Our text today provides a sure foundation for optimism. Christians should be the most optimistic people on the face of the earth. I’m not talking about a Polly Anna avoidance of the challenges. I’m talking about a deep confidence that nothing can happen that is beyond God’s all-sufficiency. I’m talking about an optimism based on God’s plans and watchful care for our well-being.i
Are you looking forward to the days ahead with confidence and optimism? Can you see past the political uncertainties, past the pandemic threat, and past the economic challenges and say in your heart, “It is well with my soul”?ii If Paul were with us today, he would be excited about the opportunities before us. He would express a biblical optimism about the weeks and months ahead. His optimism would be very different from that of the world. The hopes and expectations of the world stand on shaky ground.iii They are built on an unsure foundation.
Scripture often contrast the hopes of the righteous with the hopes and expectations of the wicked. Proverbs 10:28-29 is one example: ”The hope of the righteous will be gladness [or joyful], But the expectation of the wicked will perish. 29 The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.”iv
We know that happens in God’s timing. Sometimes the wicked person is “spreading himself like a green bay tree.”v For a time, his devices prosper. But in the end, he perishes. His expectations fail. His optimism proves to be unfounded. Like Haman he is ensnared in his own devices.vi Therefore we are instructed in Psalm 37: 7, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” God always has the last word.
Our text is Philippians 4:13-20 but I want us to read verses 4-20 to maintain context for this teaching. What Paul says in our text flows out of what he has said in the previous verses.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
[Our text last week began in verse 10 and ended in verse 13]. 10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
[Now we come to our text for today.] 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me 14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Today we will deal with TWO ASSURANCES in that passage. The first is found in verse 13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The second is in verse 19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” If you’re looking for verses to memorize, these are prime candidates. They provide, for the Christian, a firm foundation for unshakable optimism. They are God’s assurance of victory to all who put their trust in Him. Peace of mind is sustained when we rest in these truths.
I. Verse 13 assures us of the STRENGTH needed for any situation God leads us into.
“I [put your name there] can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
(1) This is a reminder of the Source of our strength. It is only “through Christ” that Paul’s statement is possible.vii He is the one who gives the strength as we abide in Him. Without Him we can do nothing. Jesus taught this dependence to His disciples in John 15 when He said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:4-8).
It is a violation of Paul’s intent to employ this verse as a means of using Christ to get your own way.viii The assumption behind the verse is submission to Him. Paul expressed his attitude of submission in Philippians 3:12 when he said, “I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” His whole life was a pursuit of God’s will for his life.ix Remember what he wrote in Ephesians 1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” It is “in Christ” that we are blessed. All that we receive from God comes through Him.x When we are submitted to Him, when we are abiding in Him and His words abide in us, then we can ask with confidence and receive.
J. Vernon McGee illustrates this well. He talked about riding the Super Chief train that connects Chicago and Los Angeles. As long as that train is on the tracks it is designed to run on, it has all the power and capability to navigate the designated journey. It has the power to climb every mountain, and it can navigate every curve along the way. But suppose that train decides to go its own way. Suppose it decides (on its own) to turn off the track and go to the Grand Canyon. It would wreck the moment it left the tracks.xi God has a plan for you, and as long as you follow His plan, He will empower you every step of the way.xii But we are not at liberty to go our own way, then claim God’s strength for the journey. So, the first step in implementing this implied promise is to submit ourselves to the will of God.
(2) This verse is an invitation to step out in faith.
There will be times in your journey when God tells you to do something that looks impossible. In Luke 6 Jesus was teaching at the synagogue. There was a man in the congregation whose arm was withered. Jesus commanded him to do something he was utterly unable to do. He told him to stretch out his hand. Instead of telling Christ that he could not do that, the man stretched out his hand and was healed as he acted in obedient faith. This is a crucial secret in our lives and ministries. If all you ever do is what you could do in your own strength, your life will count for little. It is the willingness to do what God tells you to do, relying on His strength, that produces results. That’s how you get to the next level.
Years ago, when the Lord told me to preach, my initial response was “I can’t do that.” It was my greatest fear to speak before a crowd. The root of that fear was pride. I was afraid I would look like a fool. Now preaching is the major thrust of my life. How did I bridge the gap? I took the risk of obedience. I died a thousand deaths breaking through that barrier of fear. God gave me the strength to do what He told me to do. But I had to step out in obedience to access that strength. I still rely on His grace every time I stand in the pulpit. I know how worthless the event is without His anointing on the message.
God will give you grace to do what He tells you to doxiii. But your faith will be tested. Remember when Israel came up to Kadesh-barnea. When the twelve spies returned from checking out the Promise Land, ten of the spies told why they could not go in and take the land. The enemies were everywhere, on the coasts—in the mountains—even at the banks of the Jordon. Their cities were fortified. And there were giants in the land. These ten spies reported, “We were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Num. 13:33). Looking at their own ability, they knew they were not capable of taking that land.
But Caleb understood Paul’s statement before he ever wrote it: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Caleb knew he was not limited to his own strength. He was looking beyond the challenges to the God who told them to go in and take the land. His confession was “we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30). We can do this thing because the Lord is with us. He said in Numbers 14:8-9, “If the Lord delights in us, [his reliance is in the Lord] then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us.”xiv
David had the same understanding when he said of God, “For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall” (Ps. 18:29, KJV).xv
Christianity is not just a set of rules to live by. It is more than a moral code of ethics. It is the supernatural empowerment of the Spirit for holy living and effective ministry. We are not in this by ourselves; and that makes all the difference. All the heroes in Hebrews 11 prevailed as they relied on God’s strength. The theme is captured in the phrase “by faith.” “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned” (Heb. 11:29). Imagine that giant wall of water as they made their way toward the other shore. Will it come crashing down upon us? That’s what happened to the Egyptians. But it didn’t happen to God’s people. We see faith in that chapter to “subdue kingdoms,” “obtain promises,” and “stop the mouths of lions” (Heb. 11:33). Hebrews 11:34 says, “out of weakness [they] were made strong.” They did not accomplish these things in their own strength. Christ was strengthening them for the task. That chapter goes on to talk about Christ’s strength given for endurance of difficult circumstances as well (Heb. 11:35b-38).xvi
Paul uses the word grace in some passages as a reference to this strength. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” God extended “unmerited favor’ to Paul. But that grace was not just an abstract decree in the sky. It was a living dynamic of strength. Paul’s response to God’s favor was to labor “more abundantly than they all.” It was not grounds for sloth and presumption. It was motivation for hard work. Then he qualifies that declaration with this statement: “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” It was not my strength, but the strength Christ provided that enabled me to do it.xvii
And if we embrace Paul’s mentality, God will provide His strength for us. “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25). God will supply the strength you need to live out each day according to His will.xviii It is something we draw upon daily from the Lord.xix “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11). It flows as we abide in Him.
(3) The assurance we have in Philippians 4:13 is also an invitation to rest in God.xx It supports the contentment Paul refers to in verse 11. God does not always answer our prayers the way we think He should. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). We make our requests to God with that mindset. We ask, but we also trust His wisdom and leadership.
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul made a request to God. It was so important to him that he sought the Lord about this three times. He described the problem as “a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” We do not know exactly what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was. I think God left it vague because your thorn in the flesh may not be the same as mine. One thing is sure, Paul really wanted God to take that thing out of his life. But God did not do that. His answer to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” My grace—My strength—is sufficient for you to endure this. I want it in your life so you will feel your weakness and rely on my strength. It is for your protection. It keeps you looking to Me as your source.
How did Paul respond to that? Did he pout because God did not answer his prayer the way he wanted it answered? No, Paul embraced God’s will and trusted Him to give the strength he would need to deal with it. He looked at that “thorn in the flesh,” swallowed hard, and said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That verse assures us of the strength we may need in any given circumstance.
II. Verse 19 assures us of the SUPPLY of whatever we may need.
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” He will provide whatever resources you may need.
(1) Consider the magnitude of this promise: “all your need according to His riches in glory.” The “all” in this verse includes the strength we may need for the occasion. We have talked about that extensively.
It includes every spiritual need. Do you need peace? He will lead you into that as you follow His counsel. Do you need joy? It is a fruit of the Spirit that we enjoy as we walk in the Spirit. Do you need forgiveness and mercy? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Do you need deliverance from a habit or bondage? “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). There is a supply of strength in the grace of God that enables us to overcome evil in any form.xxi Our greatest needs are spiritual, and our text covers every one of them.
This promise includes all our material need as well. In the context Paul is thanking the Philippians for the material gift they sent him. He is not able to pay them back in like kind, but the God that he serves will pay them back in full and more. The Greek indicates a beautiful play on words. In verse 18 he celebrates their gift to him saying “I have been filled to the full (pleroo).” Then in verse 19 he says, “God will fill you to the full” (pleroo).xxii In our English translation verse 19 says, “And my God shall supply (pleroo) all your need.” So, the word play tends to get lost in the translation.
David understood this truth when he wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” He is saying, “My God will supply all my need.”
Abraham experienced it when he obeyed God and took Isaac up to Mount Moriah for sacrifice. There God provided a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham named the place “Jehovahjireh” (KJV) or “The-LORD-Will-Provide” (NKJV) (Gen. 22:14).
Israel experienced it in the wilderness when God gave them manna from heaven.
Hagar experienced it when Sarah cast her and Ishmael out of the house (Gen. 21). In a deadly state of dehydration, she cried out to the Lord. The Lord provided through the angel who led her to a well of water. All of these experienced the truth of our text in their personal journeys.
The Philippians had given according to their ability, but they would have their needs met “according to His riches in glory.” God’s giving to them would not be limited by man’s finite resources. Even a billionare could not give like the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills.xxiii His riches are infinite. He speaks worlds into existence. And it is to His glory to give liberally. He will not just fill your cup, but your cup will run over with provision (Ps. 23:5).
In Malachi 3:10 God says to the tither, “And try Me now in this . . . If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.”xxiv The blessing will go beyond your giving. It will be “according to His riches in glory.” It will more than you can contain. It will leave you with plenty to share with others.
Remember when the multitudes were in need of food in Mark 6. God supplied their need “according to His riches in glory.” Not only were the 5,000 men plus women and children fed until they were full (Mk. 6:42) but there were twelve baskets full left over. God is never in short supply.
Did God supply Elijah’s need when Jezebel was seeking his life? God had the ravens feed his servant. He has ways and means we could never imagine.
Did God supply the need of the widow who came to Elisha in a desperate state of need. She had only one thing: a little pot of oil. Her need would be met as she acted in obedient faith. She was told to borrow as many vessels as she could. The only limitation of God’s supply was her faith. God filled all the vessels she brought and would have filled more had she brought them. God’s infinite supply continued until every vessel was full.xxv Never doubt God’s ability to supply. And ask largely of Him because He is a big God who cares for your every need. You have not because you ask not. Ask and you shall receive.xxvi “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11).
(2) Consider the majesty of the Provider.
Paul says, “My God shall supply.” Paul does not pretend to meet their need himself.
Like the host who asked his neighbor for bread to serve his guest in Luke 11, Paul himself could not repay them. But he knew where to go to get bread for them. He knew how to plead their case. He knew how to intercede for them. I’m sure Paul thanked God when he received the Philippian gift and received assurance that God would repay them abundantly.
Paul’s God is your God. You can go to Him at any time and receive what you need. You can even go to him in behalf of others and ask for bread. Before I came here today, I ask the Father for bread to give you in this message. I have nothing to give. But He has everything you need.
Paul is careful to include the channel through which they would have their needs met. He concludes the promise with this qualifier: “by Christ Jesus.” Without Christ the promise is null and void. It is only through His favor that we have favor. It is only by His sacrifice that we are enriched. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
It is impossible for us to comprehend the wealth that has been bestowed on us through our relationship with Christ. Can you grasp the magnificence of being a “joint heir with Christ” (Rom. 8:17)? God has raised us up by grace to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6-7). God will be glorified throughout eternity for the abundant generosity He has should and will continue to show toward us as His children. Just the mention of these things should stir gratitude in our hearts today.
With these two assurances in hand we march toward 2021 full of peace and confidence. Nothing can come our way that is beyond God’s capacity to enrich us in the midst of it all. If the times require strength God will supply the grace needed. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” If the economy fails, “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” We are ready for tomorrow because our confidence is in the Lord.
ENDNOTES:
i Cf. Matt. 6:25-33; Jer. 29:11; Rom. 8:28, 31-39
ii The inspiring story behind the hymn with this title can be found in Robert J. Morgan, Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World’s Greatest Hymn Stories (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003) 185.
iii Cf. Ps. 11:6; 146:9; Prov. 11:7; 1 John 2:17; Richard W. Tow, Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2019) 105-106.
iv All Scripture quotes, unless indicated otherwise, are from the New King James Version. Scripture is full of warnings to the wicked like this. At the same time, we do not forget how kind/gracious God is to all His creation (Ps. 104:1-27; 145:9, 16). He is especially longsuffering toward people not wanting any to perish but all come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).
v Psalm 37:35 (KJV).
vi Esther 7:10; Ps. 7:14-16; 9:15-16; 35:7-8; 57:6; Prov. 26:27.
vii “In order to identify who it is that strengthens Paul, the Textus Receptus, following several of the later uncials and may minuscules, adds Christos.” Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd. ed., 1971 (United Bible Societies, 2002) 550. While Christos is absent in the older texts, the context demands this understanding. Therefore, modern translators include this idea in the verse although some versions say, “through him” (NIV) or “in him” (RSV).
viii Using this verse to support self-confidence misses the mindset in which Paul wrote it. Paul is not promoting confidence in our own abilities. He is promoting Christ-confidence. When Peter proceeded in self-confidence saying he would stand firm even if all the others failed (Matt. 26:33), the result was failure (Matt. 26:74-75). It is essential that our boast be in the Lord (Ps. 34:2; Jer. 9:23-24; 1 Cor. 1:28; 2 Cor. 10:17). We are to be strong “in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10; Zec. 4:6). Gordon Fee addresses the problem of using Christ for a kind of egotistic “triumphalism.” Therefore, he prefers the translation “in Christ” over “through Christ.” Gordon Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, N. B. Stonehouse, F. Bruce, G. Fee, and J. Green, eds. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995) 434.
ix The first thing Paul says about himself in 1:1 is that he is a servant of Jesus Christ writing to people who are “in Christ Jesus.” The “I” in Philippians 4:13 is a Christian who puts Christ ahead of everything else (Phil. 3:8) and lives to please God (2 Cor. 5:9). Everything Paul has said about himself in this epistle stands behind the “I” in this text.
x Cf. Eph. 2:10; 3:11; 2 Tim. 1:9; 2:5; 2 Pet. 1:2-3.
xi J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Philippians 4:13-23. Accessed 11-6-20 at www.oneplace.com/ministries
This train is now called the Southwest Chief operated by Amtrak. “Southwest Chief,” Amtrak. Accessed 11-6-20 at https://www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train.
xii Ephesians 2:10 lets us know that God has already planned the good works we are to walk in. We are not at liberty to make our own plans, and then use Christ as a means to fulfill those plans. We are to discover that path as we follow Christ. In the context, Paul is talking about navigating any set of circumstances the Lord might appoint for him. In verse 12 he says he has learned how to be abased (be in need) and he has learned how to abound (be full).
xiii Peter had the wisdom to ask the Lord’s permission before he stepped out of the boat (Matt. 14:28). Then he exercised the faith to step out when the Lord told him to come (vs 29).
xiv He is still living in that reliance in Joshua 14:6-15. His wholeheartedness was behind his success (Num. 32:12).
xv Throughout Psalm 18 David refers to the Lord as his strength (vs 1, 2, 32, 39). A review of the word strength in the Psalms will confirm how conscious David was of the Lord as his strength and how careful he was to give God the glory for his success.
xvi God did not spare Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego the fiery furnace, but He was with them and delivered them through it (Dan. 3).
xvii See exposition of Phil. 2:13 (Ch. 8: New Testament Obedience) for a discussion of the relationship between our work and God’s work.
xviii According to Vincent, the word endunamoo, translated “strengthens” means “more literally, ‘infuses strength into me.” Vincent, Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies, 1903, s. v. Philippians 4:13. Accessed in electronic data base: Biblesoft 2000.
xix His strength comes as needed. We do not need strength today as a martyr. But should that day come, God will supply the necessary strength. When we need strength for dying, His grace will be sufficient. It does not come in advance. I had to learn this in answering my call to preach. I did not want to commit to preaching a message until I already had the message and felt enabled to deliver it. But that was not faith. Knowing my call, I had to say yes to the invitation and trust God to supply grace as needed.
xx Cf. Matt. 11:28; 2 Thess. 1:7; Heb. 4:9.
xxi “In Acts grace is that power which flows from God and from the exalted Christ, and accompanies the activity of the apostles giving success to their mission (Acts 6:8; 11:23; 13:26; 15:40; 18:27). Colin Brown, ed, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 2, 1967 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986) s. v. “Grace,” by H. H. Esser, 119.
xxii Fee, 450.
xxiii Cf. Ps. 50:10; 89:11; Isa. 66:1.
xxiv Cf. Deut. 28:1-14
xxv 2 Kings 4:1-7.
xxvi James 4:2; Matt. 7:7.
