Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”   (Philippians 1:6)

                The book of Philippians was written when Paul was imprisoned in Rome.  It is a very personal letter to the Christian in Philippi.  Verse 7 reads, “Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.”   This  expresses  the confidence of Paul to the people who were saved that they could continue in the grace of God.   Inspite of the storms and stress of his imprisonment Paul encouraged these Philippian saints to correct the problem in the church, problems about pagan worship, problems about people trying to follow the law and not the commandments of Christ. Then in verse 6, “Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

                This confidence is based on, the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is in his body,  in his mind in power.  “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”  (Eph 3:12). The fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is able to keep all the things he has committed unto Him. “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”    (2Tim 1:12).   And the fact that he is united to Christ by the bonds of  love which neither incidents in life or satanic power can remove.  “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   (Rom 8:38-39) . 

                Being confident is about the start of our salvation, the continuing of our salvation and the consummation of our salvation

                It is wonderful to be born again by the spirit of God. It is a miracle which nobody can explain.  We are saved not only from the past, we are kept saved in the present and we will be saved in the future.“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”  (John 10:27-28).

                If you are saved then God has begun a good work in you.  He is going to finish what he has begun .  He never leaves a half hazard job. The Lord continues His work in the building of your Christian life and it will continue forever.  Bible says,   “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”    (Eph 2:7).

The Start of Salvation.

                This great work of salvation starts when we recognize that we are sinners,  that we are lost,  and that we need to be saved. I wish that one of you will recognize  that sin in your life and will seek salvation in Christ Jesus.  “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5).   “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  (Jeremiah  17:9).  There is nothing in this world that would make us acceptable to God except by His grace alone.

                Zaccheus,  a crooked man, a small man but a politician,  got saved because he recognized  his sins and Jesus as the son of God.  And the Bible says, “and Jesus was with him;” “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  (Mat 9:13).   “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  (Luke 19:10).    Are you lost?  You recognize that there is nothing good in your flesh? You realize that there is no way to be saved except by the mercy and grace of God.  Salvation is by faith and nothing else.  Except a man be born again, you may trust your religion, your being a member of the church,  your good works.  But that will not bring you to heaven.  You need Jesus Christ who will forgive you of your sins and regenerate your life.

                “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4)   When Jesus saves us, he did not save the body but He saved the soul.  That’s why we lose our teeth, lose our hearing, we stumble when we walk, we lose our vision, we have arthritis, sinusitis, bronchitis, bulges and bunions.  

                But when Jesus saved us, he puts into our hearts a new divine nature.  This is the nature that we must live in if we are to be a testimony to other people.  This is the nature that we must take good care, by reading the Bible and memorizing scripture verses, praying and giving.  Once we take care of our divine nature or spiritual nature, then we will be victorious in our Christian life. When Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes, He told the disciples to gather up all the fragments, 12 basketful of fragments. That was a miracle!  “ The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).  The abundant life is what we need.

The Continuing of Our Salvation.

                “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom:  to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4:18) Pastor, I want to be a Christian if I can live it – if I can hold out.  It is not a matter of living it or holding out.  It is a matter of God living it or holding out in your life.  When you cross the street with your son, what do you do? Hold on to his hand? No, you don’t.  You let your son hold to your hand. Why?  You are stronger than your son.  You are more responsible, you know the way across.  This is the way, walk ye in it. This is our way with our God, He will perform it. 

The Consummation of Our Salvation.

                “That He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”   The day of rewards, the day of judgment and  exaltation. “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   (1 Corinthians 1:8).   “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”   (John 14:1-3).  God is the workman, you are His works. It is God that works in you.