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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (17-1-1993 Cleland Baptist Church)
Paul has everything he needs
because of Christ who lives within. I can do everything through Him who gives
me strength is the key to the foundation and fountain of his life, the
indwelling Christ. Cultivating this relationship with the Lord is the most
important thing.
These amazing words are a
glorious picture of Christian life. Throughout this epistle Paul has made many
breath-taking statements: He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6); God works in
you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:13); I
want to know Him and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10); and
now I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
This is so different from what
men of the world believe the Christian life to be. They think the Christian is
decent, odd, inoffensive, good living, a bit effeminate, and often hypocritical.
Some Christians do give the impression of being cowed and cringing, with an
inferiority complex. But the Bible picture of the Christian is one of strength,
triumph, confidence and glory. Life which is victorious, lived in the energy and
strength of the Almighty God.
We are going to take the text and look at its measure, meaning and message.
This statement is very wide and broad. It covers
“everything”. We need to be sensible here. The text must be limited by the
context and will of God, otherwise this would mean we could make ridiculous
claims. What it does cover is every single requirement God makes, and every
service He requires of us. We are able to live through all the circumstances God
puts us in, and all the trials He permits us to endure. In Christ Jesus there is
adequacy and power to meet all that life brings to us.
Paul was facing the prospect of
being taken out of his dungeon and executed at any time, but he was still able
to speak of the peace of God which passes all understanding. He faced his
mysterious thorn in the flesh, and still claim that God’s grace was sufficient
for him. He was taking pleasure in his weaknesses, hardships and difficulties,
because these were the occasions where Christ’s power clearly rested on him.
So, when he was weak, then he was strong. All the duties he was called to do, he
was able to perform – to preach, to lead and govern churches, to write the
difficult letter or deal with the difficult pastoral problem.
There is no work to which we may
be called for which we cannot be made able. In all places and in all duties, we
are always strong enough because the Lord our God is with us. If God has called
us to face a very difficult situation – an awkward meeting or interview, a
duty we shrink from, a problem we wish would go away – then we can hold onto
this text.
Paul was acutely aware of all
the temptations and seductions of the enemy, and power of evil. He spoke of the
sin within him, and described himself as a “wretched man”. He knew the
downward pull of his sinful nature, but said, But thanks be to God! He gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).
There is no corruption or
failing we cannot overcome. God has not promised we can be perfect in this life,
but He has promised that we can be conquerors. The Devil is a chained enemy. He
cannot come nearer than Christ lets him. There is no power of temptation which
cannot be smashed if Christ is given His rightful place in our lives. When
you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under
it (1 Corinthians 10:13). We never have to say, “I must yield to this, I
am not strong enough to resist”. Certainly, in ourselves, we are not strong
enough, but the situation changes completely when Christ is with us and within
us.
The power of God is a reality in our lives. He can quicken our affections, strengthen our will, bring our mental faculties to the highest pitch, and bring into use our dormant talents. The shallow can be deepened, and our faith can be strengthened. The lazy receive new energy. We are strongest at our weakest point. He can take us out of our narrow selfish existence, into a life which is radiant, released and courageous. The Word of God does not merely urge us to try a bit harder. It urges us to accept the power of God and prove His sufficiency.
From the Greek word, endunamounti
me we get the English derivatives, “dynamic” and “dynamite”. Paul
is fond of this Greek word. He uses it in telling the brethren to Be strong
in the Lord (Ephesians 6:10). I thank Christ Jesus, who has given me
strength (1 Timothy 1:12). The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength
(2 Timothy 4:17). The text in Philippians literally means He “keeps on”
strengthening us. It is not just something God does at conversion, or a shot in
the arm at a rare emotional moment. But constantly, day-by-day, week-by-week, he
continually gives us strength. The fountain never runs dry, and it springs up
every day. We are never left to ourselves or on our own.
Christ’s life and strength is
within us. This is one of the most important aspects of the Christian faith, and
one which is constantly forgotten. It is not a philosophy of life, nor is it
just a point of view. God’s activity within us, the life, power and energy of
the Almighty God inside the human soul, is a reality.
One of the most influential
books in the story of the church was written in the seventeenth century by a
Scot called Henry Scougal, and the book was entitled, “The Life of God in the
Soul of Man”. It had a great influence of the Wesley brothers, George
Whitefield and John Newton. This book powerfully portrayed the fact that man is
a new creature by the power of God in his soul, Christ formed in the heart.
Christ becomes all-sufficient
for every circumstance, eventuality and possibility. We are more than
conquerors (Romans 8:37). God is able to make all grace abound to you (2
Corinthians 9:8). He is able to
guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day (2 Timothy 1:12). He is
able to save completely (to the uttermost AV) (Hebrews 7:25).
He is able to keep you from falling (Jude 24).
The lesson here is that we have
resources in God, power in God, which is unknown and untapped by many
Christians. They may have heard about them, talked about them, but never
experienced them. If they came in touch with them, their lives would be turned
upside down.
There are two great needs at the top of all the Christian’s needs – the overruling providence of God and the unfailing power of God – if we are to be adequate for all the tasks of life.
This verse is especially
meaningful for those who feel weaknesses in face of trial, responsibility, duty
and pressure at the moment. When we say, “I can’t”, we are not telling God
something He does not know already. Indeed, it is He who has already told us
that in His Word – Apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). He
wants us to come to the end of ourselves, and that is something we find hard to
do. We like to cling onto our fancied bit of strength.
What we really need is to be in
vital touch with Christ. The word “through Him” in our text is not the best
translation. Better would be “in Him”, in union with Him, in vital touch
with Him. Just as a branch only bears fruit if it is part of the vine, so we
must be part of Christ, and attached to Him.
Our dependence must be on Christ
alone. We cannot depend on our own eloquence, gifts, wisdom, learning or
ability. These things can be serviceable when consecrated by God’s power. But
apart from Christ they will end in failure. So depend on Christ. Lean on Him.
Draw from Him as a branch is nourished from the vine. Never go forth in service
unless you have sought Him in prayer. The battle which commences without holy
reliance on God ends in a terrible rant by the enemy.
The great missionary to China,
Hudson Taylor, laboured long but with no joy or effectiveness in his ministry
until a letter from a friend opened his eyes to the adequacy of Christ. He came
to a turning point in his life. After that he drew on Christ’s power for every
responsibility and duty and work, and Christ’s power saw him through. “It is
not by trusting my own faithfulness but by looking away to the faithful one.”
We are all self-sufficient in
Christ’s sufficiency. We do everything in union with Him – that is the key.
There is a village in Colorado
where the water supply comes from a lake in the hills through a pipe. One day
people turned on their taps, and no water came out. The lake was as full as
ever. That was the end of the town and its prosperity. Then a poorly written
note was found. “Just pull the plug out of the pipe eight miles from the top
and you’ll get all the water you need.” The plug was found. It had been
placed there by a tramp. It was not a large plug, but enough to block the pipe.
When the plug was removed, water flowed, prosperity returned.
We need to pull out the plug in our lives, the hindrances. Then God’s power is restored, and flows to the extent that the channels and the pipeline is open.
This glorious text is one of the
greatest tributes ever paid to Christ. It opens up enormous possibilities for
our lives. Your strength will equal your days (Deuteronomy 33:25).
Whatever our circumstances and trials, whatever duties we are called to do,
whatever temptations we face, we can do everything in union with Him who keeps
on pouring His strength into us.
This truth is mine only when I
come to the end of myself, and come into vital touch with Him, with every
hindrance cleared from my life. As I walk with Him, spend time with Him, and
rest on Him, then I can face all conditions and am ready for anything.
This text was very important to Oliver Cromwell – it influenced his conversion, it comforted him when he suffered the bereavement of his son Robert, and he passed it on when he was writing to one of his officers whose son was shot in battle. Then when he lay dying at Hampton Court in 1658 he asked for someone to read this very passage to him from Philippians. “He that was Paul’s Christ is my Christ too”, Cromwell commented on the day he discovered this text, at his conversion.
