I Can Do All Things Through Christ!

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST!

Phil. 4:13

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: THE PSYCH’S DIAGNOSIS

1. A man went to a psychiatrist and said, "Doctor, I have seen two other psychiatrists. They told me I am cursed with an inferiority complex. I would like for you to examine me and tell me what you think.

2. After many tests the doctor said, "Sir, I have good news and bad. The good news is, you DON’T have a complex. The bad news is, you ARE inferior!"

B. THE WONDERFUL TRUTH

1. That (illus) is exactly what the devil wants you to believe; that you are inferior to others and that others "CAN" live effectively for Jesus, but you "CAN'T."

2. Phip. 4:13 is a verse that shatters every negative or derogatory thing anyone has ever spoken about you: it says, "I CAN do all things through Christ which strengthens me!"

3. We all have secret fears:

a. Of what people think;

b. Of failure;

c. Of making a fool of ourselves -- and these fears can affect our lives.

4. When I was in third grade, I was in the play, "William Tell." I was the bad guy. I was petrified with fear that I might forget my lines.

5. Guess what happened? The thing which I feared came upon me! I vowed I would never speak in public again. Then God called me to be a preacher! Lol

C. GOD’S GOAL

1. But God wants us to be able to say with Paul, positively, "I CAN do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!"

2. Let's consider Paul's revelation for a moment. Notice first...

I. THE SCOPE OF THE PROMISE: “ALL THINGS”

A. YOU CAN ENDURE ALL THE TRIALS OF LIFE

1. No matter how big or severe your trial, whatever problems or difficulties come your way -- God says He will make us overcomers of all of them!

2. Paul was thrown into many prisons, tortured and beaten frequently, faced death often, yet he could say, "I can do all things…." That’s an amazing admission. None of us have faced what he did...if HE can say that, so can we!

3. You say, "Yes, but Pastor, I'm not Paul. I don't have that kind of grace." Well, you don't have it today, because you don't need it today. On the day you need extra strength, God will supply it.

4. That's why God said, "As is your day, so shall be your strength." We may:

a. Lose loved ones;

b. Lose our possessions;

c. Face hopeless/ insurmountable situations,

5. But God has said, "My grace IS sufficient for you..." Nothing shall overwhelm us, because "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." Our God is bigger! Secondly...

B. YOU CAN PERFORM ALL DUTIES

1. No assignment will be placed before you that will be impossible for you! If, like Moses, you’re called to humble the greatest nation on earth, you’ll be able to do it.

2. If you’re called to witness to a difficult person, you SHALL BE EQUAL TO THE TASK. You say, "I'm not a good speaker." Neither was Moses, or Jeremiah, or Gideon.

3. "Whom God calls, He qualifies." He will make you sufficient for what He calls you to do.

4. Whether your calling is as a Mother, a Dad, a grandparent, an employee, to hold public office, or a position in the church, You CAN do all things!

C. YOU CAN OVERCOME ALL TEMPTATIONS

1. There are many different kinds of temptations -- outward, mental, emotional. Some are tempted to yield to depression or despair. We all have our weak points -- our Achilles’ heel.

a. I remember the story of the truck driver eating in the diner when three hoodlums on motorcycles came in. One took the truck drivers hamburger, another drank his coffee, and the third one wolfed down his pie.

b. Quietly, the truck driver got up from the table and left the diner. One of the bikers said, "He's not much of a man, is he?"

c. The waitress replied, "He's not much of a driver either. He just ran his truck over three motorcycles!"

2. There’ve been times I've been sorely tempted. I feared I would fall, but I found that "All who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved."

3. The devil may’ve told you that you have an inherited weakness that you can’t escape from. No! There’s not one Hittite or Jebusite in all the Promised Land you can't drive out! In Jesus Name!

D. THE BIBLE SAYS...

1. 2 Cor. 5:17, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; behold all things are passed away, and behold, all things are made new."

2. 1 Cor. 10:13, "There has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you can bear, but will with the temptation make a way of escape that you may bear up under it. "