Pastor Scott
10/12/17
Rejoice Always
Philippians
4:13 is one of the most popular and well known verses in the Bible. It reads, “I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.” You can purchase
this verse on coffee mugs, wall hangings, ties and even poker chips. People even get Philippians 4:13
tattoos. Unfortunately it is also one
of the most misinterpreted Bible verses.
Let me explain how people often use this passage.
Want to dunk a
basketball but you’re only 5’5″ tall? No worries. You can do all things through
Christ. Want to get that new promotion
with a corner office? You can do all things with Christ. Want to get ripped in the gym? You can do all
things with Christ. Want that boy to
notice you or finally accept your invitation to go out? You can do all things
with Christ. Want your company to be
wildly successful? You can do all things with Christ. People emphasize the “I” in “I can do all
things.” You set your eyes on a goal and
Christ makes it happen.
This is not what
Paul means. As we’ve learned from the
rest of Philippians, Paul puts the emphases off of us and onto Christ. More to the point, the “All things” he refers
to are not every goal we can imagine.
Remember, Paul had personal goals.
He dreamed of being the ultimate Pharisee with the most impressive
religious resume. He strived to be the
most righteous one under the law. Did
God strengthen Paul to achieve this goal.
No, because God didn’t care about Paul’s shallow and misguided
goal. And God is not going to help you
achieve your shallow and misguided goals.
That may hurt your
feelings. God does not exist for the
purpose of strengthening you so you can achieve your goals. Jesus will not divert from his plan so you
can feel puffed up. Not only is this
idea bad theologically but it doesn’t even make sense. Not everything we want is God’s will. Paul wanted the thorn in his flesh removed
but it wasn’t God’s will. Martin
Luther’s father wanted Martin to be a Lawyer but it wasn’t part of the Lord’s
plan. We also pray for contradictory
things. Cardinal fans pray to win the
World series so do Cubs fans. How can
Christ strengthen both the Cardinals and the Cubs to win the World series? It’s logically impossible. “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me” must mean something different.
The “All things”
are the things he has been talking about in Philippians. A clearer translation is “I can do all these things through Christ who
strengthens me.” What are these
things? What can Paul do thanks to the
power that comes from above? Let’s
review. Philippians 1:18 Paul says “Whether in pretense or in truth,
Christ is proclaimed and in that I REJOICE.”
Philippians 2:17 “Even if I am to
be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith,
I am glad and REJOICE with you all.
Likewise you should be glad and REJOICE with me. Philippians 3:1 “Finally brothers REJOICE in
the Lord. To write the same THINGS to
you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.”
Philippians 4:4 “REJOICE in the Lord always; again I say REJOICE.” So what is the thing that you can do through
Christ? Not dunk a Basketball. Not find a parking space. Not reach your goals. You can Rejoice through Christ who
strengthens you.
Martin Luther said
that next to the Word, the greatest gift from God was music. I can’t explain joy better than the hymn
“Joyful, Joyful We adore thee.” I
can’t. Beethoven’s music paints a
wonderful picture of the Joy that comes through Christ. Sometimes we sing a song and can’t really
reflect on the words. I want to read
this poetry that beautifully explains “I can rejoice through Christ who
strengthens me.”
Hymn 803
Joyful Joyful we
adore thee, God of Glory God of Love!
Hearts unfold like
flowers before thee, praising thee their sun above
Melt the clouds of
sin and sadness, drive the gloom of doubt away.
Giver of immortal
gladness, fill us with the light of day
All thy works with
joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays
Stars and Angels
sing around thee, center of unbroken praise
Field and forest,
vale and mountain, flowry meadow, flashing sea
Chanting bird and
flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee
Thou art giving
and forgiving, ever blessing ever blest
Well spring of the
joy of living, Ocean depth of happy rest
Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, Fountain head of Love divine
Joyful we thy
heaven inherit! Joyful, we by grace are
thine.
You can feel the
joy from Christ in that song. Notice the
God is the prime mover in Joyful, Joyful.
Melt the clouds of Sin and sadness.
Who does that? The Lord of
Love. He is also the Giver of immortal
gladness. He fills the light of
day. Earth and heaven reflect thy
rays. God is the source of joy just as
the sun is the source of day light.
The music of
course comes from Ode to Joy from Beethoven but the words come from Henry Van
Dyke in 1907. Someone asked the author
of Joyful, Joyful where he got his inspiration from and Henry Van Dyke said, “'I'm
not an optimist,' says Dr. van Dyke, 'there's too much evil in the world and in
me. Nor am I a pessimist; there is too much good in the world and in God. So I
am just a meliorist, believing that Christ wills to make the world better, and
trying to do my bit to help and wishing that it were more.'"
“I can do all
these things through Christ who Strengthens me.” God has gifted you with Joy and that gift
does not go away according to your situation.
Paul says , “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned
in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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 rejoice through Christ
who strengthens me.
Rejoice in the
Lord Always, Again I say rejoice. We can
be in a constant state of joy because it does not depend on us. He is not saying, “Always have a smile on
your face. Turn that frown upside
down. Never feel sadness again.” God is saying that your identity is in the
Lord. That identity does not
change. Your mood changes. Your bank account changes. Your health changes but your identity in
Christ is stable. That relationship is a
source of joy. God will never turn off
the tap. The fount of every blessing
continues forever.
Let the joy of the
Lord wash over you. Let God’s truth wash
over you. Bathe in the excellence of the
Almighty. Let the lovely things of God
remind you of your joy. Let the pure
things from above point you to the source of all well being. Doesn’t that sound better than just focusing
on your puny goals?
I googled Phil.
4:13, wondering if I could find a celebrity misinterpreting the verse. You know someone saying that “I can do all
things” brought them to stardom in
hollywood or financial success. I’m sure
those quotes are out there. Instead I
found Phil 4:13 properly quoted by a basketball player, Steph Curry. Full disclosure: the warriors are my favorite
team since childhood.
A 2006 article
quotes Curry as choosing Phil. 4:13 as his life verse. Curry grew up with devout parents who started
everyday with a Bible devotion. Steph
and his wife travel to Africa regularly to hand out hundreds of nets to save
people from malaria. His has spoken up
about his faith. His former coach says
that Steph is the type of person a Chrisi8tan man wants his son to be. Regardless of his health or how he plays on a
given night, Steph is known for having a consistent, even-keeled temperament
rooted in one of his favorite Bible verses, Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me” (NKJV).
Three years ago
the Warriors won the NBA championship.
Phil. 4:13 seemed to agree with him.
The city of Oakland threw the team a parade. He was the darling of the sport. He set the
goal of winning a championship and Jesus made it happen. But the next year the Warriors lost the NBA
championship in the most heart breaking of fashions. They were up 3 games to one. All they had to do was win one of the next
three games. They lost three in a
row. Many people threw Phil. 4:13 back
in his face. You can do all things. How could this happen? God has abandoned you.
But Curry never
bought into the misinterpretation of this verse. Losing did not steal his joy. He said “I love to play the game, and I love
when good things happen,” he said. “But when I get home, it’s about my family
and faith without letting winning or losing define my character.
We have reason to
rejoice even on our worst days. And
Christ empowers us to do it.
“The time with my
wife is huge so we can continue to grow and not be complacent with where we are
in our walk with Christ. Obviously, we can all be better at that.”