<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Philippians 2;12&amp;13<div><br></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Willing obedience to earthly authority is founded upon recognition that, <i>“there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” &nbsp;</i>(Romans 13;1b)</div><div><br></div><div>This applies first to the&nbsp;governing authority of the State, but it also is true in the Church, so long as those in authority govern according to God’s will. &nbsp;If someone in authority commands us to sin, <i>“we must obey God rather than man.” </i>(Acts 5;29)</div><div><br></div><div>What is the Christian supposed to <i>“fear and tremble”&nbsp;</i><span>&nbsp;at? &nbsp;Certainly, we know that if we defy God and rebel against him, not only&nbsp;the prospect of his final&nbsp;Judgement arises, but, also the immediate&nbsp;loss of our peace and joy in the Lord. &nbsp;Disobedience to the will of God grieves the Holy Spirit within us and we become soul-sick.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>What we are to <i>“fear and tremble” </i>at is the realization that God allows us to retain veto power over his rule in us. &nbsp;We can stubbornly resist God. &nbsp;He does not force us to live according to his will. &nbsp;He only&nbsp;makes it possible. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>God&nbsp;dwells in every baptized Believer, but our old sinful flesh also remains with us. &nbsp;Scripture says that at all times, <i>“greater is He who is in you, that he who is in the world.” &nbsp;</i>(1 John 4;4) &nbsp;but the One who is greater in us never forces us to obey. &nbsp;God inspires and enables us to do his will. &nbsp;He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we would have power to, <i>“by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body” </i>(Romans 8;13) and <i>“walk by the Spirit.” </i>(Galatians 5;16)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>‘Spirit-walking’ is being obedient to the will of God now&nbsp;at work in us. &nbsp;It is always and only done believing that, <i>“the life I live in the flesh, I live by faith”. </i>(Galatians 2;20) &nbsp;By faith, we believe verse 13 in <span>today’s</span>&nbsp;reading. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>If we obey, all glory goes to God, if we refuse and disobey, we get all the blame. &nbsp;The new-man created in our baptism into Christ is married to Christ as a wife to her husband, and she willingly submits to his leadership. &nbsp;They are no longer two but one. &nbsp;Our new life in Christ is not as a separate, independent, autonomous being, but as one who is ‘in-dwelt’ by God. &nbsp;This is the new Christian self-understanding.</div><div><br></div><div>Such a new reality should cause genuine <i>“fear and trembling” </i>for we are now most reverently in the very presence of the living God. &nbsp;This is why we are called God’s saints, we are the holy ones, children of God. &nbsp;Faith is not limited to believing what God has done for us, it includes believing what God <u>is doing</u>&nbsp;in us even now, conforming us to Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless our faith to be both historical and also current. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,&nbsp;</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”<br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Philippians 2;12&13
12.  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;13.  for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Willing obedience to earthly authority is founded upon recognition that, “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”  (Romans 13;1b)
This applies first to the governing authority of the State, but it also is true in the Church, so long as those in authority govern according to God’s will.  If someone in authority commands us to sin, “we must obey God rather than man.” (Acts 5;29)
What is the Christian supposed to “fear and tremble”  at?  Certainly, we know that if we defy God and rebel against him, not only the prospect of his final Judgement arises, but, also the immediate loss of our peace and joy in the Lord.  Disobedience to the will of God grieves the Holy Spirit within us and we become soul-sick.
What we are to “fear and tremble” at is the realization that God allows us to retain veto power over his rule in us.  We can stubbornly resist God.  He does not force us to live according to his will.  He only makes it possible.  
God dwells in every baptized Believer, but our old sinful flesh also remains with us.  Scripture says that at all times, “greater is He who is in you, that he who is in the world.”  (1 John 4;4)  but the One who is greater in us never forces us to obey.  God inspires and enables us to do his will.  He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we would have power to, “by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8;13) and “walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5;16)
‘Spirit-walking’ is being obedient to the will of God now at work in us.  It is always and only done believing that, “the life I live in the flesh, I live by faith”. (Galatians 2;20)  By faith, we believe verse 13 in today’s reading.  
If we obey, all glory goes to God, if we refuse and disobey, we get all the blame.  The new-man created in our baptism into Christ is married to Christ as a wife to her husband, and she willingly submits to his leadership.  They are no longer two but one.  Our new life in Christ is not as a separate, independent, autonomous being, but as one who is ‘in-dwelt’ by God.  This is the new Christian self-understanding.
Such a new reality should cause genuine “fear and trembling” for we are now most reverently in the very presence of the living God.  This is why we are called God’s saints, we are the holy ones, children of God.  Faith is not limited to believing what God has done for us, it includes believing what God is doing in us even now, conforming us to Christ.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless our faith to be both historical and also current.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love, Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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