Community life groups: Work Out What God is Working In

Open in prayer

Open with each member of the group sharing a prayer request, and then pray for one another.

Scripture reading

Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.

Philippians 2:12-13

1. What did you find difficult to grasp or fresh in this passage?

Paul commands us to work out our salvation. But he immediately grounds it in God’s work. As the sermon said: “Sanctification is two-sided, it is a joint effort. On the one side of the coin we have the work of God and on the other we have the work of man. We work out what God is working in. We do not work in order for God to save us; we work because God has saved us.” The preacher illustrated this with Carl, the couch-potato Christian who lets go and lets God, and Tanya, the tired-but-trying Christian who works in her own strength. Both have fallen into a ditch.

Was there anything in this passage that struck you as new, surprising, or hard to understand? Perhaps the tension between working and resting? The phrase fear and trembling? Or the two characters, Carl and Tanya? Share what stood out to you.

2. How does verse 13 impact the way you understand verse 12?

Paul does not leave us alone in our sanctification. “Work out your salvation, why? Because God is the One who is working in you, giving you both the desire and the ability to obey!” The sermon gave a picture: “This is like a son, picking up a hammer to drive a nail into the wall. On his own the nail just doesn’t budge. But right before the next blow, his father’s hand comes from behind him, grasping the hammer, dad’s hand over the son’s. And with one stroke, BAM, into the wall the nail goes. Delighted, he looks up at his father’s face. ‘Well done son!’ his father says, ‘you nailed it!’” That is the picture of God working in us.

How does knowing that God is working in you—giving you both the will and the ability—change the way you approach your own obedience and spiritual growth? Why is this so different from trying harder in your own strength?

3. Why is it dangerous to obey God only when others are watching?

Paul says, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence. The sermon applied this directly: “It’s easy to behave when the apostle Paul is around… But, Paul says, are you obeying just because I’m around? Your obedience should not stem from wanting to please me.” And then the warning: “There’s a lesson here: obedience done for the sake of pleasing spiritual leaders only, is not pleasing to God.”

Where in your life are you most tempted to obey God only when someone is watching—at church, at home, or at work? What does it reveal about your heart when no one is looking?

4. What does it mean to live Coram Deo, before the face of God?

The sermon called us to live before the face of God. “The Christian fears and trembles because he lives before the throne of the Holy God.” And then: “Live Coram Deo, live before the face of God – whether at work, at home, or at church. In public and in private, do everything knowing that God is watching you.” This is the right motivation for working out our salvation.

What would change in your daily life—in your marriage, your parenting, your work, your private habits—if you truly lived every moment knowing that God sees you? Be specific.

5. Where are you in the ditch, and what is your next step?

The sermon gave two words to summarise everything: “Dependent Responsibility. Depend on God, and remember that you are responsible.” And then: “Remember Carl the Couch-Potato Christian? Remember Tanya the Tired-but-Trying Christian? How would you help them? Can you get them out of the ditch? Carl must be exhorted to start working out his salvation with fear and trembling. He must take responsibility. Tanya needs to be encouraged to continue to work with the knowledge that God is working in her. She must be dependent.”

Press deeper here. Which ditch are you most prone to fall into—Carl’s apathy or Tanya’s self-reliance? Be honest. Where is God calling you to take responsibility, and where is He calling you to depend? What is your next step this week?

Who can you share this with?

A spouse, a child, a friend, a co-worker. Who can you share something you’ve learnt with?

Closing prayer

Close your group time by taking specific worries to God together. Pray over the tangible needs mentioned in the group, actively trusting the Heavenly Father who knows what you need before you ask.

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