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Grace-based biblical teaching and sermons with Pastor Jason White. Messages that focus on Life in Christ and practical application as New Covenant believers.
Series: “That’s Not What That Verse Means”
Week 1 – Philippians 4:13
SERIES INTRO: Context matters. What you say (content) is important, but how you say it and within which context you say it can change the meaning drastically…
#1 – If I was surrounded by food on a dinner table, and I said the words, “Let’s eat grandpa” then you would know that I’m trying to tell grandpa that it’s time to eat dinner at the table together.
But if we had been on a dessert island with no food and had not eaten anything in 2 weeks, and I said, “Let’s eat grandpa,” that would mean something completely different!
The exact same words can mean something completely different based on the context.
#2 – Here’s another example… we all know that the phrase, “I’m sorry,” and “my bad” mean the same thing. I mean if I bumped into you in the hallway and said either “I’m sorry” or “My bad,” I’m saying the same thing.
Now if I walked up to you at your friend’s funeral and said, “I’m sorry,” you would say “thank you” or “I appreciate that.” But if I walked up to you and said, “My bad,” then you can see how that would be taken completely different!
So, depending on the context, those phrases can mean the same thing OR they can mean something very different.
#3 – Or finally, let’s take this example that I’ll put up here on the screen (picture of 2 guys looking at either a 6 or a 9). As you can see here, these guys are arguing about this being a 6 or a 9. And depending on their context, they are both right. Facing one direction, it is a 6. Facing the other direction, it’s a 9.
In other words, they are both right. But what if the person who wrote the number on the sidewalk intended for them to see a certain number. What if they were on a scavenger hunt, and the person who originally wrote the number meant for it to be a 6 because it pointed them to their next clue?
In that case, one of these guys would be right and the other one would be wrong.
And the same thing is true about verses in the Bible. The authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit had an intended meaning. They used the exact words they wrote down in order to convey a certain truth about something…
But just like we’ve seen in these silly examples I just used, words or phrases can mean different things in different contexts…and words and phrases in the Bible are no different.
Context matters. Context is king. And so, in order to truly understand what verses are saying, we must seek to understand the context in which those words or phrases are said.
TRANSITION: And so, today we are going to start a summer series where we look at some common verses that people have tended to take out of context.
Verses where people will say they mean one thing, when in context that’s not really what they are actually saying.
TODAY’S VERSE: And today we are going to start with an extremely popular verse, and that verse is Philippians 4:13, which of course says…
13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
And here is what that verse has come to mean for a lot of people…
Jesus is going to give me strength to accomplish all of my goals in life. If I rely on Him and His strength, then He’s going to help me fulfill the desires that I set my mind to.
And so what it’s become is kind of an inspirational slogan. And listen, I know because I’ve done it. I’ve used it that way.
I remember playing competitive tennis in High School and in college, and I would often quote this verse as if Jesus was going to help me win over someone that I was playing. If the match got tough, and I really needed a big point in a key situation, I would repeat, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” And I was hoping that He would give me what I need to win that point or win that match…
But do we really think that God was going to give me more strength than my opponent so that I could win a tennis match?
And do we really think that this is what the apostle Paul had in mind 2,000 years ago when he wrote this verse? Did he really picture that we would use this verse as inspiration to accomplish our goals and desires?
I don’t think so…But it’s not just me with tennis matches…I’ve heard people quote it as inspiration when trying to do well on a test, ace a job interview, run a marathon, close a business sale, or to encourage their teammates in any kind of competition.
Philippians 4:13 is something we even see on signs at sporting events, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and posters on the walls of Christian businesses. It’s all over the place.
It’s kind of become the Christian stamp on the American Dream.
The American Dream of course is the concept that we can do anything we want or become anyone we want to become here in the U.S. if we are willing to work hard enough. It’s the vision of being ultra successful, getting rich, and being happy once you’ve gotten there.
And sometimes, Philippians 4:13 gets used by those of us who are Christians to make that a Christian doctrine.
And so, we use it as inspiration to gather strength to accomplish more in our jobs, our sports, and to fill our bank accounts or to earn favor in the eyes of the world.
But again, is this what Philippians 4:13 means? Is this what the apostle Paul intended when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this to the church at Philippi and for us today?
No, that’s not what that verse means.
So, let’s look at the context.
Philippians 4:10…
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
Now, what does it mean when Paul says, “You renewed your concern for me?” Well, he’s talking about a financial gift that they had sent him to help fund the ministry God called him to.
How do we know this? Well, again context. Just a few verses later Paul says this in v. 18…
18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.
So the Philippians were concerned for Paul and his ministry to go and make disciples of all nations. And they collected a financial gift to give to him to support his ministry.
And evidently it wasn’t the first time because Paul says “renewed.” It was something they had done before, and now they were doing it again.
And Paul rejoiced because they were thinking of him and using their hard-earned money to support him and encourage him in the ministry that God had called him to.
Let’s look at what Paul says next…
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
Paul says, “I’m not saying this…” (thank you for your financial gift) because all I want is your money. Paul says, “It was a great blessing and an encouragement to me that you would think of me, but I want you to know that I have learned to be content WHATEVER the circumstances.”
Now that is an incredible statement from Paul who is writing this letter from a jail cell. It’s even more amazing when you read about all of the things he went through in the book of Acts and some of the other New Testament letters he wrote…
I mean, what you see is that he was not only imprisoned for his faith, but that he was beaten, tortured, slandered, and treated harshly on many different occasions.
So for him to say that he learned to be content WHATEVER the circumstances are, that is an incredible thing. But then he goes on to expand on this statement…vs. 12
12 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.
So one of the really interesting things about Paul’s statement here about learning to be content is that he doesn’t just mention being content when he has had nothing.
I mean that is what we would expect…to hear that God is enough for us even if we don’t have riches…we would expect Paul to say something like that, but I don’t know if we expect him to make a statement like “I’ve learned to be content when I’ve got plenty.”
We would think, “NO DUH, I’d be content if I had more stuff too!
I mean that is why many of us are pursuing the American Dream, right? To earn that status or to gain more stuff in order to be content.
So we think that if we get to that place in life that it will provide contentment, but again, did you catch this? Paul here says “I HAD TO LEARN TO BE CONTENT IN SITUATIONS WHERE I’VE HAD MORE.” Why?
Here’s why: achieving more, earning status, or having more money doesn’t provide more contentment.
Benjamin Franklin once said “Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.”
So Paul here in our text says that he (and we) have to learn contentment in both situations…when we are well off and when we are poor (SLIDE…v. 11). But how do we do that?
Well, Paul also said that there was a secret. He said that he learned the secret to being content (underline verse on SLIDE) when you have don’t have much money and when you do.
And then he shares the secret in the next verse, which just so happens to be the verse we are talking about today…
13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
So was Paul really saying that we could accomplish everything we wanted to accomplish in life if we’ll just rely on Jesus’ power to work through us?
NO!
What we see is that Paul is saying this is the secret to contentment!
In other words: The reason Paul can be content in all situations is because Jesus gives him the strength in each of those circumstances to be content.
As a matter of fact, Jesus is Paul’s contentment.
Earlier in Philippians 1, Paul said “to live is Christ!”
In other words, Jesus was his life, and he had all that he needed in Him.
And when he was tempted to believe that Jesus was not enough, Jesus gave him the strength to trust that He indeed was enough.
Paul learned to be content and satisfied in Christ and all that he had in a relationship with Him.
And this is what Paul is wanting you and I to know today, yet many of us have mistaken this verse to mean something else…something that it was never intended to mean…
Paul is not saying that you and I can do anything we put our minds to in Jesus’ power.
He is saying:
In Jesus’ strength, you can learn to be content when you have little or when you have a lot.
Because He is your contentment. He is your life, and you have all that you need in Him regardless of situations and circumstances.
APPLICATION: So that becomes our application then for the correct understanding of this verse…
We are to apply this verse to our own lives by learning to be content in all situations through Jesus’ strength in us and through us.
So we ask the questions, “Am I chasing after contentment through the pursuit of accomplishing more or gaining more stuff?”
“Am I using Philippians 4:13 as inspiration to accomplish all of my goals in pursuit of the American Dream?”
And if so, we stop. We turn to Christ as our contentment. We trust that He is our Life. He is our joy. He is our peace.
Now, we must address before we conclude that Jesus’ power is certainly at work in us and through us to accomplish things in this world.
As a matter of fact, let’s look at Acts 1:8. This is after Jesus had died and been resurrected from the dead, and He was teaching the disciples about what was coming next…
8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
And they did receive the Holy Spirit and God’s power began to work through them, BUT not to accomplish the American Dream.
Not to accomplish all of the things they wanted to gain status and to earn more stuff…No, God’s power was at work through this to accomplish His Kingdom work of making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
And that is what we see happen all throughout the book of Acts.
So, yes Jesus’ power is in you if you’ve put your faith in Him for salvation, but it’s not to accomplish everything YOU want…it’s for His Kingdom work.
So there are verses to focus on Jesus’ power working in you and through you in this way, but Philippians 4:13 isn’t one of those verses.
In its context, Phil. 4:13 is about contentment. It’s the secret to contentment.
So Jesus’ power isn’t just about working through us to accomplish Kingdom work in this world, it’s also at work in us to teach us about true contentment, real joy, and real peace that can only be found in Him.
So, let’s let that be true of us and so that it will catch the eye of those in this world and so that they will come to know that same joy, peace, and contentment in their lives as well.