Say What - Who can do all things? Part 1 Philippians 4:13 Welcome Tonight were kicking off our new series Say What! Turn to your neighbor and tell them Say What! I have to tell you It s been a overwhelming, stressful week for me. Anyone else have one of those? Anyone know what that s like? In fact just yesterday I didn t want to be here tonight!!! You ever feel like not going to church??? I know you do because those are the Friday s your not here!!!! Well for me it s not an option so I was feeling tired, stressed, frustrated and overwhelmed with all the responsibilities and circumstances I'm facing. 1
In this new series where we take a closer look at some of the most popular scriptures. Often times the true meaning of a verse gets lost when we immediately apply it to our lives today without first looking more closely at the context, history, parallel themes and supporting lessons in the Bible. Our new series will dig deep into these often misunderstood and popular verses to give us a fresh understanding of timeless truths. So back to my crazy week and the Scripture that were starting our series with is Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 2
And I'm thinking to myself Hmmmm is that you God?? This sounds like a message I need! For some they think this verse is all about accomplishing the impossible feat like super hero s Poster of superhero boy For some they feel it s about the greatest sports feats Pic of Steph Curry Other s find it to be the motivation they want for a tattoo Pic of Tattoo Can Jesus be a part of and help you overcome impossible odds and do stuff like this YES but that s not the point of this verse!! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13). This is not a 3
verse about getting rich with God s help, or making straight A s, or getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, or chasing your dreams, or anything like that. This verse is the testimony of a man who knows Jesus and has found him to be above all, valuable and satisfying. Paul says that knowing Jesus is what makes us content. It s Christ in us that empowers us to make it through the tough times. Pray We can not usually control many of the circumstances in our lives. But we can control the way that we respond to our circumstances. We see an incredible example of this in our passage tonight from the apostle Paul. To get the meaning and full picture of this idea of I can do all things 4
we need to looks at the verses surrounding Philippians 4:13 Philippians 4:10-14 10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. He wrote those words when he was in jail. Not an American jail with three squares, a cot, and free time to watch TV or work out in the gym or play basketball no, he wrote those words in a Roman jail that had no toilet, no bed, and no promise of food. (If your friends didn t bring you meals, you would starve to death.) But in that situation 5
Paul says, I ve learned the secret to being content. Now he wasn t saying that he was happy about every detail of what is going on. He probably hating being in jail. Who wouldn t? Instead, Paul shows that contentment is something that can be found in any circumstance no matter what. We see that contentment is the ability to face wealth or poverty, feast or famine, everything going your way or nothing going your way, while still being satisfied and fulfilled in Christ. So there is one slight correction I need to make.pic of Tatoo If you ever find yourself in Jail there is one Tatoo that I can see being very Biblical and in context! In the verses immediately preceding this passage we see an interesting perspective 6
Paul builds for us. The two verses right before it go like this: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Paul is talking about the power of Christ getting him through tough times. He s learned to be content in situations where most of us wouldn t be content. And he s done it through the power of Christ. Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys." Billy Graham 7
God is present and he is working, he is giving us strength in the valleys, in the tough times. The verse right after it makes it even more obvious when Paul says Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Whenever you rely on Jesus to help sustain you when life feels overwhelming, when things don t go the way you d desire, when you face the trials and struggles of life. That is the time you know that this promise is for you I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Pause Many people get caught in the trap of "if only". "If only I had more money... If only I could get married. If only we had kids... If 8
only the kids would grow up... If only the kids would leave for school... If only..." That's a trap! Contentment is a very illusive condition for many people. More often than not, the world tends to believe that contentment is something that comes from outside themselves something that usually seems to be just beyond their grasp. Contentment tends to be viewed in the context of possessions or power, or a certain set of circumstances. But according to the Apostle Paul, contentment cannot be defined by any of these things. Paul found the real meaning of contentment not in something, but in someone. Real contentment is found in the person of Jesus Christ. 9
Simply knowing that fact doesn t mean that the Christian automatically knows how to be content in his or her life. Contentment must be learned. The idea of the word contentment is that of a city that comes under siege and is cut off from all outside resources, yet has sufficient supplies within its walls to survive. Paul is saying that he had learned that he did not need things to make him happy. He had found within himself an inexhaustible resource for every circumstance and situation. Knowing the secret of contentment is vitally important because the moment we become dependent upon the world to give our life meaning, happiness and joy, we place ourselves in a impossible situation. We will 10
never be satisfied, we ll always be searching for that next high. Contentment must be learned. Does it come naturally for you to be content? NOOO! It's got to be learned. And it's a tough lesson to learn. Some people never learn it. Someone asked Howard Hughes one of the wealthiest americans of his time "How much money does it take to make a man happy?" He said, "Just a little bit more." Pause How do we start on the road to contentment? How do we get off that never ending search? One way to describe it is. Thankfulness or gratitude. When you came to Christ for the very first time and you repented you received Christ death on the cross for your 11
sin your saying thank you. Thanks you for doing for me what I could never have done for myself. What is thankfulness? Thankfulness is different that thanks. Maybe you have said, thanks, thanks a million times but does it mean anything? We are talking about something powerful here and the kind of thanks we say to the waitress in the restaurant is not what we want to be bringing to God. The word gratitude is defined Gratitude: To show that a kindness received is valued. -Oxford Dictionary It is to show that a kindness received is deeply appreciated. Now I am going to give 12
you a little test. The world teaches the way to deal with receiving much is to make plans to get more and more and more! And I wonder how many people tonight if the truth were known pulled into the parking lot, came in, grabbed a bulletin, sat down and at the center of your heart is this..what am I gonna get tonight? Am I gonna get encouraged, strengthened, am I gonna like the worship am I gonna get something? And all the focus is on getting. Last weekend was Good Friday. We with millions of Christians around the world worshiped Jesus and expressed our gratitude for the Cross of Christ. Now isn t it right that if God never did another thing for you and me, we could spend the rest of our lives thanking him. But 13
somehow we make the choice to turn from all that we have received and focus on what we still don t have. Thankfulness is a decision. We are created with a free will we don t have to love God, we don t have to be thankful, but the amazing gift of God because of Jesus is that we can choose Christ and we can choose to be thankful. When we do we see this strength and hope come alive in us. We hear things like I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me and we believe that what ever we feel imprisoned by Christ can get us through it. Do you feel stuck in a tough time in your marriage? Do you feel stuck in some kind of struggle at school or work? Do you feel 14
overwhelmed by the circumstances of your life right now? Pause for a moment and tell the Lord Thank you. Begin to develop, train yourself to have an attitude of gratitude. Charles Swindoll Attitude to me is more important than education, than money, then circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, it s more important than appearance giftedness or skill. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. 15
Life is a lot of choices where you encounter a circumstance and it is not what you think it should be and it is not what you want it to be. And right at that point you have a choice to make, and there are 2 paths that take you to 2 different places and different attitudes. Paul was basically saying, Through experience, I have learned the secret of contentment. Contentment is not acquired by some holy zap. Paul said that he had learned the secret of contentment by those things that happened in his daily life. Paul said, I know what it is to have plenty another translation says I know how to abound (Phil.4: 12a). 16
The word translated abound means to overflow. The idea here is that of having more than enough. Still speaking of knowing how to abound, Paul uses the words to be full, which means, to be satiated. Most of us have no trouble with this part of contentment. When everyone likes us and the money is coming in, we have little trouble being content. But God s contentment isn t one-sided; it is well rounded. Paul also said, I know what it is to be in need or I know how to be abased (Phil.4: 12a). The word abased means, to make low, to humble, to humiliate. In learning the secret of contentment, Paul had often experienced 17
what it was like to be hungry, and to suffer need. Paul had learned to experience contentment, even in the loss of all things (Phil.3: 8b). That was due to the fact that he had learned to rely upon the source of his supply: Jesus. The biggest miss for most people, including Christians, is that true contentment is learned. It is not something that is downloaded in two seconds. It s something is developed through practice and patience and faith. But how do we learn contentment? By thinking, meditating, or dwelling on Christ (Phil. 4:8) that is, thinking on what you have gained in him, and realizing that what is lost is nothing compared to what is found in him. It also means thinking on the brevity of life and the 18
reality of your death and God s promise to rescue and redeem all those who come to him, letting these things drive you to humble thanksgiving and joyful gratitude. True contentment is knowing, feeling, believing, and trusting deep in the very depths of your soul that if you know Jesus, he will be enough not matter what. It means being able to say, I want this, but I don t need this, and if I don t get this, I ll be OK. Actually, I ll be more than OK. I ll be completely content. Happy. Satisfied. Fulfilled all because of Jesus. I am content in him. After yesterday and a little more time to soak in this message it s funny how my perspective changed! It s crazy how the pressures and demands of life can take our focus off of Jesus who is the only one who 19
can give us the strength, peace and contentment we need. There a an old story about this wealthy man in England who possessed a wonderful and unique art collection worth about a million pounds ($2,000,000 U.S.). This man had one son whom he loved very dearly and had desired to leave his art collection to him upon his death. The son however, was killed during the World War II. Since the wealthy Englishman had no other living heir, he stipulated in his will that his art collection was to be auctioned off upon his death, but with the requirement that the portrait of his son be sold first. Eventually the wealthy man died. On the day of the auction, people from around the world were in attendance to bid on this rare 20
art collection. The rich man s lawyer stood and informed the people present of the stipulation placed upon the auction by his client. When the bidding was opened, no one wanted to bid on the portrait of the owner s son, because they were waiting for the more valuable pieces to come on the auction block. However, there was a former servant of the owner in attendance, who had greatly loved the owner s son, and had cared for him for many years. It was he who made the only bid on the portrait of the owner s son. Finally, the auctioneer said, Going, going, gone. Sold, to the man at the back of the room. The rich man s lawyer immediately stood up and said, Ladies and Gentlemen, the auction is now closed. According to the 21
terms of the will, whoever purchased the portrait of the owner s son is to receive the rest of the collection as well. It s the same for our contentment and security in life. It s how we find the strength to get free from the struggle that hold us. It s through Christ. Call out to Him tonight. Pray 22