Valuable Sanctifiers: Obedience
031 Valuable Sanctifiers: Obedience
Philippians 2:12-13
November 2, 2025
As you know we are studying “The Necessity of Sanctification”
And we are in our 3rd major part of that study: THE DYNAMICS OF SANCTIFICATION
We want to get practical.
So we’ve been looking at those tools which the Spirit of God uses
To show us the glory of Christ and thereby transform us into His image.
Scripture
Prayer
Providence
Fellowship
THEY ARE ALL PRACTICAL WAYS TO PURSUE SANCTIFICATION.
Well tonight we come to perhaps THE MOST PRACTICAL one of them all.
The 5th and final tool that is used by God’s Spirit is: OBEDIENCE
This is certainly the tool where “the rubber meets the road”
In one sense it is the realest of all the tools.
While the first 4 are certainly wonderful tools,
They can be participated in without much sanctification occurring.
· You can read your Bible, but if you don’t read it correctly, sanctification won’t
result.
· The same is true with prayer, and providence, and fellowship.
· You can participate in all of those things in a sort of nonchalant way which will
not be conducive to sanctification.
BUT OBEDIENCE IS NOT LIKE THAT.
For you are either obedient or you aren’t.
· There is no way to obey Christ without it having an effect in your life.
· There is no form of phony obedience,
· Everything you do is either obedience or disobedience.
So this final tool is very real and very effective.
And we can start by saying that
Obedience to Christ helps us to behold the glory of Christ.
Our obedience at it’s core
Is nothing other than our determination to emulate Jesus.
That’s what obedience is.
It is walking like Jesus.
Every time we obey we are demonstrating a life lived like Jesus,
For Jesus was known for obedience.
John 5:19 “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 5:7 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”
Hebrews 10:5-7 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’”
That was Jesus.
· He always obeyed.
· He never disobeyed.
· He never neglected a command.
We could throw in there, that famous prayer in the garden:
Matthew 26:39 “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Or even other times when He contemplated the cost of obedience:
John 12:27-28 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Jesus was obedient.
So every time we obey it is to emulate Him and thus behold Him
And that automatically has a sanctifying effect.
BUT THERE’S MORE:
Obedience also has a way to grow our admiration of Jesus.
For while He never disobeyed, or neglected obedience,
Sometimes we do.
Every time we strive to obey, but fail,
It only intensifies our admiration for Christ who never failed to obey.
· Every time I fail to love my brother, I marvel that Jesus never did.
· Every time I fail to show mercy, I marvel that Jesus never did.
· Every time I fail to stand for truth, I marvel that Jesus never did.
Striving for obedience forces us to behold the glory of Christ.
And we know what beholding the glory of Christ does:
2 Corinthians 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
So you see how obedience is a valuable tool of sanctification.
BEYOND THAT.
We remember that when we first started discussing sanctification
We talked about there being two types or areas of sanctification.
We talked about DEFINITIVE SANCTIFICATION
We talked about PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION
Definitive sanctification spoke to that which Christ accomplished for us through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Because we are in Him,
· We are already “set apart” to God.
· We have been sanctified.
· We have been set free.
Well, definitive sanctification
Is proved by obedience.
Obedience proves that you are in fact set apart.
Jesus said:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John 15:14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.”
Jesus would say:
Matthew 12:46-50 “While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Obedience is the clearest indication that I am in Christ, and He is in me.
Obedience is the clearest indicator that I have been definitively sanctified.
Progressive sanctification speaks to the fact that I am still a work in progress being made more like Christ each day.
Whereas definitive sanctification is proved by our obedience, Progressive sanctification is measured by our obedience.
How do we know how we are doing?
How do we measure where we are on the journey?
IT IS BY OUR OBEDIENCE.
We can see sanctification literally working itself out in our lives
When we obey Christ.
This is how I know He is molding me,
Because I am more obedient today than I was years ago.
So obedience is a very practical tool as it relates to our sanctification.
And TONIGHT I want us to take a look at it, and how it works.
To do that we are going to examine Philippians 2:12-13
The passage is clear.
(12-13) “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; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
It is one of the most often quoted verses in regard to sanctification.
And we will work through it in a second.
But I first want to make sure you understand the CONTEXT of it.
The context is a church that lacks harmony.
I don’t say that they lack unity,
For they appear to be unified in doctrine and mission.
The problem is they are having trouble getting along.
Paul even names Euodia and Syntyche by name in chapter 4
As two of the women who are having this difficulty.
The letter of Philippians is very much a letter
Meant to produce sanctification in that church
I don’t know of a more potent or direct statement to that end than the first 4 verses of chapter 2.
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
You can hear Paul’s rebuke of the selfish skirmishes occurring in Philippi.
He asks:
· Where is the fellowship of the Spirit?
· Where is affection and compassion?
· Do those things exist among you at all?
Then act like it!
· Be of the same mind!
· Maintain love!
· Be united in the Spirit!
· Be intent on one purpose!
· Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit!
· Consider one another as more important!
· Stop looking out for your own interests!
· Start looking out for the interests of your brother!
IT IS PRETTY INTENSE.
Paul sought to crush the selfishness of the Philippian church.
And then Paul gave that famous example:
Philippians 2:5-11 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
There is that example of obedience that we spoke of.
· Paul wanted them to emulate Christ.
· We certainly admire Christ when we read this.
He did it so much better than we ever do!
· He humbled Himself.
· He emptied Himself.
· He endured suffering and hardship.
· He showed us how to lovingly obey God.
That’s the gold standard Paul would say.
No go be like Him!
So you understand our text a little better just in that.
When Paul speaks of their obedience in verse 12
Or when he tells them to “work out” their salvation
He has in mind their self-sacrificing humble love for another.
Even after our text, you see this again.
Philippians 2:14-15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,”
He comes back to that issue of harmony and unity.
· It’s time for you to be like Christ.
· It’s time for you to be blameless and innocent.
· It’s time for you to act like children of God.
· It’s time for you to shine your light in such a way that men will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
All of this is Paul driving them to be more like Christ.
He is driving them to be sanctified.
And the tool he elevates here as the tool
Which will accomplish that sanctification is OBEDIENCE.
(12) “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;”
You have obeyed before, now do it again.
This area of division and grumbling and petty fighting
Is the next area you need to bring into submission under Christ.
This area of humility and love is the next area
Where you need to actively and practically start emulating Christ.
Obedience is a tremendous tool to make us more and more like Christ.
TONIGHT let’s just quickly walk through this text and see how it works.
I’m going to steal the outline we used
When we studied through the book of Philippians over 10 years ago.
#1 THE EFFORT OF MAN
Philippians 2:12
You and I must understand that if we are to live the Christian life
The way God intended us to live it,
Then we must put forth the effort to live it the right way.
Laziness is not going to achieve the holiness of God.
I’ve always liked the illustration used in the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:1-3a “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”
· “pay much closer attention” translates PROSECHO (to moor a ship)
· “drift away” translates PARARHEO (a ship allowed to drift)
And the writer says what do you think the odds are of your ship hitting the harbor and mooring itself to the dock apart from any effort on your part?
People who try to completely let go of their spiritual responsibility
Will never achieve the sanctification that is required.
EFFORT IS REQUIRED
Let’s look at some of the practical things you must do.
1) FOLLOW CHRIST
“So then, my beloved”
Now I know that is not a command specifically to follow,
But it is a clause that directly correlates to the previous section.
Paul just spent 7 verses outlining for us the example of Christ.
He told us about His HUMILITY, He told us about His OBEDIENCE,
He told us about His deserved EXALTATION.
And then says, “So then…”
The idea being then that you and I are to follow this example.
And this has been explicitly stated.
John 13:13-15 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
1 Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”
And that is the point here.
If you weren’t called to take matters into your own hands
In regard to humbling yourself and putting your brother first
Then Paul would have never bothered to give you Christ’s example
But since Paul commanded it and then gave the example,
It is implied that you are responsible to follow.
You are called to put forth the effort to be like Christ.
Know Him, Read His Word, Follow His Example
2) FAITHFULLY OBEY
“just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,”
Obviously Paul is there speaking of obedience.
But it is the way he describes obedience that I want you to see.
· “always obeyed”
· “in my presence”
· “in my absence”
It carries the idea of faithful obedience at all times.
And again, this is heavily implied just by the fact that there are commands.
Why give a command if there is no intention of you obeying it?
And the fact that Paul mentions obedience even in his “absence”
Indicates that they are even more responsible now that
No one is there to hold them accountable.
IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT SANCTIFICATION
Then there is an aspect of it where you need to take ownership.
You cannot just sit around and wait for it to occur.
· Nor can it only occur when someone else is here prodding you to it.
· This is your job to do on your own time.
· Even when no one is looking.
And that is what Paul was saying.
· You have to obey, and the burden falls on you.
· I’m not there to make sure you do it anymore.
You are going to have to take responsibility and make yourself be faithful.
And if you want to be sanctified,
Then a decision to be faithfully obedient must be made.
Follow Christ, Faithfully Obey
3) FORCEFULLY LABOR
“work out your salvation”
And this statement is really the heart of verse 12.
This is what Paul is saying.
If you want to be sanctified as God intends
Then you are going to have to “work” it out.
“work out” is a Greek word that means “to produce through effort or toil”
James 1:3 “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”
In both of those verses the same word is translated “produces or producing”
The idea is that of effort and labor and striving to bring about an end.
And that is why we talk about the effort of man.
Do you want to be sanctified?
Do you want to achieve righteousness?
Do you want to be like Christ?
Well it won’t happen with you sitting on your rear doing nothing.
It won’t happen if you refuse to put forth the effort.
Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:7-8 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
It’s like sports.
· If you won’t work hard
· If you don’t discipline yourself
· If you don’t put forth effort
· Then you honestly cannot expect to do very well.
Now we’ve all seen those people who just try to rest on their God-given ability.
They don’t strive because they are “talented”.
And yet if sports has proven anything it is that at the end of the day
It is those who work the hardest who capture the prize.
If you want to be like Christ then you are going to have to put forth the effort, it will not naturally happen.
Sanctification doesn’t come like old age.
You have to force it to come.
Follow Christ, Faithfully Obey, Forcefully Labor
4) FEARFULLY CONTINUE
“with fear and trembling”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
It means you need a good motivator to push you
Through those difficult moments of training.
Hard work is never fun.
Disciplining yourself is never fun.
You must have motivation.
You either need motivation of reward:
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
Or you need motivation of punishment.
1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
We must understand that sanctification is not optional,
And it is not automatic.
To achieve it, you are going to have
To make a conscious effort to follow Christ,
And to do it without someone holding your hand.
And if you need motivation, then take the reward
Or subsequent punishment of God as your motive.
Sanctification matters.
And that is man’s responsibility.
The Effort of Man
#2 THE ENERGY OF GOD
Philippians 2:13
Here is the other side of the equation.
· Man puts forth the effort, but God supplies the energy.
· Man works hard, God makes it work
· Man pushes the petal, but God is the fuel
Apart from effort you will never be sanctified,
However, effort without the power of God will never succeed.
And it is God’s side we see here.
And just to remind of that let me also give you four realities about God’s work here that helps you understand why sanctification is a real possibility.
You can achieve it because of the God who is working in you.
1) HIS PERSON
“for it is God”
Now there is a statement worth contemplating.
How do I know if I can do it?
How do I know if I can make it?
Well the answer is because you have help.
Yes, but how do I know if my help is good enough?
Because your help is none other than “God”
(He is the ultimate sanctifier.)
He calls light out of darkness.
It’s not your pastor at work…
It’s not your parents at work…
It’s not your friends at work…
It is “God”
And the last time I checked, nothing was impossible with God.
Romans 8:29-30 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
I’ve always liked the story with Sarah in the Old Testament.
The angelic messengers came to relay that Sarah would conceive.
You’ll remember that she was listening in the tent and she laughed.
Genesis 18:13-14 “And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
And I’ve told you before that from that point on Sarah never wavered again.
She understood who was at work in her.
Thus far, despite her effort, she could not conceive
Thus far, despite Abraham’s effort, she could not conceive
But she now had new help, and He most definitely would succeed.
In your quest to achieve sanctification never disregard who your help is.
Psalms 121:2 “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”
John 14:16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;”
That is the first thing Paul wants you to know.
His Person
2) HIS PRESENCE
“For it is God who is at work in you”
Now incidentally the word “work” here
Is different from the one Paul used in verse 12.
The word in verse 12 was that word that meant to produce through toil or effort.
This is a different word.
“work” here translates ENERGEO (where we get our word for energy)
And that energy is “in you”
Remember the disciples in the garden?
Sleeping at their post, unable to stand with Jesus?
Matthew 26:41 "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
The disciples may have had the want to, but they didn’t have the energy.
They didn’t have the ability within them.
And that is true of our sanctification.
The effort has to be there, but effort alone is not enough.
There has to be a power supplied.
That is God.
He “is at work in you”
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
You desire to be sanctified…
You desire to be like Christ…
You put forth the effort, God puts forth the power
You can do it because of the person and the presence of God in your life.
His Person, His Presence
3) HIS PLAN
“both to will and to work”
What is God doing in you?
He is willing and He is working
“to will” indicates that God is in some amazing way actually shaping your desires and will.
Ezra 1:5 “Then the heads of fathers' households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.”
In other words God helps supply the motivation.
· Where do you think that desire to be holy came from?
· Where do you think that desire to be like Christ came from?
God was doing that in you.
He was also working.
Those are the things we’ve been talking about the last several weeks.
He uses Scripture to purify and sanctify us…
He uses Prayer to purify and sanctify us…
He uses Discipline to purify and sanctify us…
He uses Fellowship to purity and sanctify us…
AND HE USES YOUR OBEDIENCE AS HE WORKS IN YOU.
God is working in you.
He convicts, He guides, He directs, He enlightens
There is no doubt that God has a one track mind in your life
And it is to make you like Jesus.
He is willing and working to make you sanctified.
His Person, His Presence, His Plan
4) HIS PURPOSE
“for His good pleasure”
Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
God is in the business of bringing forth in you what He wants from you.
And that means that you are not alone in this struggle.
· If you want to be sanctified…
· If you are striving to be sanctified…
· If you are putting forth the effort to be like Christ and obey even on your own…
Then rest assured you are not on your own, God is in you,
And He is willing and working to help you achieve
That desire that He put in you.
That is the balance of sanctification.
It will never be achieved without effort on your part,
And it will never be achieved merely by your own effort.
But God is it work as well and because of that it will be achieved.
I’ll leave you with one more example of this delicate balance.
Exodus 14:10-12 “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? "Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ' Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
A dilemma yes?
Exodus 14:13-14 “But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."
There is God at work for you.
Now look at your work to also be sanctified.
Exodus 14:15-16 “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. "As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.”
Only God could part the sea,
But only the Israelites could walk through it.
And that is true in your life and mine.
Sanctification is a necessary process,
Brought about only through your effort and God’s energy,
So pursue it and trust God to help.
If you want to be like Christ then obey Christ.
· Make an effort.
· Strive for it.
· Work for it.
· And trust that God will be at work in you.
But this is practical sanctification.
This is how it comes about in your life.
Philippians 2:12-13 “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; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”