phil 4 v13 (all the power you)

8/3/2019 Phil 4 v13 (All the Power You)

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All the Power You Need

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:10-13

Text: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.(NKJV)

I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infusesinner strength to me.

(Amp)

I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me.(JBPV)

Proposition: In Christ Jesus we have a source of strength that is available to us for each

and every situation that life affords us.

Introduction

I believe that the every resource that we need, all the strength we need, all the power for living thatwe need can be found in Christ Jesus.

My God can never fail Hes been proved time and again Trust Him youll see Hes got all the power you need

He saves, forgives and healsTakes back what the devil stealsMy debts been paid in full

And every day He does miracles

Got dreams turn them into plansToo big for human handsTrust Him you'll seeHe's got all the power you need

Hes real; Hes real Faiths a lot stronger than what you feel Hes real; Hes real Hes got all the power you need

Complete Confidence - (I can do...)

This statement is a bold statement. It says I can. In other words there is certainty in this sentence;there is complete confidence that Paul can cope with each and every situation in which he may findhimself.

The words I can have been translated from the Greek word . This word, meansstrength or ability, and is occasionally translated powerful or good. It speaks more of the natureor characteristic of the person or object than of the act itself. We can see this best by way of


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example:

Jesus used this word (translated good) in the sermon on the mount when he talks about salt. Hesays:

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be madesalty again? It is no longer good for anything.

Matt. 5:13.

What Jesus is saying is that salt is salty. If salt loses its saltiness then it is no longer good (the literaltranslation would be strong) enough for anything. The essence, the character, the substance of saltis that it is salty. If its not salty, then its not salt.

In the Epistle of Jame s is translated powerful , when James writes:

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

(James 5:16)

So just as salt is salty, so the character, the essence, the nature, the reality of prayer is that it ispowerful . If its not powerful , then its not prayer.

And so tells us something of the nature, the character, the reality that is innate within theperson or thing about which we are talking. And so Paul is saying here, I can do all things becausethat is my character, that is my nature, that is the reality that is within me.

Of course he is not talking about his old nature, he is not talking about his natural character, but heis talking about is new nature. How many of us know that once we are born again we not the same?

We are a new creation.

We run a nurture group for new Christians in our Church. On one occasion we asked the folks whatchange they have seen in their lives since becoming Christians. I was amazed at the answers thesevery new Christians gave:

I have found a new peace; I have experienced a new joy; I am less aggressive; My heart has been softened; I am more patient than before; I have found a new creativity within me.

Our God is a powerful God, and Hes in the business of changing people:

John 3:3 - Born Again 1 Corinthians 6:11 - Washed Hebrews 10:17 - Forgiven Romans 8:30 - Justified


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Galatians 3:13 - Redeemed Titus 3:5 - We have been renewed 2 Corinthians 5:17 - We are a new creation

John 3:16 - We have eternal life Ephesians 1:5 - Adopted as Sons (and daughters) of God 1 Corinthians 6:19 - Our bodies have become the Temple of the Holy Spirit Romans 8:37 - We have become more than conquerors 2 Corinthians 3:18 - We are being changed from glory to glory

And so Paul is talking about the new nature , the new character , and this enables him to say: I amready for anything and equal to anything because there is a power, there is a strength, an energywithin me that sustains and energises me and motivates me in every situation.

Now this is a very bold claim. This is an easy statement to make; its much harder to live in thisreality. But, Pauls confidence is not a false confidence. It is not a confidence born out of delusion,but out of experience. He had learned this. Not through theoretical study, but through lifeexperience.

Notice : Verse 11 : I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content . I can be content, because

this has been my experience. Throughout my life I have seen Gods hand at work and I havelearned that God teaches me and matures me through all my circumstances.

Verse 12 : Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, bothto abound and to suffer need. I can truly say that in all my circumstances, God has never letme down.

Complete Confidence in this strength, this energy, this ability that is our new nature does not meanthat we will have an easy life. Neither does it mean that we will always find things to be easy.

Roger Bannister was the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes. The power, the strength,the ability to run the mile in less than four minutes was there within him. That does not mean that itwas easy to do; he didnt walk round the track; it wasnt a jog in the park. He had to run extremelyhard; he had to dig really deep to find the strength and the determination to achieve his goal. Pauloften likened the Christian life to running a race; and he says:

Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towardsthe goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13b - 14

Complete confidence doesnt mean that its not hard; we need can do Christians.

Comprehensive Coverage - (...all things...)

This statement covers each and every situation and circumstance - I can do all things.


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Christ Centred

(...through Christ who strengthens me...)

But there is a condition attached I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me . Our

strength lies in Christ.

Our strength is not our own, but it is the strength that Jesus has placed within us. In Johns Gospel(John 21:15-17) there is a wonderful account of a conversation between Jesus and Peter:

The full significance of this passage needs some understanding of the Greek text. We see here thatJesus asks Peter three times do you love me. And that seems to be ra ther a strange thing to do.Yet what we cannot appreciate from the English is that this conversation actually uses two differentGreek words which are translated love. The first word is . This speaks of the highest formof love, an undying love. If you have agape love for someone it means that your love is so deep forthem that you would happily die for that person.

The second word for love is . This form of love is a love between good friends. It is not anundying love, and it is not the sort of love where someone would lay down his life for his friend.

So if we revisit this conversation:

Jesus: Peter, do you love me more than anyone else; enough even to die for me?

Peter: Lord, you know that you are my best friend.

Jesus: No Peter, th ats not what I asked. Do you love me enough to die for me?

Peter: Lord, you know that you are my best friend.

Jesus: Peter, can I be your best friend?

Peter: Lord, you know all things, you know that you are my best friend.

It puts a different complexion on the account. You see, Jesus question puts Peter in a real spot. Howcould he answer, yes Lord, I love you enough to die for you , when just a couple weeks before hehad deserted Jesus, and then denied him three times? Surely, by his own actions Peter had provedthat his love for Jesus was not that deep. And so he replies in the way he could Lord, you are my

best friend .

But Jesus presses Peter again, just to clarify and confirm Peters position. Peter gives the sameanswer.

Finally Jesus comes down to Peters level - Peter, can I be your best friend?

But then Jesus went on to say:

when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress youand lead you where you do not want to go.

John 21:18

This was talking about Peters death. Peters love for Jesus would be so strong that he would actually


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die for Jesus. Jesus was basically saying:

Peter, in your own strength you can only manage phileo love. In your strength you cannot love meenough to lay down your life for me. But in a few days I will send the Holy Spirit to be with you. Hewill come upon you, and will strengthen you, and transform you, and energise you, and inspire you,

and motivate you, and sustain you, and guide you, and empower you. And in my strength, you cando all things .

And we serve the same God.

My God can never fail Hes been proved time and again Trust Him youll see Hes got all the power you need

Hes real; Hes real

Faiths a lot more than what you fe el

He saves, forgives and healsTakes back what the devil steals

Hes real; Hes real Hes got all the power you need

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me because in Him I can find everything that Ineed. This is what the Bible tells us about Jesus:

Romans (3:31-5:21; 6:1-8:39) He is our Righteousness ; Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:30) He is our Wisdom and Holiness ; Galations (2:20) - He lives within Us ; Ephesians (5:27) - He is our Perfecter ; Philippians (2:2) - He is the reason for our Joy ; Colossians (2:9) - He is the Pre-eminent and All Sufficient One ; Thessalonians - He is the Coming King ;

Hebrews - He is the Superior to all prophets, priests and angels ; Peter - He is our Example and our Hope ; John - He is the strength Within Us ; Revelation - He is the king of kings and Lord of lords ; Revelation - and He reigns, and He will reign forever and ever ; Revelation - and all praise and honour and glory and power, belong to Him

forever and ever .

And its in Him we live, and Him we move and in Him we have our being Acts 17:28


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When I was commuting backwards and forwards between here and London, I used to praise andworship and pray in the car as I drove. On one Thursday evening, as I was driving home late at night,I was asking Lord what will it be like when your glory is revealed to all of mankind. I pondered thisquestion for a while, and then I came to a point on the motorway where the surrounding countrywas flat, and you could see for miles in every direction. At this point, the Lord touched my

imagination. I saw a picture of Jesus riding a white horse in the clouds. Behind him were gatheredthe heavenly hosts. The skies were ablaze with his glory; it seemed that the whole sky was on fire.And a number of scripture passages were quicken to my mind:

11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider iscalled Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are likeblazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no-one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his nameis the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on whitehorses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharpsword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron

sceptre. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.16

On hisrobe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.Revelation 19:11-16

This is Jesus. This is the source of our strength. He has all the power you need, and we can do allthings through Christ who strengthens us .

Close - The Ten Fingered Prayer Dr Paul Walker met an old lady getting out of a car in the Church car park one Sunday morning. Sheasked him if he knew that he had angels in the Church. He was a bit bewildered by the question, but

she introduced a younger woman from t he fellowship, and said this lady is an angel. Then shewent on to tell her story.

She had suffered a severe stroke, and she was paralysed from the neck down. The doctors told herand the family that there was no hope, and that she should be put into a home to die. The familydecided that if she was going to die then she would die at home.

So she was taken home. All the necessary life support machines were installed, and there werenurses there round the clock. The younger woman was one of those nurses. She taught the old ladythe ten fingered prayer. And through the ten fingered prayer the old lady started to talk. They said,well thats good but youll never move; but through the ten fingered prayer she started to move.

They said, thats good, but you ll never sit up; but through the ten fingered prayer she sat up. Theysaid thats good, but youll never stand up; but through the ten fingered prayer she stood up. Theysaid thats good, but youll never walk; but through the ten fingered prayer she start ed to walk.

She had decided that on the first Sunday after she had started to walk she would come to Church.This was the first Sunday. Paul Walker had to admit that he didnt know the ten fingered prayer, andso she taught it to him. She held up ten fingers, and she prayed:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

phil 4 v13 (all the power you)

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