Judges offered the young pastor a way to avoid the death penalty. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS RECANT HIS CONVERSION: Nadarkhani told the court that he had no intention of returning to Islam. He said: ‘Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?’ When the court ORDERED him to ‘RETURN TO THE RELIGION OF YOUR ANCESTORS – ISLAM’, Nadarkhani replied: ‘I can not.’
Youcef Nadarkhani is a modern day example of what Paul was talking about in Philippians 2:12–18 (NIV) "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may 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 that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me."
Today we learn how to make a significant IMPACT on our world.
First, SIGNIFICANCE INVOLVES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF SALVATION
1. Scripture speaks of salvation as a gift received.
Romans 6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Not feeling significant? Jesus says, “YOU are to die for!"
Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
2. Scripture speaks of salvation as a grateful response.
Philippians 2:12 (NIV) “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,”
Being “CHRISTIAN” is to be a “WORK IN PROGRESS.”
The word Paul used in verse 12 “work out” means to “bring about, to produce, or create.” The same word translated “work out” is translated “PRODUCES” in Romans 5:3, where it says “…suffering PRODUCES perseverance..” In James 1:3 it’s translated “DEVELOPS”—“the testing of your faith DEVELOPS perseverance…”
It is interesting to me how salvation is linked to production. The Christian life should produce! SURFACE SALVATION will never give you the abundant life God has provided for you.
Paul says “…work out your salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING” = That does not mean to live our life in debilitating fear that God is out to get us, it means to conduct our lives with REVERENCE and HUMILITY toward God. We carry HIS name and we ought to live and act accordingly. He is AWEsome and we ought to live our lives in AWE of Him. It is GREAT what He did for us therefore we live GRATEFULLY.
Second, SIGNIFICANCE INVOLVES OUR UTILIZATION OF POWER
I read about a lady that lived in a small house on the seashore that finally got electricity installed in her home. Several weeks later the Meter-reader appeared and asked if her electricity was working because her meter barely registered any usage. She assured him it was. She said, “Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on the lights just long enough to light my candles.”
She was tapped into the power but wasn’t using it! Her house was connected but not altered!! She missed the true benefit of being connected. So do we.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV) “…it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”
SIGNIFICANCE involves tapping into the POWER that is available to us.
The verb translated "works" (v. 13) is different from the word “work out” in verse 12. The word for what God does in us means “energizes” or “provides enablement.” Using play on words, Paul basically said they could “work out” their salvation because God was “working in” them. In other words: God energizes and empowers us to do His work.
When you surrender to the power within you, obedience will becomes a DELIGHT and NOT A BATTLE. When we do what is right whether the pastor is present or absent (12) we are on the right track.
Too often, we obey God because of pressure from the outside and not because of the POWER that resides on the inside.
Our word ENERGY comes from the word translated WORK in verse 13. It is the POWER of the Holy Spirit working THROUGH US that accomplishes what God wants done. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to work in us!!! Ephesians 1:18–20 (NIV) “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and HIS INCOMPARABLY GREAT POWER FOR US WHO BELIEVE. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead…”
Lastly, SIGNIFICANCE INVOLVES OUR UNIITY OF PURPOSE
Philippians 2:14–18 (NIV) “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may 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 that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.”
What does your church's constellation look like? How bright is your star in this dark world?
When we shine together others will notice. What would happen if WE ALL shined (If you worked on your glow and me on mine)? We will have GREATER SIGNIFICANCE. When we join forces we have a significantly greater IMPACT for Christ in this world. When our purpose is the same—TO KNOW CHRIST AND MAKE HIM KNOWN—we’ll get noticed.
Three things we need to do, according to Philippians 2:14-18, if we want to shine bright for Christ:
1. Our cooperation helps us shine. (14—Don’t complain and argue!)
2. Our cleanliness helps us shine. (15—Be blameless and pure!)
3. Our confidence helps us shine. (16—With confidence we “hold out the Word of life!”)
Without God taking the initiative we would not have a salvation to work out. However, because He has done this great work in our lives, we should be motivated to live our lives for Him. As we increase our love for each other we will increase our witnesses in a world that desperately needs Christ. Against the backdrop of this dark world, we will SHINE!
1 Peter 3:15a (NIV) “...in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
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