Happy New Year! Today is the first day of 2023. I am looking forward to an exciting new year filled with many blessings and adventures for our church and family. Next Sunday, I will deliver our annual “State of the Church Address” during which we will look back over several events from this past year and look forward to the year ahead. This morning, however, I am going to preach on the topic of New Year’s Resolutions and to share one that we can all embrace.
What is a New Year’s Resolution? According to Wikipedia, it is “a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior at the beginning of a calendar year.” According to recent statistics, approximately 38.5% of U.S. adults make 1 or more New Year’s Resolutions each year. Young adults tend to make resolutions more than older adults do.
What are the most popular New Year’s Resolutions? According to an online article I read this week, here are “The Top 10 Most Common New Year’s Resolutions”:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
We can see in the list above a few recurring themes such as taking a more active approach to health and fitness, improving finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development. The article goes on to say that only 46% of those who make New Year’s Resolutions actually keep them throughout the year, meaning that over half who do so fail. According to a few other articles I read, the success rate is much lower.
For the remainder of our time together this morning, let’s focus on the most popular New Year’s Resolution. 48% of those surveyed wanted to exercise more. At the beginning of each year, new gym memberships soar across the country as people commit to working out regularly. Exercising more is a worthy goal, and something that would be good for all of us. But even more beneficial than physical exercise is spiritual exercise…
Did you know that the Bible instructs Christians - those of us who have been saved - to “work out” every day?
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. - Philippians 2:12-13
What does it mean to work out your own salvation? Well… let’s start with what it doesn’t mean. The Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that salvation comes by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not the result of works, and therefore no amount and/or quality of good works can ever bring about or sustain salvation. Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him.
Working out one’s salvation has nothing to do with becoming saved or staying saved. Physical exercise does not bring a dead person to life, nor does spiritual exercise bring about the regeneration of a sinner’s soul. Rather, just as physical exercise enhances one’s physical health, strength, and overall well-being, so also spiritual exercise improves one’s spiritual health and vitality.
This is what it means to “work out” our salvation - to obey and serve the LORD intently and continuously in order to develop and enhance the salvation that God is already working within us until it is made complete. This is known as the process of sanctification. Those who have accepted Jesus have been set apart for His purposes. They have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. By “working out” our salvation, we become stronger and more effective Christians who are better equipped to face the struggles of this present life.
How do you work out your own salvation? First, let’s discuss the attitude we should have towards the “work out” process. If we are honest, most people don’t really like to work out. They do it because they know that it's good for them. In much the same way, working out spiritually is not always easy and comfortable, but it is extremely valuable. Spiritual exercise should be done in fear and trembling. This doesn’t mean that we should be afraid of God, but rather that we should have great reverence and respect for Him. The LORD is worthy of our obedience and submission. His desire is for our good. Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
Second, let’s discuss the manner in which you “work out”. Just as there are physical exercises, so also there are spiritual exercises. We sometimes refer to these as spiritual disciplines. There is no single list of spiritual disciplines found in the Bible, but here is a list of some common ones that I’ve used in the past:
1. Read, Study, and Memorize Scripture
2. Prayer
3. Fasting
4. Confession and Repentance
5. Worship (Individual and Corporate)
6. Fellowship
7. Rest
8. Celebration
9. Service
10. Generosity
11. Chastity
12. Disciple-Making
By practicing these disciplines regularly, if not daily, you will improve your spiritual health and develop your spiritual muscle. Just like an exercise regimen, these spiritual disciplines will not happen on their own. We must approach them with intentionality and implement them into our lives, practicing them again and again until they become habitual. Who knows… perhaps we may even come to love and cherish these spiritual exercises. To help you with the first item on the list, I’ve distributed a daily Bible reading plan for you to follow this year. I will be referring to it each Sunday during 2023. Taking a few minutes to read the Bible each day and then praying about what you’ve read can literally transform your life.
So, as we kick off 2023, I challenge you to join me as we resolve together to “work out” more. That is, to work out our salvation in fear and trembling by practicing the spiritual disciplines. I trust that as we are faithful in our obedience and service, we will become healthier, stronger, and more fruitful in our Christian lives. Happy New Year!
What is a New Year’s Resolution? According to Wikipedia, it is “a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior at the beginning of a calendar year.” According to recent statistics, approximately 38.5% of U.S. adults make 1 or more New Year’s Resolutions each year. Young adults tend to make resolutions more than older adults do.
What are the most popular New Year’s Resolutions? According to an online article I read this week, here are “The Top 10 Most Common New Year’s Resolutions”:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
We can see in the list above a few recurring themes such as taking a more active approach to health and fitness, improving finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development. The article goes on to say that only 46% of those who make New Year’s Resolutions actually keep them throughout the year, meaning that over half who do so fail. According to a few other articles I read, the success rate is much lower.
For the remainder of our time together this morning, let’s focus on the most popular New Year’s Resolution. 48% of those surveyed wanted to exercise more. At the beginning of each year, new gym memberships soar across the country as people commit to working out regularly. Exercising more is a worthy goal, and something that would be good for all of us. But even more beneficial than physical exercise is spiritual exercise…
Did you know that the Bible instructs Christians - those of us who have been saved - to “work out” every day?
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. - Philippians 2:12-13
What does it mean to work out your own salvation? Well… let’s start with what it doesn’t mean. The Bible clearly and repeatedly teaches that salvation comes by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not the result of works, and therefore no amount and/or quality of good works can ever bring about or sustain salvation. Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him.
Working out one’s salvation has nothing to do with becoming saved or staying saved. Physical exercise does not bring a dead person to life, nor does spiritual exercise bring about the regeneration of a sinner’s soul. Rather, just as physical exercise enhances one’s physical health, strength, and overall well-being, so also spiritual exercise improves one’s spiritual health and vitality.
This is what it means to “work out” our salvation - to obey and serve the LORD intently and continuously in order to develop and enhance the salvation that God is already working within us until it is made complete. This is known as the process of sanctification. Those who have accepted Jesus have been set apart for His purposes. They have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved. By “working out” our salvation, we become stronger and more effective Christians who are better equipped to face the struggles of this present life.
How do you work out your own salvation? First, let’s discuss the attitude we should have towards the “work out” process. If we are honest, most people don’t really like to work out. They do it because they know that it's good for them. In much the same way, working out spiritually is not always easy and comfortable, but it is extremely valuable. Spiritual exercise should be done in fear and trembling. This doesn’t mean that we should be afraid of God, but rather that we should have great reverence and respect for Him. The LORD is worthy of our obedience and submission. His desire is for our good. Psalm 2:11 sums it up perfectly: “Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
Second, let’s discuss the manner in which you “work out”. Just as there are physical exercises, so also there are spiritual exercises. We sometimes refer to these as spiritual disciplines. There is no single list of spiritual disciplines found in the Bible, but here is a list of some common ones that I’ve used in the past:
1. Read, Study, and Memorize Scripture
2. Prayer
3. Fasting
4. Confession and Repentance
5. Worship (Individual and Corporate)
6. Fellowship
7. Rest
8. Celebration
9. Service
10. Generosity
11. Chastity
12. Disciple-Making
By practicing these disciplines regularly, if not daily, you will improve your spiritual health and develop your spiritual muscle. Just like an exercise regimen, these spiritual disciplines will not happen on their own. We must approach them with intentionality and implement them into our lives, practicing them again and again until they become habitual. Who knows… perhaps we may even come to love and cherish these spiritual exercises. To help you with the first item on the list, I’ve distributed a daily Bible reading plan for you to follow this year. I will be referring to it each Sunday during 2023. Taking a few minutes to read the Bible each day and then praying about what you’ve read can literally transform your life.
So, as we kick off 2023, I challenge you to join me as we resolve together to “work out” more. That is, to work out our salvation in fear and trembling by practicing the spiritual disciplines. I trust that as we are faithful in our obedience and service, we will become healthier, stronger, and more fruitful in our Christian lives. Happy New Year!