Salvation Displayed in Attitude | Philippians 2:14

This excerpt examines Philippians 2:14 and the idea that a believer’s salvation should be displayed in attitude.

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Dale B. Welden
Sermon Title: Closing the Gap
Sermon Series: Joy in These Times #8
Excerpt Text: Philippians 2:14
Full Service: https://youtu.be/G3RGAxgUzGE

Transcript

He has presented this statement about working out your salvation which we would call sanctification becoming more and more like Jesus but now he’s he’s about to say and this is how you do it. This is how you work it out and I’m going to give you two broad categories and the first one is that a believer’s salvation should be displayed in attitude. Verse 14, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

Now up to this point we haven’t said a lot about the dispute evidently that was going on the some disunity there in that church. We’re going to see more about it in Chapter 4. He’s going to call him out. He’s going to name names. Okay, but but now right now what he’s doing is he’s laying a foundation for how we are to deal with these disputes and why we are – he’s setting the stage for dealing with that situation.

It seems like doing things without complaining or arguing it may seem like well that’s action that’s not so much attitude but but I’m convinced that here it relates to that inward attitude. Now when it talks about complaining or grumbling the idea is this low toned, discontented, mutterings. In the Old Testament there is a there’s a Hebrew word and it is the word that’s usually translated murmur, and it relates to uh the the the actual sound of the word, and so it’s… here’s the idea this uh these grumblings are like, murmurmur…you know it’s a it’s an undertone and that’s why that’s such a descriptive word and and that undertone undercuts that which is above it.

Howard Hendricks was an adviser to hundreds of pastors and churches during his many years of ministry. I heard him say this, that he had spoken to pastors and and churches all over the country and he said this is not scientific this is just my own observance. And that is he said that about 14 percent of church members won’t be happy no matter what.

Now, when I heard him say that and and you know I think of our church here and we are we’re better than that we’re more like 13 percent, no.

Actually I think we’re we’re much better than that, but let’s just stipulate for a moment that he knew what he was talking about. Now first of all it sounds awful 14 percent that’s a huge amount but what that means is that 86 percent of the people really want to do ministry and be ministered to and grow in the Lord and and love Christ and be obedient to the Lord and and that that kind of a thing. But, back to this 14 percent of church members that won’t be happy no matter what.

We need to ask ourselves and have I slipped into that? That category? Am I one of those people that no matter what the church does it’s always not quite right for me. And, I really don’t like this or that there’s always something under your skin about the church.

We need to ask ourselves if we’ve fallen in to that and and people can fall in and out of that too in seasons of their life. If you admit you’re you’re there it’s something to be repented of. To turn from it. It’s what Paul is saying – do things without grumbling or disputing because as he’ll show in a moment that’s what people of the light do.