We're going to be in Philippians 4, 11 through 13 if you want to turn there. One of the most misinterpreted and misunderstood verses in all of Scripture is Philippians 4, 13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
This verse has been taken out of context by many preachers, many teachers over the years for the purpose of motivating their congregations, whipping them up, so to speak, in these emotional frenzies by giving them this false idea that they, the congregation, the individual, can do anything you want to do. Anything you think up is possible. Anything you dream up is possible. So Philippians 4, 13 is basically a blank check. No dream is too big, no mountain is too high, nothing is out of reach.
I can do anything I want to do if I just set my mind to it. So this is the core message in Christianity today, I think, in many churches at least. Christianity's purpose is to help people get in touch with their self and then realize their greatest potential. If God is in me, then I can do anything.
And in fact, if God is in me, if I want to get in touch with God, I just simply look on the inside of myself. Theology and doctrine, that has no place in the church, and increasingly so, I think. In fact, the pastor may use the Bible, a Bible verse once in a while, to motivate me, but he's going to do away with the cross, he's going to do away with sin, because these things are not motivational.
We need to stay motivated. A few days ago, I received an email invitation to an upcoming Christian conference at which several Christian celebrities will speak. And the email says in part this, we want to lead a global movement of people surging their lives God's way by inspiring, transforming, and equipping believers to do that all God has asked them to do, called them to do. And I thought, OK, that sounds noble enough.
I'm not sure what a surging life is, but I'll keep reading. He says this, by bringing together some of the top Christian speakers, business minds — there we go — business minds, entrepreneurs, worship teams, our hope is to create an atmosphere of transformation. Our mandate is to provide an opportunity for each attendee and believer to experience increase in their personal lives, careers, businesses, wealth, and legacy for the next generation to follow.
It doesn't say a word about the Bible. Instead, they want to create an atmosphere of transformation, an experience of increase. You know what that is?
That's a word salad. It makes no sense whatsoever at all. It's smoke and mirrors. And on their website, there's this video of an arena filled with thousands and thousands of people singing and jumping up and down and lifting their hands, praising the Lord, waiting to receive this divine instruction on how to live out their dreams. And by the way, if I want a ticket to the premiere experience, it's only going to cost me $497.
And I thought, no, I'm not going to do this particular conference. But this is what Christianity is becoming, an experience. And it creates an illusion that somehow all of life revolves around me, and I can do anything. And ultimately, what this does, it appeals to man's vanity and pride, both of which are enemies to God. So this brings in my mind, as I was reading this, these words in Isaiah 14 that we attribute to Satan himself, I will ascend to heaven. Above the stars of God, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, and I will make myself like the Most High.
Isn't that what Christianity is becoming? I will. I will. Christ is not the focus.
I am. And people will walk out of that conference thinking, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Well, God only comes into the picture really to justify what I want to do.
Let me tell you about another conference. And this one took place about 2,000 years ago in Israel. And multitudes of people have been following the Lord Jesus, and He goes on top of a mountain and He sits down. And He begins to say things like this, blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil falsely against you on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. So Jesus is using words like poor and meek and mourning and persecution. And He's saying that these things should characterize your life and my life.
Very different atmosphere from the first conference I was telling you about. And so what Jesus is saying, and this is true, life is tough anyway, but it's gonna be even more so if you follow the Lord. Is that right, Jesus?
Yes. And in fact, the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. So despite what many preachers are telling their congregations today, the Christian life, and you know this, it's a difficult life.
This is not Disney World we live in. We live in a world in which there's a real spiritual battle taking place. And yet, Scripture is very clear, even in this fallen world, we can experience peace and joy in the midst of it all. This is what Pastor Monroe has been speaking about in 1 Peter, since in this you rejoice for now, for a little while, if necessary, you've been grieved by various trials. You and I know this to be true, that you and I can have peace in this world, even when it's difficult. But my question is this, if this is true, why are so many professing Christians not going through the challenges of life well?
Why are people today generally angry, bitter, judgmental, anxious, worried? And we expect this to be true of the world outside, but these things should not characterize a follower of the Lord Jesus. Now think about all the things that the Apostle Paul went through in his life. When Paul comes on this, on the scene, Jesus tells Ananias, I will show him how much he will suffer for my name's sake. Think about Paul's life, think about his suffering. He's beaten with rods, he's stoned, he's shipwrecked, he's thrown out of cities, and he's in danger from Jews and Gentiles, he's put in prison multiple times, he's in cold and he's in exposure, and in 1 Corinthians 4 he says, we, like men sentenced, we are like men sentenced to death. We become a spectacle to the world, to the present hour. We hunger and thirst, we're poorly dressed, we're buffeted, we're homeless, and we become, and we still are, the refuse, the scum of the world. Think about that.
How would that go over in that first conference I was telling you about? How could the Apostle Paul get through any of this? How could any of the Apostles get through any of this and go through it with joy? What is the secret of getting through this Christian life?
This is Paul's answer. Let's go to our Bibles now, Philippians 4, we'll start midway through verse 11. This is the Word of God. I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. These verses are not about Paul unleashing his potential or living out his personal desires or his dreams, rather he's saying that through all the changing circumstances of life, through the highs and lows of life, he's learned to be content.
Why? Because he keeps his focus on Christ, not on the changing circumstances of life. He's content in any situation because Christ gives him strength.
You get it? This is not, I want to go live out my dreams, this is getting through highs and lows, good times and bad times, hunger and thirst, abundance, getting through this thing we call life, and this is what we have to deal with. There are extremes in life, there are good times and there are bad times, there's plenty and there's hunger, there's abundance and need, and obviously we prefer not to go through the bad times. And we certainly don't want to be in jail like the Apostle Paul.
So we pray, Lord, lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil. And in reality, we want more than just deliverance from evil, we want to be comfortable. We want to be pain-free. We want to live comfortable lives. And you hear it when people start thinking about a missions trip. When you talk to somebody about an upcoming missions trip, they're going to say, well, what kind of food will I be eating? Is there a hotel there? You know, I can only sleep on Egyptian cotton. Is there a place to plug up my cell phone? What about bugs, you got any bugs over there?
And I say, yeah, they got really big ones right where you plug up your cell phone, right over there. Listen, we like certainty, we like routine. There's a pattern to life, there's a flow to life, it's predictable, it's familiar. Think about your own life. You get up, you go to work, you go home, you do it all over again. Maybe you go home, you watch the same TV shows, you go to the same place for vacation, you go to the same restaurant, order the same food, you sit in the same pew every Sunday. And today, on the Lord's day, some of you will go home, sit in the same recliner and watch sports, eating your popcorn and drinking your Diet Coke or whatever it is you do. The internet is working, the AC's on, not in here, but at home, and there's a measure of control over your life. This is life, and I'm good.
You got your hands on the steering wheel, or better yet, it's on cruise control. So life can be very good here, but it can also be extremely dangerous, spiritually. And quite frankly, I think this is where American Christianity is.
We've been prosperous for a long time. We have not suffered, not like the early church, not like some of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. In Kenya, some of our brothers and sisters, they live in huts made of mud.
They live in tiny little shacks made of little tin pieces. And if they get a meal, it's because they prayed for that meal. If we want a meal, we'll go to McDonald's. Now, we may thank God, thank Him for our blessings, but our reliance, and I hope this is not you, but the reliance on God when we're blessed like this can be very weak, if at all. Because it's difficult to think about heavenly things when we're comfortable down here. And when people get comfortable, people forget God.
And this is what happened to Israel time and time and time again. God leads them to the promised land, and He says to them right before they go into the promised land, listen, I'm gonna give you a land flowing with milk and honey. You're not gonna lack anything. Eat and be full, but take care, lest when your belly's full, you forget God. And if you forget God, I solemnly warn you today, you shall perish.
It's easy to forget God when you lack nothing. This is the problem with the church in Laodicea. The church says, hey, I'm rich, I prospered, we lack nothing. Look at everything we're doing. Look at all the ministries.
Look at satellite campuses over here, we're doing this over there, we're sending all this money to different places. And Jesus says, you're wretched, you're poor, you're pitiable, you're blind, you're naked. You don't depend on me.
You don't need anything, at least you think you don't. I'm not even in your church, I'm outside knocking. The more we're satisfied with earthly things, the more our affections for God will drift away. Think about the parable of the sower. Some of this seed is sown on soil in which they receive the word, but the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it proves unfruitful and they fall away. They fall away because people prefer the things of this world to the things of Christ. So the mountaintop can be a very dangerous place, but here's the thing, the Lord has a way of humbling His people. And we will go through the valleys, this is what Paul is talking about, in abundance and in need. We can be brought low because of our sin, we can be brought low because we suffer, because we follow the Lord, and life has its own ups and downs anyway. This is what Scripture teaches us, there's a time to be born, there's a time to die, there's a time to weep, there's a time to laugh, there's a time to mourn, and there's a time to dance. And here's the point, life for any one of us could change in a blink of an eye.
Change on this planet is inevitable. One minute we're abounding, the next minute we're brought low. And it could happen to any single one of us today, totally flipped upside down our life, totally rearranged. Your boss comes into the office and says, brother, your services are no longer needed, could happen tomorrow. And then you go home, and you pull up your bank account, and you barely have enough money to make your next month's mortgage. Your son, your daughter goes away to college, and you get the call, there's been an overdose.
You go get them, you bring them back home, and then you deplete all your financial resources to get your child in rehab again and again and again. Or you get the news from your doctor, this is not good. You need to get your affairs in order. Life can change on a dime. Last week, or a few days ago, I met with a young couple to help them finish their plans for their upcoming wedding ceremony. Lord willing, I'm officiating their wedding next weekend, and they're excited about this next chapter in their lives.
They're beaming with joy, they're ready. But on that same day I met with them, I officiated a funeral for a dear brother who went into the presence of the Lord at 35 years old. And as I'm there at the funeral and I'm speaking, I'm looking at his mother, and the tears are just flowing down her face, hearts brought low, I know how to be brought low. And her mind is not on the things of this world, her mind is up there with the Lord. She wants, she has her mind set on the hope of the resurrection, the hope of seeing her son again, not down here. The Lord can do that. It's in the low times in particular that the Lord teaches us, David said, it's good for me that I was afflicted that I might learn your statutes. And although we don't prefer to go through suffering, it's when we're down on our knees before the Lord in grief and in pain and in suffering that we actually look up and cry out to God, much more so than in times of abundance, I think. But Paul is saying, in times of abundance and in times of need, be on your knees.
He will provide you with everything you need. It's the ones on the knees though, the ones who are suffering, the ones who are hurting, it's the leper, it's the blind, it's the lame, it's the sick, it's the marginalized, the outcast, and it's the hungry. These are the ones who are crying out to God and seeing his mighty hand at work.
We need to be doing that when we're blessed. We went to Kazakhstan. I went to Kazakhstan last year, and part of the ministry we took boxes of food to a village, a very poor village, very poor conditions, and really they lived in shacks. And so we went into one lady's little home, a little shack, and she was probably in her late 70s, maybe 80s, a widow, and so we gave her this food. And she spoke Kazakh, and so I asked her through an interpreter, ma'am, do you need anything else?
Is there anything I can do for you? And she said through the interpreter, I have the Lord, I have all I need. That's right. That's right.
That is right. In the darkness, we see the light. Think again about what Paul is saying. I have learned in whatever situation I am in to be content. He says in any and every circumstance, I've learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and in need. In life's sometimes extreme situations, I'm okay.
I'm content. Paul knew how to be brought low. After all, our Lord and Savior, was He not brought low? He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, obedient to death, even death on a cross, and Paul knew how to abound. And he also knew that there was a danger for those whose God is their belly on this world.
Their end is destruction, Paul says. So it's important for us to understand what Paul is saying in these verses, whether Paul had plenty or was in need, he wasn't trying to weasel out of his circumstances. And Paul says this, I know the secret of getting through all these things, enduring. And the secret is that God will provide, and He will, Paul, draw strength from Christ Himself. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And you say, well, yeah, I get that.
It's obvious. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But the question that you and I have to wrestle with is this, who, for the Apostle Paul, is Christ? Now, if I ask you that question, you would say, I hope, He's my Lord and Savior.
And that's a good, that's a good response, and I pray that's true for all of us. But for the Apostle Paul, Christ was everything. He was His very life. Everything and everyone paled in comparison to Christ Jesus. Christ was His hope, His joy, His salvation, His comfort, His peace, His praise, His future, and He counted everything else on this world as rubbish for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ as Lord. And one day, Paul says, one day, He who began a good work in me will see it to completion, and I will see the Lord in all His glory. And until that day, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You Lord, this is Paul, are all I want. You're all I need.
You will see me through. Do you see it? Do you see it? Is that your view of Christ? Is your view of Christ high enough? Is it big enough?
Is He strong enough? And are you that focused on the Lord Jesus in the midst of your circumstances, in the highs and lows? Is He all sufficient for you? If so, you should be content. In all, in every circumstance, whatever situation you're in, content. You have a sense, an inner sense of peace that comes from being right with the Lord, knowing He's in control of all things, and He will provide for you. Do you have that sense of peace?
Are you content? Well, it means to focus on Him, not on the things of this earth. Listen, the things on this earth change.
You know it, and I know it. He does not. He does not change. We can get through this ever-changing life because we're drawing strength from the One who does not change.
His promises do not change. So don't build your life on shifting sand, build it on the rock that is Christ Jesus. That's what Paul is saying. And so Paul is saying, in all circumstances, in every situation, be content and draw strength from the Lord Himself. And I'm going to give you four points, not three, not six, but four points, and here we go, first.
What does this look like? First, to be content and draw strength from the Lord. First, be content and find strength in the Lord, knowing that God is absolutely sovereign over all circumstances, everything and everyone, from kings to sparrows. He's sovereign. Trust that He's working all things for our good and for His glory.
He is in absolute control in every circumstance. Our eyes may try to tell us otherwise, now think about it, Paul is in prison when he's writing this letter. And we would say, well that's not good, Paul is in prison. Well, Paul didn't see it that way. Paul said, what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel, so much so that it's become known throughout the whole imperial guard that my imprisonment is for Christ.
Paul saw it as good. He said, I'm a prisoner for the Lord. Paul was put in prison for a purpose, God is sovereign.
Very similar to Joseph's story, remember Joseph sold into slavery, Genesis 50? What you meant for evil, God meant for good. So you and I have to see what is going on in this world in light of God's sovereignty. We have to filter all of it, everything that we see through this fact, He's in control. I don't understand everything that's happening in this world, I don't care to understand, but I know this, Proverbs 3.5, trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths, He is sovereign. Be content and find strength in the Lord knowing that He is sovereign. Second thing, be content and find strength in the Lord knowing this world is not your home.
Paul says our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body. Here on this planet, you and I are sojourners and we're exiles, we're making our way to another place, we're passing through here. This is a fallen world.
And while, as Tim was saying, while we can see the handiwork of God, Psalm 19, the handiwork of God, all of creation is groaning. It's fallen, there's sin, there's suffering and death and all of it testifies to the fact that this world is not our home. This world is passing away along with its desires.
You and I are only temporarily here. We're going to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We're going to a city whose foundations, whose designer is God Himself. We're passing through here and Christ is going to prepare that place for us and He will take us there. So don't live like this world is all there is, don't love this world or the things in this world.
If you do, the love of the Father is not in you, Scripture says. Think of the Apostle Paul, he said everything down here, all I've done, all of it, rubbish for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ and being found in Him. What matters to Paul, not down here, it's the upward call, the upward call that by any means possible, any means possible, I can attain the resurrection from the dead. This world, here's my point, is not your home. Whatever happens down here is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory that is beyond comparison. You and I are going home, I like that, come Lord Jesus. So find comfort and strength knowing that this place is not your home.
Third, be content and find strength in the Lord knowing that He will provide you with everything you need to get home. My God will supply every need of yours, Philippians 4.19, according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus. This is what Paul says to the Philippians.
Paul in prison says, I am well supplied. Peter says He's given us everything we need for life and godliness, but this does not mean that sometimes we're not going to be hungry, doesn't mean that sometimes we won't be brought low. What it does mean is that He knows exactly what we need, and if we ask Him, He hears us and He will give it to us. Think about the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says, you see those lilies, God clothes them, why are you worried about what you're going to wear? You see those birds, God feeds them, why are you worried about what you're going to eat?
Your Heavenly Father knows exactly what you need, you just need to ask Him. Paul says in Philippians 4.6, we're still there, don't be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Now if this is true, stay with me, I know it's hot, if this is true, if God gives us everything we need to get us home, why would we ever complain?
Why would not, why wouldn't we be content? When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, He gave them everything they needed to get to the Promised Land. He went before them, if you remember, a pillar of cloud and smoke. He fed them quail, He fed them manna, bread from heaven, He gave them water from the rock. And Scripture says their clothing didn't wear out, their feet didn't swell for 40 years. All they had to do was to walk and be obedient and walk by faith. That's all they had to do. Did they make it?
No. God was taking them to a land flowing with milk and honey and He was going to give them everything they needed to get there. They did not make it.
Why? They complained. They complained. Why did you bring us out here, Moses? Tired of this manna. Let me something else.
What happened? Paul says they put Christ to the test and they weren't able to enter the Promised Land. Paul says, 1 Corinthians, this is an example for us. You and I are in the wilderness and sometimes we're going to be full and sometimes we're going to be hungry. Sometimes we're going to eat steak and sometimes we're going to eat taters.
That's my southern thing, taters. But when we complain, listen, when we complain, knowing God has given us everything we need, we're doing a couple of things. Number one, we're questioning God's goodness and two, we're questioning His sovereignty. And when people see that, we're complaining, it ruins our Christian testimony.
And I'll say one other thing about this complaining and anger that's happening I think a bit today because of everything that's going on in this world. Don't be the person pouring out all your anger and venom and criticism of others, whether in person or on social media, all under the guise of Christianity. Being critical and angry and judgmental, that's not strong in the Lord, despite what's going on in this world. That's not good. It's like a cowboy coming into town shooting in, shooting up everything he doesn't like and he's got the idea, he's the strong one and if everybody acts like I do, prays like I do, thinks like I do, supports what I do, opposes everything else, this place would be a better place.
That's not strong. That's not what it means to have the mind of Christ. That's not the fruit of the Spirit. And let me tell you something about such people.
Don't do this, first of all. And second of all, these type of people, they won't be here when the heat gets turned up. They're loud and they're opinionated, but they'll be the first to bow out when true persecution comes. Take a lesson from Peter. Peter was the loud one. He was the boisterous one.
He was the one that says, although the rest of these guys fall away, Jesus, I never will. Peter, tonight you're going to deny me three times. You think you're strong, Peter? You're loud, but you're not strong. See, it's the words, it's not the words that settle the question about how strong you are.
It's that heart of yours when you're put into the refiner's fire. So don't be bogged down here. Don't set your mind down here. Don't be angry. I had somebody tell me the other day every time he watches the news, he gets angry. It's affecting his spiritual life. Guess what?
Don't watch the news. Set your mind on what is good and lovely and peaceful and pure and perfect. Set your mind on Christ.
Paul was in jail. Was he complaining? He said, rejoice. I say again, rejoice. Be content knowing He's given us everything we need to get home. He will supply every need.
This is the last one. Find comfort and strength knowing that He is walking with you every step of the way. Paul says in Philippians 2 13, it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. The one who is working in you is the same one who says, I will never leave you nor forsake you. You're planning a marriage, He's there. You're grieving, He's there. If you're in the lion's den, He's there. If you're in the fiery furnace, He's there.
He's the one in the boat with you that has the power of the wind and the waves. What are you worried about? Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Why? You are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. So these are the things that Paul understood. These are the things that he learned in his walk with the Lord, and this is why he was content no matter what the circumstances came. No matter what came his way, he said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
And that's Paul. So let me conclude with this. I know that this life is challenging. I know it's hard, and I know that today this world is seemingly falling apart with the events in Ukraine and Israel and Russia, North Korea, and even the division in our own country. It seems that the stage is set for something to happen. Now the Lord can bring forth revival, and all of that can change in a second. But Scripture does say that things will get worse before the Lord returns, progressively worse. Jesus said that there will be wars and rumors of wars, and nation will rise against nation, and fear and foreboding will come upon the world. And right now, turn on the news, this is what you're seeing.
You're seeing a lot of panic and fear and anxiety, and even fear-mongering politicians trying to whip up fear in you. But Jesus says when you see all of these things taking place, don't be alarmed. In the world, you are going to have tribulation, but take heart, I've overcome the world. Different times for the church will come, but if you're falling apart now, what are you going to do if one day they say you can't preach Jesus anymore?
You going to keep pressing on? What the world needs to see from you and me is the church standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving side by side for the gospel, not frightened in anything. We need to go through this life well, even during the suffering. We need to be rock steady, and that is steady on Christ himself. And in order to do that, I'm going to finish with this, I want to encourage you to take a fresh look at Christ every single day. Don't be numb to his name. Don't be numb to his power.
Look at him. Preach the gospel to yourself every day. See him there on that cross. I know he's no longer on that cross, but he tells us to remember that. That's why we take the Lord's Supper.
Remember it every day. He was there for you. Surely he has borne our griefs, this is Isaiah, carried our sorrows. We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, afflicted, pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities, and upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds, we are healed, brothers and sisters. If you have peace with God, you have everything.
There's nothing that you can't get through because you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. Amen and amen. Let's go to the Lord. Father, we praise you that nothing in this earth, nothing on heaven will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. You have given us everything we need. You're preparing a place for us. Let us not be complainers. Let us not look down on this thing and think, why are we here? No, we're here to glorify you even in the midst of the hard times. So let us always have this fresh perspective on our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know that this world is not our home. And one day, we will see him in all his glory. And may we hear those words, well done, good and faithful servant. To God be the glory, in Christ's name, amen.
