". . .But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though surely you did care but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:  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.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress. Philippians 4:10–14. 
     When Mary of Bethany poured her costly perfume on Jesus, His disciples protested that it was an extravagant waste. Jesus defended Mary by stating that she had done a good work on Him. From the time she learned that He must die as a sacrifice for her sins she had been saving up the perfume to anoint Him for His burial. Jesus summed up her action by saying, "She has done what she could…" Mark 14:8. By this He taught that when believers do what they have ability to do in expressing their love for Him it would be a memorial that endures for all eternity. To do what we can is a great thing in the eyes of God.

     In our text the apostle Paul takes us another step beyond Mary’s sacrificial gift. He speaks of doing what we can’t.
     We’re all familiar with that little phrase, "I can’t!" We’ve heard it all our lives from others and we’ve probably said it many times ourselves.       As children growing up we probably said about many household chores, "I can’t wash dishes…sweep the floor…wash the clothes…take out garbage…mow the grass…pull the weeds…iron clothes…etc…."
   As a student going through school we probably employed "I can’t" in regard to several things. "I can’t understand English grammar…math…algebra…history…"
     Some of us have said, "I can’t afford to go to college." Others have said, "I can’t spend my life going to work everyday."
     In regard to internal struggles some of us have said, "I can’t get the victory over cigarettes…alcohol…drugs…immoral thoughts."
    As a pastor at the young age of 21, I certainly became familiar with "I can’t". I look back on that first pastorate and it seems that every Sunday night I went home saying to myself, "I can’t do what it takes to become an effective pastor." In my mind I resigned as pastor every Sunday night. I also learned why most pastors want Monday as their day off.

    While most of us go through life saying "I can’t", Paul went through life saying, "I can". "I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me."
     It helps greatly to understand what Paul meant. He was not saying "I can be faster than a speeding bullet and jump tall buildings in a single bound like Superman." There are things that none of us can do or will do in our earthly human bodies. The consequences of trying to do so can be devastating. The context makes clear that what Paul meant was, "I am more than adequate for anything God calls upon me to do or face through Christ Who strengthens me."

     We can be greatly profited as we consider:

"I Can Endure Privation And Abundance

"…to get along with humble means, and…to live in prosperity; …of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. Verse 12. For a greatly expanded list of suffering, check out 2^nd Corinthians 11:23-28.

     Few of us in the USA have experienced suffering to the extent Paul did. He knew what it was to be hungry with no human means of food in sight. He knew what it was to be cold with no source of warmth…to be lonesome with no source of companionship…to be exhausted with no opportunity of rest…to be homeless with no prospect of shelter and to be persecuted with no escape in sight. Other scriptures speak of times when Paul was rejected, ridiculed, betrayed, hated, beaten, jailed and stoned.

     Paul also knew what it was to establish and pastor churches where he was loved and revered and had every need met. He could say, "I am more than adequate to face privation or abundance through Christ Who strengthens me."

"I Can Rejoice In Persecution"

     As Paul dictates the book of Philippians he does so as a prisoner in Rome. He has spent two years in prison in Caesarea. He has appealed his case to Caesar and awaits Caesar’s decision as to whether he lives or dies. The real reason behind the persecution was his preaching the good news of salvation through the sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection of Christ

     In contrast to Paul’s outward circumstances is the theme of rejoicing that runs through the entire book of Philippians. A form of "joy" or "rejoicing" appears 19 times in four brief chapters. "…Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." 1:18.

     "Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all." 2:17

     Happiness depends on outward circumstances, but Christian joy is internal and continues even when outward circumstances are what we might call bad.

     On an earlier occasion we have Paul and Silas arrested on trumped up charges; hastily beaten publicly and locked up in maximum security with their feet locked in stocks. How did this affect them? "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them." Acts 16:25.

     Paul’s attitude was, "I may not be able to keep the Devil from stirring up persecution against me, but I can keep him from stealing my joy."

I Can Gain Victory Over Sin"

     Paul learned from experience that the fallen sin nature of the flesh is not eradicated when a lost person experiences forgiveness of sin and salvation of soul. His own testimony as an apostle of Christ was, "For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;..." (Romans 7:18). He went on to cry out, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) and then answers, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25).

     In Romans 8 Paul explains that the law of sin and death continues its efforts to control the believer’s flesh but "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" sets the believer free. (Romans 8:2). How can this be? It is identical to how the law of aerodynamics sets us free from the law of gravity. An airplane or any other vehicle of flight, does not eradicate the law of gravity, but overcomes gravity by the laws of lift and thrust. We cannot eradicate the law of gravity, but we can access a vehicle with the laws of lift and thrust and be set free from the law of gravity. In the same way Paul accesses the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and rose to freedom above the law of sin in his flesh.

     We, too, can access the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We can rise in victory above the law of sin that would hold us in bondage to envy jealousy, covetousness, greed, lust, pride or any other sin.

"I Can Serve Christ Effectively"

     If we had been interviewing prospects for the position "Apostle To The Gentiles" Paul would not have come across as a likely candidate. From scriptural and secular records we find that Paul was short of stature, subject to bodily frailties, weak eyes, baldhead, and bow legs. In his epistle to the Corinthians he reminisced about coming to them in weakness, and fear, and in much trembling and how he was criticized that his bodily presence was weak and his speech contemptible.

And yet, the mighty Roman Empire felt a sociological earthquake wherever this little Jew walked. People of different religious backgrounds, ethnic heritage, social levels and moral conditions came to put their total trust in Christ for their eternal salvation. Only God knows how many souls were saved; churches founded, and believers established in the faith during his lifetime. We know he wrote 13 books of our New Testament and probably the book of Hebrews. Who can estimate the millions of millions who have been impacted by these writings these nearly 2000 years. An embarrassing number of Christians cringe and go through life saying to themselves, "I can’t serve Christ." Paul said, "I can."

     "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Paul cannot be classified as one who built his self-confidence by building up his self-image. In the previous chapter he stated, ". . .and have no confidence in the flesh." (3:3).

     We live in a day when the great emphasis on achieving success is to build up our self image by improving our appearance; cultivating a pleasing voice and a charming personality; honing our powers of communication; accessing the latest and best resources and becoming friends with all the right people. Admittedly, these things will accomplish much from a human standpoint, but none of them were a priority with Paul. He looked beyond the very best he could accomplish in the flesh and said, "I want to accomplish that which can only be done by the power of Christ working in me and through me. What enabled Paul to go beyond the natural and accomplish the supernatural was his total faith in Christ from Whom he received supernatural strength.

     Two verses that underscore Paul’s faith in Christ are 2^nd Corinthians 3:5, "Not that we are sufficient of  ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." And 1^st Timothy 1:12 "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me…".

     If we desire to rise above what we can do in the natural realm we must replace our "I can’ts" with "I can…through Christ…" The worst of sinners can say, "I can be saved and become a child of God through Christ." The new Christian can say, "I can gain victory over sin…live in fellowship with God…grow in knowledge of God’s truth, and be a good testimony for my God and Savior. Through Christ the mature Christian can say, "I can claim greater victories through prayer…be a bolder and more effective witness for Christ…serve God and my fellow believers with my spiritual gifts and abilities…endure privation or abundance…rejoice in persecution…face the enemies of Christ eye to eye without blinking."…through Christ.

Copyright © 2002 Thomas E Berry
All Scripture quoted from NKJV unless otherwise noted