Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

 Summary and Purpose

Summary: As followers of Jesus Christ, we must continue to ‘work out our own salvation’. This doesn’t mean that we save ourselves or must do something to earn our salvation. God offers us eternal salvation as a free gift. We don’t have to earn it. This is a good thing because our sinful nature would prevent us from earning it. For further clarification on this, refer to Ephesians 2:8-10.

Although it’s a free gift, we do have a role to play in our own salvation. Playing this role is what it means to ‘work out our own salvation’. First, we must say ‘yes’ to God’s offer of forgiveness. Then we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit can change us. (We are all sinners who need to be changed.) We cooperate through worship, Bible study, Christian accountability, prayer and serving others. The Holy Spirit works through all these means to make us more like Jesus Christ.

In less than a week, we’ll be inaugurating a new year. This is a time for new beginnings. We need to ask ourselves the following question: What can I do in 2011 that I didn’t do in 2010 to ‘work out my own salvation’?

Purpose: To encourage the congregation to evaluate their efforts at 'working out their own salvation'.   

The Sermon

I. Introduction:  New Year’s Eve – A time for reflection

• It’s amazing that people would celebrate so hard on New Year’s Eve. In reality, it’s nothing more than an arbitrary way of marking time. There’s nothing to really celebrate.
• I suppose I shouldn’t be to critical of people who use the New Year as an excuse to party. I use to be among them. While in college, I use to go with my friends to the big party at the Jacksonville Landing.  It was so crowded and full of drunk people I now wonder why I ever participated in it.

     2. Some people, however, Look at New Year’s Eve as a time to reflect.

• Although New Year’s Eve is an arbitrary way to mark time, it’s as good a time as any to reflect on one’s life.
• People look back at the previous year and determine what they did well and what they did wrong. Then they make resolutions for the New Year as a way to improve their lives.
• This is a good exercise for Christians. As followers of Christ, we need to reflect on our lives to determine how well we are living up to God’s standard of love

     1. The importance of ‘working out our own salvation’.

• Philippians 2:12-13 states: “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 God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
• God wants us to do this.

• First: We determine what it means to ‘work out our own salvation’.
• Second: We determine specific ways to ‘work out our own salvation’.
• Third: We examine our previous year (2010) to determine what we did or did not do to ‘work out our salvation’.
• Fourth: We determine what we will do the next year (2011) to ‘work out our salvation’.

III. What it means to ‘work out our own salvation’

     1. It does not mean we save ourselves or must do something to earn our salvation.

• God offers us eternal salvation as a free gift. We don’t have to earn it.
• It’s a good thing we don’t have to earn our salvation because our sinful nature would prevent us from earning it.
• Ephesians 2:8-10 states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God -- not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
• Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. His life, death and resurrection made it possible for us to simply receive God’s forgiveness.
• Once we receive God’s forgiveness, we have a re-established relationship with God and the Holy Spirit begins to transform us into the image of Christ.
• The very passage that tells us to ‘work out our own salvation’ (Philippians 2:12-13) makes it very clear that it is God, not us, who is doing the actual work to change us. – “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 God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
• Evidently, we should ‘work out our own salvation’ because God is changing and enabling us to accomplish His loving will.

• First, we must say ‘yes’ to God’s offer of forgiveness.
• Then we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that the Holy Spirit can change us. (We are all sinners who need to be changed.)
• We cooperate through worship, Bible study, Christian accountability, prayer and serving others. The Holy Spirit works through all these means to make us more like Jesus Christ.. These are the specific ways we can ‘work out our own salvation’.

IV. The specific ways to ‘work out our own salvation’

     1. Corporate and personal Worship

     2. Corporate and personal Bible study

     3. Christian accountability/Small groups

     4. Corporate and personal Prayer & Fasting – continuous Prayer

     5. Serving – Sharing the gospel and helping people in the name of Jesus

     6. Goes back to the Christian Life

• If you need to begin by saying yes to God’s offer of forgiveness, then do so right now.
• If you need to do something specific to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, resolve to do it right now.