Philippians 4: 10-13
One of the (many) things I have struggled with throughout my life is the drive to “do it myself”. It is difficult to teach me anything, because I want to just jump right in and start doing. Now when I was a kid, that was okay – the teacher could tell the class what was expected and I would just do it.
But the older you get, the harder that becomes – so much of what we have to deal with each day is based in things other than “book” learning. And the beauty of this passage is that it can teach us where we need to go so that we can function as Christians.
I won’t spend much time on verses 10-11 this evening; those verses really set up the context for verse 12, but we will get back to that later.
Let’s look first at verse 13 – I know that seems backwards, but for me, as I continued to study this passage it made more sense to begin there.
Why does God give us strength?
In verse 13, Paul gives us great encouragement – that he is (we are) able to do ALL THINGS because God gives him (us) the strength (ability, talents) to do so. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul talks about a problem he had, a physical ailment that afflicted him (thorn in his side), that he asked God to take from him…
2Corinthians 12:9-10
Here we see Paul giving to back to God – acknowledging the fact that there is nothing that humans can do, but that God will act through us to accomplish His purpose. He gives us strength so that the world will see His power. He gives us strength so that others around us might see His glory! We are His instruments in this broken world, to demonstrate to all the nations that He is all powerful, the One True and Living God!
How amazing this is! That each of us is chosen by God for a purpose – and that in our weakness (in our brokenness, our imperfection) He takes over and does things so awesome, so amazing that those who witness it cannot help but see God!
I was reading a sermon by a 19th century preacher named C.H. Spurgeon, and he had an amazing message for Philippians 4:13 – it was 150 years old and his message still brought me to a standstill.
In the first part, Spurgeon expands upon Paul’s message of encouragement. He states that should God see fit (according to His will, not ours) to call us for a purpose, that he (God) will give us what is needed to complete that purpose. Here is how Paul puts it in his second message to Timothy.
2Tim 4:17-18
And Spurgeon noted that this was not just for “external” things as he called them – not just for outward mission work. But God gives us strength to tackle “inward” things – to conquer those sins that seem to own us; to resist the temptations that the world and the enemy throw at us every day – the sanctification that every believer goes through every day, being perfected and made more like him.
As believers, as the adopted children of God, we have the Holy Spirit – the very Spirit of God – dwelling within us.
And his power is beyond measure, beyond our imagination, and there is nothing that God cannot do. So if he is working through us, “we” can do anything that is set before us. And we need not fear man or the enemy, for we know that God is with us and that our eternal life is secure regardless of what happens to our body in this world.
One important note regarding the structure of the sentence. In the original Greek, Paul uses a present tense – “can do” is a present and continuing act. It’s not a one-time event, but is part of the daily walk of a Christian.
Let’s look at what may be my favorite example of the power of God working through a man – David and Goliath. This story is found in 1 Samuel 17.
It starts with the army of Israel facing off against the army of the Philistines (not just unbelievers – but they blasphemed against the name of God), and out steps Goliath.
• Goliath was described as a “champion” and was listed at 9 feet tall
• He wore bronze scale armor that weighed 130lbs
• The iron point of his spear weighed just over 15 lbs
For 40 days, he came out and taunted the Israelite army, challenging one man to come forward and face him to determine who would rule.
The problem was that the men of Israel were terrified of Goliath – they knew that because of his size and his strength, and (presumably) his skill with the weapons of the day, there was no individual in their ranks who was a match for him. And they were right – but that was because they forgot the reason that the Israelite army was successful was simply that they had God on their side. God was sufficient to bring victory to Israel (and when they strayed from him, the battles went badly).
So David comes to the Israelite camp, bringing supplies to his older brothers who were following King Saul. David hears Goliath’s challenge and here is his response in verse 26
We can see already that David is not focusing on his abilities, but resting his faith in the power of God. So David goes to King Saul and tells him that he will fight Goliath. Saul does not believe that he can, but sends him forward anyway. Saul tried to dress him in armor and give him weapons, but all that stuff was too cumbersome for David. So he took it off and stepped forward without armor, and with just his shepherd’s staff, a sling, and five stones.
(Read 1 Samuel 17: 41-49)
David, the shepherd boy, charges forward into battle – a little kid running towards a giant while an army of men stand behind him in fear. But there is no fear in David, for he knows the outcome of the battle before it begins – David puts his whole faith in God, knowing that the battle is God’s. And through David, God destroys the Philistine army and brings victory to Israel.
Given the context of V13, let’s go back to V12
Content in ANY situation?
In the context of verse 12, Paul is talking to the Philippians about contentment with our physical condition and the questions we tend to ask ourselves when concerned about our physical condition – do we have enough food to eat, or are we hungry? Do we have sufficient material goods to get us through the day or are we left in need of something?
But let’s be honest, these kinds of questions don’t ever lead anywhere. It’s a chasing after the wind for the Christian, because we know that if we put our faith in God that he will provide for our needs. Even if we are hungry, we know that God will take care of us. Go back to the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about the comforts of this life. For God provides for all. And while there will be times that we will run into physical discomfort, ultimately we have a better reward waiting for us after death.
In the Greek, Paul uses a phrase that translates “I am instructed” or “initiated into mysteries”. So Paul has been taught how to be content – and it is a mystery that is shown only to Christians. And Paul gives it to us in verse 13 - It is only through God, that we can follow the example of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit (God’s strength working through us), that we can be content in any situation.
And when we have that contentment with the physical, we can then focus our attention where it belongs – the Lord Almighty. As Christians our task is putting aside the physical and the sin that physical wants often lead to, and focusing on the work that God has called us to.
NOT content in Plenty?
The first time I heard the phrase “in plenty and in want” was when Leslie and I were being wed by a Justice of the Peace in San Antonio, TX. I thought it was an odd little phrase – I wasn’t into God’s word at the time, so I had no idea that it was a biblical reference.
The concept as described by Paul makes sense – we are to be content with the circumstances that God puts us in, whether “good” or “bad”. But how could I not be content with plenty? If I was comfortable, if I had my basic needs taken care of, surely I would be content…
1Tim 6: 6-10
In plenty, or the pursuit of “more plenty”, we can fall into the trap of money becoming our idol. It can be the driving force by which we live. But it is not how I get to heaven – it’s not like I can buy a ticket and hand it to Christ when I die.
Hebrews 13: 5-6
There are a lot of ways to make money – and ways to make a lot of money – but those things can destroy us. As Paul says to Timothy, money/wealth is just a trap set by the enemy. Amassing wealth is meaningless in the end (see the book of Ecclesiastes). Christ is the only door to get to heaven and the Father.
Last point on V12 – as I was reading through some of the commentaries on this verse, I was struck by a particular observation (I forgot to write down who it was by). That in this passage, Paul is not simply talking about enduring poverty (not just getting by), but that the mature Christian knows how to make use of what God has given him. Whether God has entrusted me with much (plenty), or with little (want), I am to make use of it.
This reminds me of the parable of the talents – three servants gifted with money by their master according to their abilities. The first two make the most of these gifts and double what they were given, and are then richly rewarded by their master upon his return. But the last takes and hides the money because he is afraid of what will happen to him if he fails. But then the master comes back, finds out that the servant did nothing with what he was given, so he takes it from the “bad and lazy” servant, gives it to one of the others, and tosses him out of his house.
When you put Philippians 4: 12 and 13 together, you begin to get a sense of how powerful this message is. I can take what God has given me, no matter how big or how little, and by his strength turn it into something amazing.
If you are like me, you may be thinking what a great message of encouragement! Reading through all of this, I could feel my spirits soar – felt myself saying/shouting “God is sufficient”.
Now comes the conviction. Earlier I mentioned that I read through a sermon on V13 given by C.H. Spurgeon. Here is the part of his message that brought me to my knees -
Spurgeon asked a question of his audience – as valid today as it was then (and before) –
“in the name of reason I ask why are you doing nothing?”
When I was reading this portion of Spurgeon’s sermon, I literally stopped. I was stunned at the simplicity of the question, and the weight it had. Spurgeon went on, saying that if all of the Christians and all the churches in London (insert your town here) put the strength of God to work that there would not be poverty; that the gospel would be preached; that men would be saved from “dropping into hell”.
What Spurgeon was pointing out is that we (Christians) have no excuse. For we can do all things through him that gives us strength. We aren’t depending on our own abilities, on our own wisdom, or skills, or insight. We aren’t even depending on whether God gave us a lot to work with or just a little. For when we are weak he is strong!
If I believe that God is in me
If I believe that God is all powerful
If I believe that he sets out good works for me to do in advance (Eph 2:10)
All that is left then is to search myself - What is it that is stopping me from doing those good works that God has set out for me? What fear am I allowing to keep me small?
Just because I’m not Billy Graham doesn’t mean that I can’t proclaim God’s word…
Just because I’m not Aretha Franklin doesn’t mean I can’t sing his praises…
Just because I’m not King David doesn’t mean I can’t lead believers to serve God…
Because God is sufficient!
Let’s pray...
