I Can Do All Things Through Christ: Accomplish, Endure, Become

Philippians 4:10-13 sets Paul’s thank-you to the church at Philippi inside a bigger truth than money or mission support. Paul rejoices that their care has “flourished again,” but Paul makes clear that his joy is not rooted in want being removed. Paul has learned something deeper: “in whatsoever state” he is, he can be content.

Paul’s contentment is not natural ease or low expectations. Paul has been instructed on both sides of life. Paul knows how to be abased and how to abound, how to be full and how to be hungry, how to have it good and how to have it bad. The famous line, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” means more than a bare “I can do it.” The line means Paul is able for all things. Paul is up to whatever God puts in front of him, because Christ strengthens him.

Christ strengthens His people first to accomplish what God gives them to do. The can-do Christian is not passive, lazy, complacent, or easily deterred. The can-do Christian does not say, “It’s too hard,” when God has given the responsibility. “Can’t never done nothing” may be bad English, but the point stands. God’s children ought to get up and get at it, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and finish what God has given before life is done.

Christ strengthens His people also to endure what cannot simply be conquered. Sickness, weakness, sorrow, financial distress, betrayal, and death can bring a child of God into a place of helplessness. In those places, the answer is not always deliverance from the infirmity. God’s answer to Paul was, “My grace is sufficient for thee,” and that grace is real. Christ gets His people through what twists the guts up, and “this too shall pass” becomes more than a saying when God keeps His promise never to leave nor forsake.

Christ strengthens His people finally to be what they ought to be. Christ gives power to be obedient, faithful, diligent, pure in thought, pleasing to God, a good husband, a good wife, a godly parent, a good church member, a good witness, and a good friend. Christ also gives power to stop what ought to stop: gossip, criticism, bad language, pornography, bitterness, envy, drink, drugs, and every sin that keeps building a nest in the mind. God’s callings are God’s enablings, and through Christ, the child of God can accomplish, endure, and become what God intends.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Contentment is learned spiritual maturity. Paul’s contentment did not come from having life arranged just right. Paul learned contentment while being abased and while abounding, while full and while hungry. The mature Christian is not controlled by the state he is in, because Christ is enough in either state. [33:24]
• 2. Christ makes duty doable. The command of God never becomes worthless because it is hard. Difficulty is not the same thing as impossibility, and comfort is not the measure of obedience. Christ strengthens His people to do what He assigns, not to excuse what He requires. [45:27]
• 3. Grace holds weakness without removing it. God did not remove Paul’s infirmity, but God gave a better answer: sufficient grace. Weakness becomes the place where Christ’s strength is made perfect, not because pain is pleasant, but because dependence becomes real. The child of God may not conquer the trial, but Christ can carry him through it. [49:34]
• 4. Old sins can lose their grip. Bad habits do not have to remain masters over a saved person. Godly sorrow works repentance, and confession means agreeing with God about the ugliness of sin. Christ gives power not only to feel guilty, but to change direction and get victory. [58:28]
• 5. Good members build, not tear down. A good church member is consistently part of the solution instead of being the problem. Love for the church shows itself in helping the body accomplish what God put it there to do. Tearing down is easy, but building up takes grace, humility, and a real desire to please the Lord.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [31:05] - Thank God for a Working Church
• [32:08] - Philippians 4 and Paul’s Thank-You
• [33:24] - Learning Contentment in Every State
• [34:30] - What “I Can Do All Things” Means
• [35:02] - Accomplishing Through Christ
• [38:58] - Christians Should Be Finishers
• [41:36] - Steadfast and Always Abounding
• [46:15] - Enduring Through Christ
• [49:34] - My Grace Is Sufficient
• [52:48] - Getting Through What Hurt
• [53:16] - Being What God Wants
• [55:23] - Power to Live Right
• [57:41] - Victory Over Old Sins
• [60:20] - Serving Well in Home and Church
• [65:48] - Salvation Comes Through Christ

Bible Reading
Philippians 4:10-13 (KJV)
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

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Observation Questions

1. According to Philippians 4:11-12, what did Paul learn about contentment, and how did he describe the extremes of his experiences?
2. In the sermon, how was the phrase “I can do all things through Christ” redefined beyond mere accomplishment? [34:30]
3. What example did Paul give in 2 Corinthians 12:9 to show God’s response to his weakness?

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why might Paul emphasize that contentment is learned (Philippians 4:11) rather than natural? How does this connect to the idea of spiritual maturity?
2. How does 2 Corinthians 12:9 challenge the common desire for immediate deliverance from hardships? What does “sufficient grace” look like in practice?
3. The sermon states, “Christ’s strength is made perfect in weakness” [49:34]. How does weakness become a place for God’s power to shine, even if the trial remains?

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Application Questions

1. Contentment is learned through both abundance and need. What current circumstance (good or hard) is God using to teach you deeper reliance on Him?
2. The sermon warns against excusing disobedience because something is “too hard” [45:27]. Is there a responsibility or command from God you’ve avoided due to difficulty? What step can you take this week to lean on Christ’s strength instead?
3. “Grace holds weakness without removing it.” Are you facing a trial where deliverance hasn’t come? How can you shift your focus from asking “Why?” to trusting “How can Christ carry me through this?”
4. The sermon says old sins “don’t have to remain masters” [58:28]. What habit or sin have you resigned yourself to as “just how I am”? How might confession and dependence on Christ break its grip?
5. A good church member “builds up, not tears down” [01:00:44]. What is one practical way you can contribute to solutions in your church or community this month?