All Things Through Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning, we are finishing up our study from the book of Philippians and I want to touch on a topic that I believe will prepare us for this upcoming Passion Week. And the question that I want us to think about is, “Is Christ sufficient for you?” Is He the answer to all your deepest needs? And does your soul find satisfaction and rest in His love for you? As we celebrate all that Christ has done for us, I pray that you’ll be able to answer yes as we go through this passage.
Bible Passage
Bible Passage
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
As we go through this message, there are three main points we want to look at:
What does it mean for Christ to be sufficient?
What impact should that make on us personally?
How does it effect our relationships with others?
Many of us probably recognize the most well-know verse out of the book of Philippians, which is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” For me it’s a verse that always reminds of the boxer Evander Holyfield because he would wear shorts that had Philippians 4:13 embroidered on it in his matches. It’s easy to make fun of athletes for what seems like a misuse of this verse to guarantee that God will help you beat down your opponents in a boxing match but I realized that Holyfield believed in this truth even after defeat. And that is more in line with the truth intent of this verse. Whether in victory or defeat, whether I have plenty or am in need, whether I am brought low or abound, Christ remains sufficient for me. And maybe you don’t have to go against Mike Tyson in the boxing rink but we all have our battles and struggles in life and where we get our strength to overcome those challenges makes all the difference.
I feel like most of us draw our strength from ourselves and instead of finding our sufficiency in Christ, we become self-sufficient and the toll that this takes on us is incredibly heavy. We fall into burnout, mental and emotional fatigue, constant worry and anxiety, and we are never ever satisfied. That is a very difficult way to live life. In contrast, finding our sufficiency in Christ provides the light and easy yoke that is promised to us through the gospel. But many times, when we sing songs about how Jesus is enough, it can become difficult to apply it to our day to day life. I love the way one old time pastor by the name of C.H Mackintosh breaks down what the sufficiency of Christ means for us practically:
…the work of Christ is the only true resting place for the conscience; his Person, the only true object for the heart; His Word, the only true guide for the path.
Let’s take some time to break this down into it’s three component. There is no one who can live perfectly, no one who has not failed, or made the wrong decision. That is because all of us have sinned and the result of sin that is not dealt with is a conscience that is racked by shame, guilt, and regret. In fact, we may not have a specific moral failure in mind but the fact that guilt and shame are so much a part of the human psyche is a stark reminder that all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Even those who don’t believe in the God of Christianity can attest to the fact that their conscience is never at rest. In his letter to the Romans, this is what Paul writes about the Gentiles that have no idea about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
But for those of us who believe in the completed work of Christ, when He says from the cross, “It is finished”, it necessarily means that this conflict within our conscience is put to rest. When we sense the forgiveness of sin that comes through the death of Christ, there is this sense of freedom, cleansing, and the removal of a heavy burden from our conscience. We are no longer bound with guilt for our past mistakes. We don’t feel like we need to hide in shame nor do we try to justify our sinful behavior with excuses. (Everyone else is doing it so what’s the problem or Christianity doesn’t take into account a changing world.) But no matter what you say to excuse yourself, your conscience is still not at rest. Is your conscience at rest? Do you sense that God has taken away your sin and removed it as far as the east is from the west? Do you know with certainty that God has taken the stain of sin and made it as white as snow? You might think these are unimportant but a true encounter with Christ is sufficient to clear your conscience.
But the sufficiency of Christ is not just about what He has done for us, which alone is astounding, but more importantly it is about who He is. What kind of being would die for my sin, heal me of my brokenness, love me unconditionally, and even share His spiritual inheritance with me, not because we deserve it, but out of sheer grace. Everything that is recorded about the perfect life that Jesus lived, points me to a being of immeasurable and incomparable beauty. if there is anything or anyone that is worth loving and giving our hearts over to, it is the person of Jesus Christ. Yet truth be told, there are so many things that seem to compete for our heart’s affections and all the while, we know that none of these things can ever satisfy us, though we desperately try. That’s sheer madness. But the true worshippers of God understand that there is only one thing that can satisfy the desires of our hearts and that found in the person of Christ. And like the Psalmist, we need to make this the song of our hearts.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
Pastor Andy spoke last week on the benefits of setting our thoughts on whatever is true, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and there is no one who is more true, more pure, or more lovely than our Savior and those who set their hearts on Him will find true satisfaction for their souls.
Finally, his Word is is sufficient to guide us through this life. One of the main causes of restlessness, unhappiness, and discontentment in our generation is not knowing the true purpose of our lives. We are so uncertain about what we were meant to live for? How we were meant to live? The direction and shape that our lives should take? At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it very clear, those who build their lives on his word will be like a wise person who builds his house on the solid rock. In contrast, those who hear his word and refuse to do them will be like the foolish person who builds his house on the sand. Again, is the word of Christ enough for you as you think about how to live your life? The apostle Peter summarizes the sufficiency of Christ with this thought.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
Without even realizing it, many Christians even Christian leaders doubt the sufficiency of Christ and His Word. They have a hard time believing that the power of Christ encompasses all things pertaining to life and godliness, if we so choose to believe.
This then leads us to the second point which is the personal impact that the sufficiency of Christ should have on us. Very simply, if Christ provides all things pertaining to life and the pursuit of godliness, we should find ourselves deeply content in Him. But many of us don’t and here is why. CS Lewis in his classic book the Screwtape letters looks at modern Christianity through the lens of a demon by the name of Screwtape and his schemes on how to make the lives of Christians ineffective. As he writes to his apprentice, he gives his fellow demon this advice:
My Dear Wormwood,
What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call “Christianity And.” You know- Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order…If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian colouring...”
What CS Lewis is getting at is this nagging voice that tells us that mere Christianity based on the work and the person of Christ isn’t enough, so we need to add what we feel is deficient. But when you start to go down that road, you lose something very important and that is the contentment that comes through Christ alone because we then start to doubt if Christ is enough. (If self-help books really help, there wouldn’t be a new best seller every year.) And just as Christianity today is bombarded by the addition of secular philosophy and man-made methods, the early Christians also had the same battle.
In verse 11, Paul deliberately uses the same language as the Stoic philosophers that were popular at the time. A popular stoic saying was, “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance.” It sounds so godly, so virtuous, and so biblical except for the fact that the ultimate goal of Stoicism was to live above need and abundance by becoming completely self-sufficient. Their idea of contentment was based on a self-sufficiency that was complete independent from any material needs. That’s basically the pinnacle of self-idolatry and the apostle Paul comes directly against that worldly view of the self and teaches us that true contentment and peace can only come as we embrace the all sufficiency of Christ. Those who try to weather the ups and downs of life on their own strength can never come to the deep assurance that whether I have much or whether I have little, it doesn’t matter because in Christ, I have everything and more!
Now when we find that degree of contentment in our lives, it also changes the way we relate to one another, which is the third point. The greater context of this passage isn’t the subject of contentment, it’s actually about the friendship that Paul has with those in the Philippian church. To the modern reader, the things that Paul writes could be taken to be pretty offensive. The members of the Philippian church have just given him a very generous and gracious gift and the apostle rightfully rejoices and gives thanks for the gift but then he essentially says, whether you gave or not, I would still be content. It seems rather ungrateful until you read his clarifying statement in verse 17.
Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
The Greek idea of friendship was very upfront about expectations especially in the area of giving and reciprocation of favor. We aren’t quite as upfront in our culture but most of us carry those same underlying hidden expectations. If I give you something, then something should be returned back in kind. I’ve done this for you and I’m building up credit, so when I need something from you, I can withdraw some of that credit that I’ve built up. We all understand, there is a problem with this kind of giving in friendship because nothing is truly a gift since there is a hidden agenda behind it.
The apostle Paul takes these sometimes unhealthy expectations placed on friendship and puts Christ squarely in the center. Yes, these gifts that were given to him are building up credit but not in his own personal account but instead, their gifts are increasing their credit and growing the balance of his friend’s heavenly account. This is why all Christian friendship presupposes a partnership in the gospel. Since Christ is in between us, whatever you give is first and foremost, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice that is pleasing and acceptable to God.
And if that is the case, any expectations of reciprocation can be placed squarely on God. This is why Paul ends the letter with his guarantee that “My God will supply every need of your according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” With that statement, Paul ends this cat and mouse game found in so many unhealthy friendships of giving and taking. Because from the riches of Christ’s sufficiency, God will supply all your needs whether it be material, spiritual, or emotional. God will ultimately pay back more than any person ever could. But in order for you to believe that, you have to have faith that Christ is more and gives more than enough.
I realize there are some religious leaders that use this type of language to get people to give more money to fund their extravagant lifestyles and that is blatant perversion of the principles found here which is deserving of the curse of God. But understood and practiced correctly, the sufficiency of Christ, not only gives us personal contentment but the joy of giving and receiving freely in their friendships.
Those in “want” learn patience and trust in suffering; those in”wealthy” learn humility and dependence in prospering, not to mention the joy of giving without strings attached!
Here I would also add the joy of receiving freely.
There is, however, one caveat to what sounds too good to be true, an ideal that can never be reached in real life friendships. We have to understand that there needs to be distinct difference of the definition of friendship among Christians. As you may know, Jesus calls us his friends in the gospel of John but there is a very specific clause and narrow requirements for friendship with Christ. He is not your friend in the loose secular idea of friendship but rather it’s only if you do what He commands.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
By extension, friendship among believers is not dependent on you doing what I want you to do but the true Christian friend is someone who you see doing what Christ has commanded them to do. Sometimes that may irk you but Christians who live in the sufficiency of Christ in the long run make the best friends.
Conclusion
For those of you who may not be familiar with the traditional church calendar, today is Palm Sunday which marks the the day that Jesus enters into Jerusalem as her rightful King. He rides in on a donkey to the chorus of “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” The literal meaning of Hosanna is the Lord saves! This exuberant crowd at the beginning of this week would not know how these praises would be fulfilled but in the span of a few short days, their fate and the fate of the world would be forever changed. The chorus of Hosanna would be turned into shouts of Crucify Him, which ironically would become the very means to our salvation. The Lord saves through the power of the cross!