“Being Strengthened with All Power” – Philippians 4:10-13; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Generally, when we think of power or strength, we often equate it with independence. In our nation, we talk about needing to cut back on our petroleum imports so that we can gain independence from OPEC. We often fantasize about being powerful enough to not depend on anyone or anything else. Usually, that power comes from money and financial freedom.

Power and strength are interchangeable; if we have one, we usually have the other. We yearn for power, for strength, so that we can do what we want when we want.

For the believer, the idea of power comes from the Holy Spirit that indwells us. It is a power that comes not from finances or energy sources. It is a God given ability to be able to have His will done in our lives.

In Paul’s prayer for the Colossians, he asked God that they be strengthened with all power. It is a prayer we should all pray. When we pray for power, though, we are also asking God to bring us into complete surrender to Him, in order for Him to live through us and show His power through us.

In today’s passages, we see two examples from the apostle Paul’s life that teaches us what power from God really does for us.

Background

There are probably no two greater contrasts of churches than the ones found in Corinth and Philippi. Both churches were begun by the apostle Paul during his second missionary journey (cf. Acts 16, 18). The church in Philippi was a relatively poor church economically, while the Corinthian church had more wealth among its membership. The church at Philippi seems to have been a maturing church eager to support Paul in his ministry, while the Corinthians seemed to be bogged down by inner conflicts and a lack of spiritual maturity. Of the two churches, the contrast can be seen in the letters Paul wrote. He wrote more to the Corinthian church because they had so many troubles, while the letter to the Philippians is filled with a joy and warmth from the apostle.

Yet in today’s passages, Paul speaks about learning to live in the strength God gave him. Both passages show us today what it means to truly live in God’s power.

Central Truth: God, ever gracious and wise, gives us the power we need that enables us to do His will.

We are strengthened:

1. When we look to Christ instead of circumstances (Philippians 4:10-13)

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Perhaps one of the verses most quoted out of context is Philippians 4:13. When taken in the context, though, the meaning still has power and promise.

Paul had a special love for the Philippian church. It may be that it had such a high place in his heart since it was the first church he founded in Europe. It may have been the sweet fellowship and the growth of the church. We don’t really know why, but we know from the letter that he had a genuine love for the Philippian church.

There was the hint of discord when Paul urged two women from the church to find agreement on some matter. As we get to this passage, Paul spent the time to thank the church for a generous gift he had received from them. It’s interesting to note that we have no record of Paul trying to raise money from the churches to support his ministry. The only record we have of the apostle trying to raise funds is for an offering to help the Jerusalem church.

Paul wanted to thank the church for their gift, but he also let them know that it wasn’t necessary. He wrote to let the church know he had found the ability to be content regardless of the circumstances around him. There had been moments when times were good, and there were moments when they had not been so good. The apostle said he had learned how to live on a lot and a little by relying on God in all things. It is for this reason that Paul wrote, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

The strength Paul spoke of is God’s ability to lead us to look beyond circumstances and to look to Him. It was the point Jesus made in the Sermon on the Mount when He told us not to worry, because we are more important than birds and flowers and that God will provide our needs if we will seek Him first. In other words, Paul wrote that God always sustained him, regardless of circumstances, and had worked through the apostle as he gave himself to God.

We find and grow in our strength in God when we look past our circumstances and turn to God.

2. When we stop trying to do it ourselves (2 Corinthians 12:7-8)

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

There are people who like to drop names of places or things they have been or seen. It’s usually dropped in a casual way to indicate that it was no big deal, really, when in fact everyone knows it is a big deal.

It may have been Paul was the kind of person who might do such a thing. He describes a vision that he had, and suggested in v.7 that this vision was one of many. Whether or not he had a tendency to brag about his visions, he let the readers know that God had a way of helping the apostle stay humble. God allowed Paul to have a thorn in his flesh, “a messenger from Satan,” as Paul wrote.

We have no idea what this thorn was, nor do we really need to know. Speculation has been that he suffered from poor eyesight to malaria to epilepsy. We don’t know. All we know is that this thorn in the flesh was so much trouble to Paul that he pled with God to remove the thorn.

It is notable that Paul was not the kind to ask God to get him out of various circumstances. He never asked for prayer to free him from prison, only to be effective in his ministry while in prison. The fact that the apostle felt so troubled by the thorn that he asked God three times to remove it.

There are times you and I are confronted by something that seems to hinder us in our work or life. We may try to deal with it ourselves. It’s only when we realize that the problem is greater than us that we turn to God for answers.

Only when we turn to God can we begin to grow in strength. When we try to do it ourselves, we fail to call upon the one who can allow us to overcome circumstances and personal trials and shortcomings.

3. When we learn to trust in Him fully (2 Corinthians 12:9-19)

Bu He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

There are times we really want something from the Lord, and toward that end we spend time in fervent prayer, continuing to ask as Jesus directed in Matthew 7:7-8, where we are told to continuously ask, continuously seek, continuously knock.

Yet, even after our sincere desire and faithful petition by prayer, God decides not to grant us our request. It’s not always clear why He said no, but by faith we accept His answer and trust Him to see us through.

This was Paul’s dilemma in asking to remove the thorn from his flesh. It apparently was a genuine concern for the apostle, and yet God told him no. In God’s response to Paul, we find the answer to why God tells us no, as well.

God’s response was that the apostle needed to rely on God’s grace and God’s strength. Had the thorn been removed, Paul would have tried to do things on his own; now he had to lean more heavily on God. In having to rely on God more completely, Paul would discover God’s power and grace would allow the apostle to find success.

When you and I talk about success, we often think about reaching a favorable end in what we are trying to achieve. We get a passing grade, we make a perfect dish—these are some successes.

God doesn’t measure success that way, though. For God, we find success in our faithfulness in following His will. When God called Isaiah to prophesy on His behalf, God told the prophet that the responses to his messages would largely be rejection by his audiences. That’s not how you and I measure success. We would expect to reach the masses and revival would break out. God’s determination of Isaiah’s success was in Isaiah faithfully telling the people what God wanted them to hear. Ultimately, Israel rejected Isaiah and his message, but Isaiah was successful in his calling.

When you and I are seeking God’s will, we will rejoice in the disappointment of God’s no. The reason for this is that by responding positively to God’s no gives us the ability to trust more completely in Him and see how He works in our lives despite our own personal disability. That’s what Paul said in v. 9b-10.

Paul had learned the lesson that true strength does not lie in my own power or abilities; it is found in our compete surrender to the One who calls us and leads us. It is the reason Paul can write such verses as, “Rejoice in the Lord always. . . Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4a, 6-7).

When we lean completely on God, we find the strength and power of God within us growing and bringing us into a fuller awareness of God’s might and glory.

Conclusion

With power, we can achieve so much more than we can without it. A full tank of gas allows us to go far. With rested muscles we can do more work for a longer time. With a rested mind, we can solve problems and accomplish many things. We need power.

For the believer, the power we most need is that which comes to us by the Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit. If you and I will tap into that fuller power, growing in strength, then we must, like the apostle Paul, learn to let Him work in our weakness.

Are you leaning on God? Are you resting in the power of the Almighty?