Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The same man who wrote the verses above also wrote, “by grace you have been saved through faith. . . it is the gift of God, not a result of works.”¹

So why do we need to work out our salvation when works do not save us?

Because though we are saved by God’s unconditional electing grace² through the gift of faith, the works we do prove that our faith is real. ³ Works are evidence of election.

That’s why on one hand Jesu…

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The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” But for all its grammatical simplicity, it’s packed with unfathomable complexity.

Jesus wept after speaking with Lazarus’ grieving sisters, Martha and Mary, and seeing all the mourners. That seems natural enough.

Except that Jesus had come to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew that in a few short minutes all this weeping would turn to astonished joy, and then tearful laughter, and then worship.

So one would think that Jesus would be a confident, joyful calm in that storm of sorrow. But he was “greatly troubled” (John 11:33) and he wept. Why?

Compassion for the Suffering

One reason is simply the deep compassio…

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“So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him” (John 19:16-18).

One astonishing thing about the Gospel accounts of the death of Jesus is that they include almost no detail. They all simply say some form of “they crucified him.”¹ 

If the gospels were our only historical source we would not know what crucifixion is. We would not know how bloody it was since the only mention of blood in any of the narratives is John 19:34, where blood and water poured out of Jesus’ pierced side. We would not have known that nails were involved except for Thomas’ declaration of doubt in Jo…

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Philippians 2:9-11—

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Understanding the Name

To see just how breathtaking this statement really is, we must understand what Paul has in mind here. He is quoting the LORD speaking through the Prophet Isaiah:

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a word that shall not return: "To me every knee shall bow…

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Philippians 2:8-9

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name

What did it mean for Jesus to humble himself? We must simply admit that this is beyond us.

The Lord of Glory Entered Creation

Of course it was humbling for the Lord of glory, who created all things,¹ to become part of the creation. He became “for a little while lower than the angels”²and lived 30 years unrecognized by anyone except very few. We know that “not even his brothers believed in him.”³

More than that, he lived without sin⁴ in a sin-filled world. If…

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Philippians 2:5-7 —

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

What a simple command: “have this mind.” But nothing is harder for fallen human beings like you and me than to make ourselves nothing.

Our Mind

We are like Jesus’ disciples who, just hours before deserting him at Gethsemane, engaged in a debate over which of them was the greatest.¹ We think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.² We covet and cannot obtain, so we fight and quarrel.³ We grasp at greatness be…

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What are you more concerned about today: where Jesus is leading you, or whether you really trust him?

I can tell you what Jesus is most concerned about: your trust. 

When Jesus informed the disciples that he was going away and that they could not follow him where he was going (John 13:33), Peter asked the natural question, “Lord, where are you going?” (John 13:36). But Jesus didn’t answer with the kind of information I imagine Peter was looking for at that moment.

Jesus Knew, But Didn't Answer

Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen and why. He knew where he was going. He knew that the church age would bridge his first and second coming. He knew this age would be much longer and …

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Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 ESV)

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4 ESV)

A friend recently posed these two verses to me and asked, “So when do you tell others about your good deeds and when do you not?”

It’s a good question.

I believe the contexts of these verses give us the clues. Jesus is addressing the two-sided coin of human pride.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus is addressing our fear of man. The context is that we are …

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Jesus’ words “let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1a) are comforting. But this it is not merely counsel. It is a command. What Jesus is saying is that in the face of trouble—terrible trouble—we must not allow our hearts to be troubled.

How is that even possible?

Jesus’ answer: “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1b).

When Jesus spoke these words, he had just informed the disciples that one of them would betray him and Peter would deny him that night. On top of that he said he was going away. He meant death and later ascension. This was very troubling news. But it was not to trouble them.  Why? Because Jesus’ promise was that their brief sorrow would turn into indestruct…

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Why did Jesus still the storm? Imagine what the disciples might have been thinking a half-hour later.

*          *          *

The sea was quiet now. And there was just breeze enough to push the boat along.

The disciples were quiet too. Andrew was steering. He had taken over for Peter, who sat wrapped in a cloak, exhausted and lost in thought. He had been soaked to the skin. Others were bailing out the remaining water.

Jesus was sleeping again.

James leaned on the bow gunwale watching reflections dance on benign waves. He was trying to absorb what he had just seen.

James knew this sea. He and John had spent most of their lives on or in it. His father was a fisherman. So were most …

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