I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST

October 13, 2024

 

Philippians 4:4-13

Key verse 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

  

I want to briefly introduce the background of today’s passage. This is the letter from the apostle Paul who pioneered the Philippian church and now he is in prison in Rome because of persecution. The purpose of this letter is to say thanks for the Philippian church’s prayers and offerings. He also wants to give them wisdom for unity, humility and perseverance in Christ upon trials. Today’s passage is the last part of the letter which contains the final exhortation. Here we want to learn Paul’s secret of victory, of exalting Christ in his terrible circumstances. Paul was in a Roman prison. He could not move around freely to preach the gospel. Yet, he rejoiced and his one desire was to exalt Christ, whether by life or by death. There are many limitations forced upon us such as jobs, and sickness. There are many things which limit us in our serving God. We are frustrated and feel that God does not answer our prayers, and we feel helpless. But we need to learn the secret of contentment from Paul and rejoice and exalt Christ no matter what happens. Let’s learn to say like Paul, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

 

First, Rejoice with overflowing thankfulness. Look at verse 4. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Paul emphasizes, 'rejoice'. If you remember last year's Thanksgiving message, it was almost similar to this. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It is the same Paul who sent the letter to the different church. That was a condensed version. Here verses 4-7 are the more detailed version of what Paul wants to say to all the churches. Why should “rejoice” be the first and foremost attitude in the Christian? Because “rejoice” does not depend on our condition or situation but on God who is Almighty and unchanging. So no matter what happens in our life, our joy will not be taken away from us. 

 

With what can we compare this joy of salvation? Can you imagine having the $80M winning ticket of Lotto Max in your pocket which was the largest jackpot history in Canada? Actually, it happened last September, but unfortunately, 2 winners split half of the money. Anyway, just thinking of that idea makes us scream with joy. Maybe some of you don’t have an idea of how much $80M is. So I researched. In Toronto, the average house price is $1.1 million for detached houses including condos and townhouses. So roughly, you could buy a good detached house for $2 million and you can buy 40 houses for $80M. Could that money remove many parts of your concerns, right? It might feel like you can do whatever you want with this crazy amount of money. However, there are some matters which you cannot handle with even this much money, such as health, relationships and other concerns about how to use this money. So money could not be the answer to all our questions even though it might give ‘temporal’ enjoyment. Only those who know the secret of salvation can truly rejoice. 

 

Second, the most powerful enemy, anxiety. Look at verse 6a. “Do not be anxious about anything.” From a Google search, we can find lots of synonyms of anxiety such as worry, concern, fear, angst, doubt, dread, misery, mistrust, panic, restlessness, suffering, trouble, uncertainty, uneasy, nerves, tension, stress etc. It contains all negative words of emotions. And more and more, these anxiety-related mental issues are increasing individually and socially. However, this negative emotion was developed at the beginning of human history. In Genesis 3, after Adam took the forbidden fruit, he began to be afraid of God because of sin. Sin broke the perfect relationship with God. All people after Adam were destined to be sinners with all negative emotions until Jesus came. Jesus came and died for my sins and was resurrected. Whoever believes this gospel may experience the restoration of the perfect love relationship with God through Jesus. 1 John 4:18a says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

 

However, Satan still tempts us by planting doubt of God’s love even though he was defeated by Jesus. Now over one month passed since the new semester started. To handle every requirement and assignment not only from school but also in daily living, you may be feeling pressed for time. Away from all guidance and safety training wheels by parents, it is as if suddenly you are given the wheel to drive your own life with all your responsibility. Who cannot be anxious? You may think, “I should be the hope of my family,” “I should be successful in my life,” “I should define my value with hard work.” Are those the reasons you wake up in the morning and stay up late until you finish the tasks? Satan uses subtle and veiled tactics to keep us away from God by whispering, “You have something to do. You don’t have time to go to Sunday service.” Squeezed by task after task, Satan puts more burden on our shoulders with intimidation. Slowly and gradually, anxiety grows and pushes away the joy of salvation from our hearts. The anxious mind takes away time, willpower and even physical strength. It may cause symptoms like increased heart rate, hyperventilation, sweating, trembling, feeling weak or tired, trouble concentrating, light-headedness or dizziness, abdominal pain, indigestion, chest pain, fatigue, insomnia etc. Inside of a Christian can be the fierce battlefield with all kinds of negative emotions which are manipulated by Satan to draw us away from God.

 

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” How come this small conflict in our hearts turns into a massive-scale of spiritual war like a fantasy movie? Jesus knows the value of one soul. Mark 8:36 says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Luke 15:7, 10, 32, repeatedly mentions that one soul is worth more than the whole world, and there is rejoicing in heaven over the one sinner who repents. So if you give up fighting the temptations of spiritual battle which will end with the promised victory, it will grieve the Holy Spirit of God. (Ephesians 4:30a) Galatians 5:17 says, “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other so you are not to do whatever you want.” When all seems to go wrong, still there is a way out of it.

 

Third, Prayer and Thanksgiving, are the most powerful action we can do. Look at verse 6b. “…but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In the Bible, prayer is mentioned 650 times. Prayer is a form of communication, serving God, obeying him and requesting God’s solution in our life. Most of all, prayer can let the wheel of my life into God’s hand, which leads us to the best way for God’s glory. So why do we not pray? I think there are two reasons. First is arrogance and second is that we are too weak to pray. People might have many excuses for not praying. They think it is ineffective; “my prayer is not answered” or “I will do now what I can do” rather than pray. We need to acknowledge that an unanswered prayer is also God’s answer. It is arrogance with ignorance who thinks that every prayer should be answered just the way we prayed. Also, there is a time when we are too weak to pray. But it is the best time to share your prayer topics and request prayer to those around you. Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.” James 5:16 also says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

 

As I mentioned earlier, the core purpose of prayer is not about me but about God. Let the Holy Spirit take control of your life by prayer. Prayer is like yielding the sniper rifle to God who never misses the target. At the same time, through thanksgiving, we can count and remind ourselves of how much God’s blessing has been poured into our lives even when we do not notice. So prayer and thanksgiving should go together.

 

Fourth, Invincible heart and mind protected by God. Let’s read together verse 7. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” The peace of God in our hearts is the source of joy. Peace is what everyone strives for. People think that more and more material things will make them secure and give them peace, but this is not the case. More and more material things make us more anxious. Children are a source of joy, but they can also be a source of anxiety. We are only secure when we are in Christ and our hearts and minds are guarded by the peace of God.

 

In the past, we were burdened by our struggles and our own responsibility, thinking, “I should do everything by myself.” However, now we do not need to struggle alone. Because our life is in God’s hands. God who knows all our weaknesses gives his invincible peace which transcends all understanding. So those who are anxious about upcoming exams or important matters, take heart. God is on your side. Pray and leave the anxiety in God’s hands. 

 

Not long ago in Korea, an abbreviation of a phrase was popular. It is called, “중꺽마(Jung-Kkeog-Ma)”, which may be translated as, “The important thing is an unbreakable spirit.” If you still have the spirit to win, you can do it again. King Solomon who got all wisdom from God, said this to his son; “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov 4:23) Because of Satan’s attacks, we may fall, and lose heart for a while. However, God’s peace will come again when we pray and give thanks. 

 

Fifth, The Last puzzle, is the contentment in all and as a result, I can do everything in Jesus (v 9-13). Let’s read verses 12-13. “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 did not try to live a Christian life in his own strength. He drew his strength from Jesus. We also can find strength in Jesus to rejoice “in the Lord always”; we can find strength in Jesus to forgive, and strength to love. We can find strength to overcome times of want and strength to overcome the temptations of abundance; in Christ Jesus, our minds and hearts are guarded by the peace of God. No problem is too big for Jesus and no problem is too small. We must learn to turn to Jesus in every circumstance and ask for his help and guidance. We must be humble enough to learn to depend on him, not on ourselves. This was Paul’s secret of victory. “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

 

I was born in a Christian family. However, I suffered from a family discord with poverty. My mother’s death when I was young brings back to the unsolved unbelief deep inside even though I attend church. After I came to Toronto as a missionary and newly-wed, it was okay for 1year by God’s special grace. However, the new culture, new environment and new role as a husband and a father with no job, no friend, and nowhere to go after I fought with my wife, made me feel all alone and helpless. I took the antidepressant for 2years because of anxiety and depression. I even sent emails to St. George UBF coworkers not to contact and visit me. I had no strength to ask for prayer to others. However, through prayers from coworkers, I recovered.  Also through resurrection messages and thanksgiving messages which I deeply meditated, I accepted God’s perfect plan in my life. After I delivered the Thanksgiving message last year, I chose the same key verse for the new year 2024, and I tried to rejoice, pray and give thanks. Especially, I wrote down prayer and thanksgiving topics on the paper. The prayer for jobs was the longest prayer I had for 29 years. When I finally let go of my condition for a new job, by acknowledging God’s reason to put me here and what God wants me to learn through this place, God led me to the present job last April. Through it all, when I trace back to every troubled moment with the honest prayers turned to thanks topics, it surprised me greatly when I saw how many answered prayers I have had.

 

Thanksgiving is the best way to recognize the love of God in our lives. If anyone thinks, 'There is nothing to give thanks for in my life', please find a quiet place with notes, and try to write down Thanksgiving topics with effort. Some moments after, there would be so many reasons which will come to you to give thanks to God. Thanksgiving has the power to bring chain reactions into our lives with more thanks. 

 

 

 

Big Idea: I can do everything through Christ