

HOLD FAST TO GOD’S WORD

Having your faith anchored in the promises and principles of God’s Word is key to living this way, as Paul teaches when he says we must always be “holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:16). God’s Word is here referred to as “the word of life,” which is to say that this word gives and sustains life. But who benefits from the life-giving and life-sustaining power of God’s Word? Those who hold fast to it, those who regard it as precious, those who with deep conviction believe what is says, those who hold on to it for dear life, because dear life and transforming power is precisely what God gives us through His Word. “[Holding] fast to the word of life” is the foundation of everything else Paul tells us to do in Philippians 2:12-16. If we are going to walk in obedience (v. 12), if we are going to “[do] all things without grumbling or questioning” (v. 14), if we are going to “be blameless and innocent” in all our conduct (v. 15), if we are going to “shine as lights in the world” (v. 15), then we need God to uphold spiritual life and spiritual growth in our hearts (v. 13) – and He does this through His Word (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Otherwise we will languish, and our spiritual vitality will fade. So then, let us keep the Word of God close to our hearts, and let us keep our feet in the path that the Word lays out for us, and let us trust the Lord to work in us through His Word in order keep us going and keep us growing in His ways.

GLAD-HEARTED SUBMISSION FOR THE SAKE OF A GLORIOUS CELEBRATION IN ETERNITY

This way of life – trusting God, holding fast to His life-giving words, and thereby walking in glad-hearted submission – results not only in a good reputation and compelling witness now in the present time, but also in a glorious celebration in eternity: “Do all things…, that you may be…., holding fast to the world of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:14, 15, 16). Paul is essentially saying:

If you are unlike that first generation of Israelites who didn’t make it to the Promised Land of Canaan, but if unlike them you actually hold fast to God’s Word, and trust Him amid all the difficulties and trials of life, and undertake all of your doings and all of your duties with a gracious spirit, and so as His faithful children shine brightly for Him in this corrupt world, then unlike that first generation of Israelites you will actually make it to the ultimate Promised Land on the day of Christ, and I will not have “run in vain” or “[labored] in vain” for you. Then together we will all enjoy the everlasting rest that God has promised to those who love Him, and I will be proud – not selfishly proud, mind you, but I will have that swelling of heart that soars with great joy when God works through us to accomplish eternal good in His beloved children.

We can be sure that on that day, when Paul’s heart swells with godly pride because he sees these dear friends from Philippi there with him, that the hearts of these Philippian believers will swell with unspeakable gratitude for the sacrificial labors of their beloved apostle (see Philippians 2:17), and the love between them will then be complete, and the shared joy will run deep, and together they will take that godly pride and unspeakable gratitude and deep fellowship, and they will gladly offer up the sacrifice of highest praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mediator of all these good gifts, and with this high praise the Father shall be well-pleased.

LIVE IN THE LIGHT OF THESE WONDERFUL REALITIES

Since you have this great promise of eternal celebration, and since you have this great calling to shine as God’s faithful children in our sin-darkened world, make it your great ambition to live as He intends for you to live and “[do] all things without grumbling and questioning.” Let the gospel of Christ’s gracious and willing sacrifice strengthen your heart, let the promise of the Father’s continual supply of peace give rest to your soul, and let the knowledge of the Holy Spirit’s transforming work within you encourage your spirit.     

Let us pray.

ENDNOTES

[1] The ESV has the following footnotes on Exodus 17:7 – “Massah means testing” and “Meribah means quarreling.”

[2] See Endnote 1 for the meaning of “Meribah” and “Massah.”

[3] In one of his “Look at the Book” teaching sessions on Philippians 2:12-13, John Piper helped me see a strong connection between Philippians 2:13-14 and Philippians 4:11-13. In Philippians 2:13-14, living “without grumbling or questioning” (v. 14) is the fruit of God’s transforming work in the believer’s heart (v. 13). In Philippians 4:11-13, Paul’s contentment (v. 11-12) is the fruit of Christ’s strengthening work in his life (v. 13). Therefore the glad-hearted submission of Philippians 2:13 is basically equivalent to the joyful contentedness/contentment of Philippians 4:11-12 – equivalent both in the sense of what it is and how it is produced in the believer’s life. As for my addition of the word joyful in front of contentedness/contentment, Paul’s contentment is obviously flavored with profound joy (e.g., Philippians 1:4, 18; 2:17; 4:4, 10).