Introduction

Some of us walked in with smiles; some of us walked in with sighs. Schedules feel heavy. Headlines howl. Bills pile, plates spin, and sleep sneaks away. You’ve tried to be strong for your people, and the strength ran thin. You’ve tried to be brave for your heart, and the courage felt small. If that’s you, welcome. You are seen. You are loved. You are exactly where grace loves to meet people.

Paul knew about thin strength and small courage. He wrote to the Philippians while wearing chains, yet his words carry the fragrance of freedom. He teaches us that Christ is not a distant idea; he is a present Savior. Christ meets your Monday as surely as he meets your Sunday. He slips into hospital rooms and office cubicles, school pickup lines and quiet kitchens. He does not shame you for being weary. He shoulders the weight with you.

Tim Keller captured this so clearly: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” —Tim Keller. What if that love and acceptance are the very oxygen your soul has been gasping for? What if the strength you long for is not a distant prize, but a present Person? What if courage is not a personality trait, but a gift Christ gladly gives?

Today, we will bring our tired hands to the nail-scarred hands of Jesus and listen. We will hear him say, “I am your strength.” We will admit what we lack and receive what he supplies. And then, with hearts made steady, we will do what Christians have always done: we will lift others with encouraging service, and we will choose brotherhood in practical help. When the world sees a people who do hard things with humble hearts—who carry burdens, share meals, speak hope, give rides, write notes, pray boldly—the world sees Jesus.

Have you ever sat at the edge of your bed and wondered, How do I keep going? Have you ever stared at a ceiling fan and wished it could spin your worries right out of the room? Have you ever whispered, “Lord, I can’t”? Here is the good news: he can. And he is near. A Savior who spoke galaxies into being is not intimidated by your to-do list. A King who calmed storms with a sentence is not shaken by your storm. The Shepherd who knows your name knows your needs and has no shortage of strength.

This is more than a pep talk and bigger than positive thinking. This is Christ in you. This is the real presence of the real Jesus supplying real power for real life. Courage for complicated days. Peace for pressured hearts. Joy in the middle of ordinary moments. He strengthens you to forgive when forgiveness feels impossible. He strengthens you to serve when time feels short. He strengthens you to stand when fear says sit, to speak when shame says silence, to love when hurt says hide.

We’re going to savor a single sentence from Scripture today. It is short enough to memorize and strong enough to move a mountain of worry. It can be whispered in a waiting room, sung on a treadmill, clung to in a cubicle, prayed in a parking lot. It fits in a text message and in a eulogy. Countless saints have leaned on it; countless more will. And God delights to make it true again in you.

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Hear it again, slowly, like a warm blanket around a cold soul: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Not because your willpower wins. Because Christ’s power provides. Not because you never feel weak. Because Jesus never fails to be strong. In him, your “I can’t” meets his “I can,” and your next step becomes possible.

So here is where we are headed. First, we will remember we are empowered by Christ to overcome—the Savior does not send us alone; he stays and supplies. Then, we will lift others with encouraging service—quiet kindness that carries weight and heals hearts. Finally, we will choose brotherhood in practical help—hands and feet that move, meals that appear, prayers that persist, presence that comforts.

Before we continue, let’s pray.

Opening Prayer: Father, we thank you for Jesus, our Strength and our Song. Thank you that when our hands tremble, yours do not. Thank you that your mercy meets us in the ordinary and your power is made perfect in our weakness. Holy Spirit, open our ears to hear the voice of Christ and open our hearts to trust him. Trade our anxiety for assurance, our weariness for your wind-in-our-sails strength. Teach us to rest in your love and to rise in your power. Make us a people who serve with joy and stand together with courage. Put names on our hearts—neighbors to encourage, burdens to carry, needs to meet. Glorify Jesus in our thoughts, our words, and our steps today. In his strong and gentle name we pray, amen.

Empowered by Christ to Overcome

Paul’s line in Philippians 4:13 gives a clear center: strength does not rise from the self. Strength comes through a living bond with Christ. The promise lives in the present tense. He keeps on giving power. He keeps on making you able. This is steady supply, not a brief spark that fades in an hour.

Think about a branch that stays connected to a healthy vine. The sap flows without strain. The branch does not strain to be a branch. It receives and then it bears fruit. In the same way, Christ shares his life with you by the Spirit. He makes your tired will steady. He makes your heavy heart able to act. He puts fresh courage inside ordinary bones.

The verb behind “strengthens” pictures someone being made able from the inside out. It is like oxygen filling lungs that had been tight. It is like power flowing through a cord into a lamp. The light shines because the connection holds. Your part is real trust, honest need, and simple steps of obedience. His part is the power. He never runs out.

This promise also has a wise scope. “All things” in Philippians means every kind of situation God puts in front of you. Paul had known full tables and empty tables. He had slept well and he had lost sleep. He had seen doors open and doors close. In each season he learned steady contentment. Christ made him able for both feast and famine, for both applause and quiet rooms.

So the promise covers all God asks you to face and to do. It covers the call to forgive. It covers the hard task you keep delaying. It covers the long stretch of faithfulness that feels endless. It covers the hard talk you need to have. It covers quiet faith in a confusing hour. It covers obedience that no one else sees. You do not have to power any of this alone.

This promise does not turn you into a superhero on command. It sets you free to work with a calm heart inside real limits. It keeps you steady when the outcome stays unclear. It keeps you honest when a shortcut looks easy. It keeps you gentle when someone else is harsh. It keeps you hopeful when results come slow. It keeps you grateful when resources feel small.

How do you receive strength like this in real time? You ask. Simple prayers carry weight: “Jesus, help me.” “Give strength for the next ten minutes.” “Guard my mind.” “Fill my mouth with grace.” These short prayers are like turning the handle on a well. They draw living water for the moment you are in. Your day makes space for these prayers: at a stoplight, in a stairwell, before a meeting, after a hard text.

You also receive through the word. Read a verse out loud. Hold it in your mouth. Repeat it until it rests in your bones. Place it on a card where your eyes land often. Say it on a walk. Let it answer your fear. Let it shape your plans. Scripture brings Christ’s strength to bear on details, not only big ideas.

Strength also comes through humble steps. Take the next right action, even if it feels small. Make the call. Send the email. Tie your shoes and step outside. Set the timer for twenty minutes and begin. Christ meets motion with fresh supply. Your feet move, and he adds power to the movement. Often the help arrives mid-step.

And strength flows through the life of the church. Let someone pray for you. Tell a friend where you feel thin. Receive a word of encouragement without apology. Sing with others, even if your voice shakes. Hear the gospel at the Table. Christ loves to carry his power to you through other people. He loves to use your voice to carry it to them as well.

There is also a purpose baked into this promise. Christ strengthens you so you can love well. Power shows up as patience that lasts. Power shows up as kindness that keeps going. Power shows up as faithfulness when you are bored or stressed. Power shows up as self-control when emotions flare. This is strength with shape. It bears fruit that helps people.

He gives power for tasks that bless others. You can wash a sink full of dishes with a settled heart. You can stay late so a co-worker can make a school event. You can hold a crying child without hurrying the moment. You can show up with groceries. You can mow a lawn for someone who is overwhelmed. You can sit with a friend at an appointment. These acts seem small. Through Christ, they carry great weight.

He also strengthens you to keep promises. Keep your word when plans change. Keep your vows in seasons that feel gray. Keep serving when praise grows quiet. Keep praying when answers take time. Keep telling the truth when it would be easier to shade it. This is hard work. Through Christ, it is possible work.

And he strengthens you to face what scares you. Walk into the room you would avoid. Confess the thing you have tried to hide. Ask for help before you break. Set a boundary that guards what is holy. Bless someone who wounded you. Start again after a failure. Christ gives power to act like this. He does it again tomorrow. He does it again the day after that.

Lift Others with Encouraging Service

Philippians 4:13 fits in kitchens and cubicles ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO