150208 Power to do All Things

Philippians 4:10-13  I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul now turns to the conclusion of his letter to the Philippian church. He wants them to know that he greatly appreciates a gift they had sent him. He had rejoiced greatly, not over the gift, but over their concern for him. It is tremendously encouraging, anytime in life, for us to know that someone cares for us. From personal experience Paul had already told the Philippians that they will be provided for and they do not have to be anxious about anything. More than anything else Paul wanted them to know that the God of peace will be with them when they focus on the commendable things in life. In his words of appreciation he wants them to understand that God has also provided for him. That all his needs have been met.

It would have been very easy for Paul to be offended by help instead of…

Rejoicing in other’s concern. Paul was very familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures. In fact, he had probably memorized the passages I want to read to you now. Turn with me to Proverbs 11:2. When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. Paul was a very self-sufficient individual. He worked with his own hands rather than taking support from the churches he had founded. Today he would be called a bi-vocational pastor. He had expressed pride in his self-support but he knew that disgrace is the companion of pride and wisdom is the companion of humility. Paul understood that there was a time to stand on your own two feet and there was a time to receive help from others. We can reinforce the concept by turning to Proverbs 16:18. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. I have quoted this passage many times. Most often I was talking to myself not to someone else. Paul would have known that he should not be prideful with regard to his support. Actually, since he was in prison he had very little opportunity to support himself.

When Paul was traveling to Jerusalem for the last time he stopped along the way to talk to the Ephesian elders. In that conversation he spoke of the support that he made for himself and those who were with him. Turn with me to Acts 20:34-35. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. ³⁵ In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

He wanted to encourage the Ephesians to be givers. He quoted the Lord Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In doing so he was laying down a principal for receiving as well as giving. In order for us to receive something someone has to give something. Often, out of pride or even selfishness, we try to be givers and that’s a good thing! However, when we are willing to be receivers we are giving someone else the opportunity to give and be “more blessed” as Jesus had said. We need to put aside our pride sometimes and just bless someone else by allowing them to help meet our need. It may be in physical help or in financial help. It takes faith to know that we will be taken care of even if it is by someone else’s hands. Because of the generosity of the Philippian church Paul would remind them that their gifts would lead to God’s supplying every need of theirs according to his riches in glory. God’s riches in glory — there can be no treasure larger than that! Paul had gone through a long period of time learning these truths.

Now let’s look at…

Paul’s education in faith. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 11:22-30. In this passage Paul is correcting the Corinthians with regard to people who had come in to pervert their faith. In order to do so he needs to boast in some things that we usually don’t boast about. Listen while I read. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴ Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ²⁸ And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? ³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

I often go to this passage of Scripture especially when I think that things are a little tough on me! What Paul went through in order to be able to preach the gospel is so much more difficult than anything we might face in America today.

When we were in college there was a ministerial student who lived near us. Now we were in the deep South and it did get very hot there. This particular student was having a very difficult time because he didn’t have an air conditioner and he just couldn’t study under those conditions. When I replied to him was, “Imagine the apostle Paul traveling along a Roman road with his air conditioner on his shoulder!” Needless to say my friend was not impressed with my level of compassion. You see Paul had learned that there were positive values in the things that had happened to him. Many times we must have difficulty in order to recognize God’s hand of protection.

These other preachers that had come in to take away Paul’s followers had not experienced what he had. He said that his labor was greater! Specifically, he was imprisoned more than they were! Imagine today a preacher boasting of being in prison. Or being beaten more times than he could count! In serving the churches Paul had been often near death. Five times he had been beaten with 39 lashes. Three times he had been beaten with rods. Once he was stoned (and I believe he died). And then he lists a long account of the dangers that he had faced. All of this was teaching him a faith-walk that he could learn no other way.

He had many things that he could boast of. He was a Hebrew, a descendent of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin and a servant of Christ. But he said that if he should boast he would boast about things that showed his weakness rather than his strength. Because when we are weak God is strong!

When Paul cried out for his thorn in the flesh to be removed God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) He had come to understand that it is not our ability that gets us through. In fact, I believe the greatest ability that we can have is “avail” ability and “teach” ability. Paul had learned faith through trusting God during horrible persecution.

Through all the things that Paul had experienced he had learned how to be content whether he was experiencing need or…

Having plenty. Turn with me to Romans 8:31-32. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

If God is for us and he certainly is who can be against us? We need to remember that God’s only Son, born of Mary, left the glory of heaven to come to the gloom of earth for us. God was willing to give himself for us then how can we not expect that he will give us everything we need. NEED not GREED!

If God will give his Son for us shouldn’t we be able to trust him? To trust him for all that we need? In his second letter to the Corinthians Paul had said that, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” Surely God will meet all our needs. And yet at times we find ourselves…

Experiencing need. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul immediately saw that there was a reason for God not giving him a positive answer to this prayer. I think this passage tells us that Paul had a tendency towards pride or conceit. In order to keep him from being conceited God gave him a thorn in the flesh. We do not know exactly what that was. I believe the only hints we can find is in Paul’s letter to the Galatians where he refers to his writing with large letters. And earlier in the letter where he said that the Galatians would have gouged out their own eyes and given them to him. So it may be that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was an eye ailment. Some will argue that it could not have been physical but rather was a spiritual “thorn in the flesh”. Most of those who take that position do not believe that Christians should ever be sick. Our God is a healer in fact all healing comes from God. However, many times illness also comes from God. In my own life a number of times I have been stopped in my tracks by illness in order for God to talk to me before I did something really stupid.

Often we use this passage of Scripture to explain a time of need in our life. But remember, Paul said we might be “brought low” or “abound”. We might “face plenty” or “hunger”. We might have “abundance” or “need”. The consequence of this faith learning experience in Paul’s life is found in verse 13 of Philippians chapter 4. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Weakness or strength, rich or poor matters very little in the life of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. God will meet all our needs and give us enough to share with others as well. We need to recognize…

The source of strength. Turn with me to Ephesians 3:14-19.  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶ that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

This is a prayer that we can pray for ourselves or for our Christian friends. We have a great need to be strengthened with power through God’s Spirit. Christ dwells in our heart through faith and our strength grows out of the love of the indwelling Christ. We need desperately to be rooted and grounded in love. When we are we will have understanding that goes beyond knowledge being filled with all the fullness of God. This is not just for men like the apostle Paul. It is a privilege for every believer!

Paul was able to maintain an excellent balance in his life even though he was in prison. He was writing from the Imperial jail in Rome. It must’ve been especially difficult for Paul since he was cut off from his friends and in one of the largest cities in the world under arrest. When he received this gift from the Philippians he rejoiced that they cared for him. He had had an extensive education in believing God. God had revealed to Paul a mystery that had been held back from mankind for thousands of years. That mystery was simply that the gospel of Jesus Christ was going to bind together people from all races, ages, and nationalities into one body called the church. Without a doubt Jesus had given Paul (and us) everything needed to, not just survive, but flourish in service to Christ. I hope each of you have reached out to the Lord Jesus and come to him in salvation. He promises never to leave you nor forsake you if you put your trust in him. He will meet all your needs.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.