On this edition of Classic Christianity Radio, Bob George continues teaching through Philippians with a powerful message about anxiety, humility, dependency upon Christ, and living in the present instead of being trapped by fear of the future or regret over the past.
Bob explains that “working out your salvation” does not mean earning or maintaining salvation through works, but rather allowing the love, forgiveness, compassion, and grace already placed within believers by Christ to flow outward into the lives of others. He challenges Christians to stop living with pride, complaining, arguing, and constant anxiety, and instead embrace the humble attitude
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.
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And so Christ Jesus went to a cross. And because of that truth, and because of the attitude of Christ Jesus, that he said, that’s what we should duplicate. This attitude of what? Dependency. The dependency upon Christ to accomplish in us what we cannot accomplish on our own. Because of that, God exalted him to the highest place. And he gave him the name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now, I look at this. You may want to look at it as well. And I see that he says every knee should bow and every tongue should confess. And he says that those that do that are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Now, does anyone know anybody that lives under the earth? I don’t know. Do you? He says here that a knee is going to bow. That means somebody’s got a knee. And every tongue is going to confess. And that means that somebody’s got a tongue. And where those people are located is in heaven and on earth and under the earth. He says, in essence, this could just mean that he’s just saying in the totality of what we know, in this earth, below it or on top of it, every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess. And that is true. It’s going to come at the end times when Christ Jesus ultimately returns to this earth, that every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess that he’s Lord. Now, guys, many times people have taken this passage of Scripture to teach that you can lose your salvation. That we should work out or that salvation is not by faith. It’s also through works. And it says right here you should work out. Well what in the world is he talking about here? Continue to work out your salvation. That means already have salvation. Now to start to work out what has been worked in. What Christ has placed in you now work it out. Christ has loved you perfectly. Now do what? Love one another. Christ Jesus has forgiven you perfectly. Now what? Forgive one another. How? As Christ Jesus forgave you. Christ Jesus has given you tenderness and compassion. What is working out? The salvation has been worked into us. Exert compassion and understanding. And comfort and love to those around us. And so it has nothing to do with the loss of salvation. It is merely saying that what I have worked in you. Don’t sit there like the Dead Sea. and say whoopee I got all this stuff thank God he said no that doesn’t make my love complete my love is complete when you’re basking in the fact that nothing can separate you from the love of God and you therefore begin to pass that love on to those around you then my love is complete my love is complete when I’ve given it to you and you have given it to someone else and so he’s saying to us to work out what’s been worked in with fear and trembling now what does that mean Well, I remember when Paul said that when I came to you, I did not come to you with lofty words and brilliant ideas, but I came to you in fear and trembling. That doesn’t mean that Paul was sitting there all shaky. It means I came to you with reverence. Fear and trembling means that I came to you with reverence. I came to you with awe and reverence. And the same thing is true here. That work out your salvation with awe and with reverence to the one who worked it in you. It doesn’t have to sit around and walking around like this toward God. It means that you have reverence toward God. I have a great love for the ocean. I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love places like that. You know, I just have just nominal taste in this world. Hawaii. Hawaii. California, Florida, places like that, just normal little places. I love the ocean, but I want to tell you something. I have great respect for the ocean. And you’re not going to see me wandering too far out in it. And I have great respect. I have great awe for it, but I love it. And it’s the same thing. I love God, but I also respect him and have awe in regard to him. Why? It’s God who works in you to will and to do and to act according to his good pleasure. Now, here’s one for us. Do everything without complaining or arguing. Now, if all of us followed that, would our households be a wee bit different? Without complaining or arguing. Guys, we can find everything to complain about, can’t we? It’s too hot. It’s too cold. The television’s too loud. Turn it up. It’s too soft. Ever run into those things? Complaining about everything. The food didn’t taste quite as good as it did last week. Complaining. Arguing. What do you argue about? Always wanting to be right. Guy said, I married my wife. Her name was Miss Right. I just didn’t know her first name was Always. What do we argue over? I’m right. You’re wrong. So what? When you think about it, so what? That building is over here. No, it’s over there. What does it matter as long as you get there? If it’s over here and you think it’s over there, the only difference is it’s going to take you a little longer to get there. But you’re going to get there. But we argue over that. Well, I want to be right. And then when we are right, we’re so proud. feel so good about ourselves gee I don’t know how I ever married anyone as dumb as you but I’m pretty smart and we like to think that we’re smart well all of those are attitudes that are contrary to the attitude of Christ Jesus it’s not an attitude of humility it’s an attitude of by golly I am right and I’m going to be right and I don’t care whether you like it or whether you don’t I’m going to be right Complaining and arguing. It says do everything without those things, without complaining and arguing. Why don’t we try that on? Why don’t we just say, okay, for one day I’m going to function without complaining and arguing. You guys want to make a commitment to that? You say, I sure do. When? Oh, in about 50, 60 years I’ll make a commitment to that. Don’t want to do it tomorrow. But if you want to try it sometime, just say, what would it be like if today I made a commitment I’m not going to complain or argue about anything? See what happens. Try it out and we’ll come back next week and see if we’ve got any testimonies. Or how many of you lie? Okay. Now he says to not do that so that we can become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life in order that I may boast on the day of Christ and did not run or labor for nothing. What he is saying here is I pray that these things will become a part of your life so that I don’t have to sit back someday and say all my labor was for nothing. Because, guys, that can get discouraging. If you think that you have spent your life trying to teach people truth that sets them free, and at the end of that nobody’s paid an ounce of attention to it, you just have to sit back and say, well, my labor was for nothing. I may as well have been out collecting garbage. But even, he says, if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, that I’m glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. Now, he says, I hope that in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. Now, again, Timothy was co-author of this book of Philippians. He was a co-worker of Apostle Paul. Father Paul had led him to Christ. He had grown up in a home with a mother and a grandmother who were both Christians, very, very influential in his life. And so he was with Paul at this time, and he says that I’m going to send Timothy to you, that I may also be cheered when I receive news about you. He’s saying something about Timothy that would be a wonderful compliment coming from someone like the Apostle Paul. I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. He’s saying, I don’t have any other worker like Timothy that I can honestly say takes a genuine interest in the welfare of you. That would be some compliment, wouldn’t it? Coming from anyone, but coming from the Apostle Paul would be very, very well received. For everyone looks out after his own interest and not those of Jesus Christ. That’s really true, isn’t it? We have a tendency to look out for my own interest, not yours, but mine. And yet Timothy obviously was a person who had a genuine interest in others. Now think about it for a moment with the attitude of Christ Jesus that he says we should have an attitude like that of Christ Jesus. Did Christ Jesus look out after his own interests or ours? He saw us in a fallen condition for him to sacrifice for me. He had to die. He had to suffer. He had to be beaten. He had to be rejected. He came into his own. His own received him not. But to all who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God. But Christ Jesus had to make a decision that for our benefit, I am not going to be able to look out after my interests. My interests are staying alive, aren’t they? Are we together on that? One of the greatest things we have is the desire for survival, isn’t it? We’ll do anything to stay alive. And somebody said, no, no, I’m going to come to die. And I’m going to come to suffer and to do what is necessary to become the one living sacrifice that is of such value that it can take away the sins of the whole world. And I’m willing to do that. Why? For us.
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I believe it’s somewhat like a woman having a child, that she goes through the suffering that it takes to produce a baby, especially at delivery. I’ve said before, if men had to have babies, you’d only have one. I don’t think we’d ever do it again. But women, something in them where for the sake and for the joy that is set forth before them as to what is going to be produced, they’re willing to go through the suffering that you go through to have a child. Now, we guys, we don’t have much trouble having children. It’s not a real suffering thing for us. But for a woman, she has to go through the suffering. And so it’s the same thing with Christ Jesus, that even though he was going to have to become sin for us and he was going to have to die for that sin, He was willing to do that for our benefit, looking out after our interests over and above his own interests. And it says that that’s exactly what Timothy, the attitude that he had. And so he said, everyone looks out after his own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know that Timothy has proved himself because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel. In other words, he’s been like a son to me. And I’ve been like a father to him. And we’ve served together the work of the gospel. And I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I’m confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. So he’s saying that I’m hoping that I’ll be able to come to see you in Philippi before long. But right now, I’ve got to stay where I am. But I think it’s necessary to send back Eproditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard that he was ill, and indeed he was ill and almost died. So here’s a fellow worker that was sent from Eproditus. Philippi to Paul to take care of his needs and while he was there obviously was sick to the point of death but God had mercy on him and not only on him but also on me to spare me sorrow upon sorrow now guys this leaves us with is it spiritual to be sorrowful over the loss of a brother or a sister. According to Paul, is that unusual? If you had a fellow worker, if I had one of our workers, one of our staff members that died, would I be sorrowful or joyful? Well, it depends on who it was. No, there would be great sorrow. Be great sorrow to lose a fellow worker in Christ Jesus. The same with you. When people in our congregation have gone to be with the Lord, there’s great sorrow that comes to all of us. With Paul, he said, God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but also me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. He just didn’t leave sorrow. He said sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I’m more than eager to send him, so that when you see him again, you may be glad, and I may have less anxiety. Now, in this same book of Philippians, He says, don’t be anxious about anything. But in all things with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, let your requests be known unto God. And then the peace of God that passes all understanding will quieten your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. He’s saying, don’t be anxious about what? Anything. Anything. But a couple chapters later, or before that, he says, I’m all the more eager to send him so that when you see him again, you will be glad and I may have less anxiety. Does Paul think it’s unusual for any of us to have anxiety? So he said, don’t be anxious about anything, but I’m hoping that I’ll have less anxiety. Now, what Paul is talking about here, guys, is anxiety is an emotion that is connected with futuristic thinking. When you’re anxious about something, you’re normally anxious about what’s going to happen tomorrow, aren’t you? So it’s a futuristic thought that is producing anxious feelings today. Remember this thought. That God has designed you in such a way whereby your emotions are going to predictably respond to whatever you’re thinking. You don’t have emotional problems. You have thinking problems. If you are thinking sad thoughts, how are you going to be feeling? Sad. If you are thinking anxious thoughts, how are you going to be feeling? If you’re thinking mad thoughts, how are you going to be feeling? Mad and angry. If you’re thinking depressed thoughts, how are you going to be feeling? Depressed. It’s not a syndrome. It’s not a sickness. It’s a thinking pattern. I’m thinking depressing thoughts and therefore I am feeling depressed. That’s the way God made you. He made you in such a way whereby my feelings are going to predictably respond to whatever I am thinking. Precisely why it says in the Bible, as a man thinks, what? So is he. So is he. So does he feel. So does he do. And so when Paul is saying about anxiety, there is nothing unusual about about anxiety there is nothing unusual about being depressed now we come up in our modern day thinking and say oh that’s unusual you need a pill or you need us you got a syndrome but see all that’s humanistic talk because god says there anything unusual about that at all paul himself says i hope to be less anxious If it was unusual, why would he say, don’t be anxious? If it was unusual to have fear, why would he say, fear not? If it was unusual. There’s nothing unusual about these things. We just make them unusual so that I can sell you some pills. Ooh, that’s unusual. You’re weird, Jim. You’ve got a problem. Here’s a pill. And we think pills are going to renew your mind? No. A pill can alter your mind, but a pill’s never going to renew your mind. You think a pill can teach you how to think? Can teach you how to be dumb, numb, but teach you how to think? Come on. But that’s what the world comes along with. All those things are, my friends, are thinking patterns. As a man thinks, so is he. That’s from God. The other’s from man. Nothing unusual about being anxious. People say, I’ve got panic attacks. Big deal. We all do sooner or later. Why do you have a panic attack? Because you’re thinking panically. It’s not a word, but you can think that way. You’re thinking with panic. You’re thinking about something that’s panic. So you have panic attacks. Folks, don’t be duped. By what the world comes along and tries to teach us. Because the world’s philosophies are totally contrary to God’s word. What did it say back we talked about here earlier? And I pray that you’ll be what? Make my joy complete by being what? like what minded like-minded what’s like-mindedness i got my mind on what god says true i’m going to go by what god says is true i don’t care if the whole medical profession everybody else says this or they don’t this is what god says and this is where i’m going so god says to us here that he said i’m Going to see him again and you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. And then turns around and says, don’t be anxious about anything. He said, or anything unusual about having anxiety, but don’t be anxious. You don’t need to stay in that way. No need in staying anxious. Anxious is thinking about tomorrow. Now I want to ask you a question. Do you have a clue as to what’s going to happen to you tomorrow? Anybody? If you did, you could be a millionaire on the stock market. If you knew anything about the future, anything about the future, if you knew it, and you knew everything was going to happen tomorrow, it’d take you about 10 minutes to be a millionaire on a stock market. You don’t know anything about tomorrow. Tomorrow’s God’s country. What’s he say about yesterday? Forget it. Forget it. Put it behind you. Why? You can’t change it. Now, some people never let you forget the mistakes of the past. And every time a person brings up your mistakes of the past, they’re serving Satan, not God, because God has taken those and put them behind his back and never to see them again. So if God has done that, who’s telling you to bring them up? How are you ever going to forget the past when someone reminded you of them all the time? Whatever’s happened to you in your life, let go of it. It’s happened. It’s over. It’s done. I have many people who cannot live their life today mourning over something that happened to them 15, 20, 30 years ago. Still mourning over it. Why? Because you can’t go forward when you’re hanging on. So guys, let go. God says, let go. Forget the past and press on to the high calling of Christ Jesus. The past is over. You can’t change it. The future is God’s country. You don’t belong up there. When you’re up there, you don’t belong there. That’s God’s country. That’s why there’s no need in being anxious because you don’t know what’s going to happen. 90% of what you’re anxious about never happens. So he said, that’s God’s country. Stay out of there. Well, what do you want me to do, Lord? I want you to live one day at a time. Well, you see, if you’re talking about physically, me living one day at a time, that sounds kind of stupid. How else do you think I’m going to live except one day at a time? He’s saying, no, no. I’m talking about emotionally. I’m talking about in your head. Live one day at a time. Forget the past. Tomorrow’s God’s country. Live one day at a time. Sweet Jesus. That’s all I’m asking from you. Great Saul. One day at a time. One day at a time. I can only trust Jesus right now. I can’t trust him a little bit ago. It’s already gone. Can’t trust him for the future. It’s not here. I can only trust him right now. But right now I do have a God that I can trust. That I can find encouragement in. That I can find comfort in. Right now. That I can be in fellowship with him right now. And have tenderness and compassion from him right now. All of those things are available to you and me right now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday. Right now. I want to live joyfully. Live one day at a time.
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Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.
