Working out & holding out

Upon profession of their faith Linda Knowlton & Stan Wiseman will be baptised during the service, with this morning also being the final opportunity to bring shoeboxes for Romania

Some people “work out” at the gym; others “hold out” a leaflet containing important information. Following the example of Jesus, as well as the teaching of the New Testament, Christians are also called to “work out” and to “hold out,” but in some seriously significant areas. We are to “work out”:-

1 – Our Salvation.

Before we can effectively do this we need to understand some important truths about salvation:-

A – The Present of salvation – We are not to work FOR our salvation, but rather to receive it as an unmerited and undeserved free gift from God (Ephesians 2 v 8 – 9.)

B – The Progression of Salvation – We are to “continue” to work out what God has put in and with “fear and trembling” and to bring it to completion (Ecclesiastes 12 v 13.)

C – The Partnership of Salvation – We cannot work out our salvation in our own strength, we need to co-operate with God who brings about the inner transformation in our lives (Ephesians 1 v 7.)

D – The Perfecting of salvation – The goal of salvation is Christ likeness that his spiritual children might shine brightly like stars in a dark world (Romans 8 v 29.)

E – The position of salvation – It is to be worked out not in the safety of the church, but in the midst of a bent and sinful generation, and is not to be sabotaged by complaining and arguing (Matthew 12 v 39.)

Challenge – Have you “worked out” such a salvation?

Having “worked out” our salvation we are then to “hold out”:-

2 – Our Saviour.

The “word of life,” and the person it proclaims, is not to be forced upon people, but is to be “held out” and offered as it was by Jesus himself (John 10 v 10) and by the Apostles (Acts 5 v 20.) The word of life being the message of salvation, that both speaks of and imparts spiritual life as it reconnects people to God and makes them spiritually alive (1 John 5 v 12.)

Challenge – Are you holding out such a Saviour?