Twisted Scriptures - Philippians 4:13

Philippians 4:13 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible—but it is also one of the most misunderstood. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” has become a slogan for winning, achieving, overcoming obstacles, and accomplishing our dreams. But is that actually what Paul meant?

In this message, we’re taking a closer look at Philippians 4:13 and learning why context matters when we read and interpret Scripture. We’ll consider five practical principles for guarding ourselves against twisting the Word of God, and then we’ll put those principles into practice by examining the verses surrounding Philippians 4:13.

When we understand the passage in its proper context, we discover that Paul isn’t promising success by the world’s standards. He is pointing us toward something far better: contentment in Christ regardless of our circumstances. Whether in plenty or in need, Christ is enough.

So the question before us is simple but searching: Is Christ enough for us?

Join me as we untwist Philippians 4:13, rediscover the beauty of biblical contentment, and learn to approach God’s Word with humility and care. Let’s dig in and look to Jesus, our true hope!

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Twisted Scriptures - Philippians 4:13

Intro

• Today I have the privilege of standing before you and opening the Word of God and explaining and expounding upon the text before us.
  • I want you to know that I count this as a great joy as well as a great responsibility…
    • For it is a task for which I will be held accountable before God.
  • Therefore, I do not take this time that we share together lightly but consider it one of great importance.
• Along with that, however, I am sure you will agree with me that when it comes to the Word of God we should all likewise read and interpret the scriptures carefully.
  • Though I currently stand in a place where I will be held accountable for what I say…
  • It does not mean that we should be ok being flippant with scripture in other contexts.
  • What I mean is this…
    • If I misinterpret or misrepresent the Word of God to you today I will be held accountable for that.
    • However, that does not make an individual Christian misinterpreting, misusing, or misunderstanding scripture permissible.
  • Both are unacceptable and need to be corrected.
• So we come together today to discuss a verse that is perhaps the most misunderstood, misrepresented, and misused verse in all the scriptures.
  • If you would please take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Philippians, find chapter 4 and then verse 13.
    • You can perhaps quote it from memory, it is a beautiful verse…
    • But it is most glorious, most beautiful, and most meaningful when it is Biblically understood and correctly applied.
  • Now to be fair there are many verses that have been ripped from their context and stripped of their truth…
    • But I stand by Philippians 4:13 being one of the most extreme cases that we can run across in our world today.
• In our time together this morning we are going to view this verse and the broader passage in three ways…
  • First we will examine the Poor Interpretation and see…
    • How this verse has been twisted.
  • Then, we will springboard from that and see what Principles we can put into Practice
    • So that we can individually know how to correctly interpret scripture.  
  • Finally, we will apply what we have learned and Preserve the Truth of the text…
    • Untwisting this verse that has been misused.
• With our direction in mind let us read the verse and go before our Great God in prayer.

Philippians 4:13

• Opening prayer for wisdom, for clarity, for Truth to prevail, for the Lord to sanctify us by His Word, and Glorify His Name.
• David R. Helm, in his book titled, Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today…
  • Famously provided us with this illustration, he wrote…
    • “Some preachers use the Bible the way a drunk uses a lamp post—more for support than for illumination.”
  • In light of our study this morning I would change that slightly.
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    • Some [Christians] use the Bible the way a drunk uses a lamp post—more for support than for illumination.
  • This illustration is so pointed because a drunk using a lamppost to steady himself is completely missing the point of the lamppost all together. 
    • I would venture a guess that all of us have been guilty of using this Bible in this from time to time…
    • Perhaps even with the verse that lay before us today.
• The challenge is for us to take an honest look at how we have used this verse and allow the Word of God to correct us where we have misunderstood or misapplied it.
  • In a way, that should be our goal every time we open the Bible. 
  • We should seek to understand what God has said, what He intended to communicate, and then faithfully apply that truth to our lives and to our church.
    • You see, when we approach Scripture correctly, it means that we are not looking for a verse to support what we already believe.
    • We are bringing what we believe before the Word of God and asking, “Does what I believe actually agree with what God has said?”
    • That's an important distinction.
  • We don't come to Scripture to make it agree with us.
• We come to Scripture because we are the ones who need to agree with it.
• Keeping that in mind let’s jump into our first point as we discuss…

Poor Interpretation

• As we do what we are really considering is, how has Philippians 4:13 been twisted?
  • The text before us on the surface sounds very motivational, it sounds very encouraging…
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    • The New King James Version reads this way…
    • “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  - NKJV
•  Please allow me to share a few interpretations of this verse and how it has been used across our culture and used by many professing Christians.
  • Some may hear this verse and interpret it in this way…
    • “I can win because Christ strengthens me.”
  • Others hear it and are spurred to action…
    • “I can accomplish my dream if I have enough faith.”
  • Students may recite it as they prepare for an exam that they did not study for…
    • “I can get through this exam because Christ gives me strength.”
  • A job seeker may be encouraged to continue forward because of it…
    • “I can get this job because Christ strengthens me.”
  • Prosperity preachers, motivational speakers, and those that fall into that category may use it this way…
    • “I can become rich because Christ strengthens me.”
      • Or…
    • “I can overcome any obstacle.”
• Do we not hear this across our culture, perhaps even being guilty of it ourselves.
  • Certainly we do, but maybe at this point you are wondering…
    • What is the big deal?
    • Is it really a problem if we hear that verse and we are encouraged by it?
    • Is it truly an issue to be motivated by it, even if it is not exactly what Paul intended? 
  • It is here that we must see the danger of this line of thinking…
    • The danger we come to is not so much in being heretically wrong, it is being content in not being Biblically right.  
      • I want to say that a bit differently…
    • Your salvation is not dependent upon whether or not you correctly interpret Philippians 4:13…
      • However, your growth as a believer, your sanctification in Christ, is reliant upon the Word of God and a correct interpretation of it.
  • Consider the prayer of our Lord…
    • One of the things He prayed on the night He was betrayed is found in…
    • John 17:17 - “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
      • We are brought nearer to the Father by a correct understanding of the Word of God.
    • Therefore to misunderstand and misapply scripture will stunt the growth of a follower of Christ.
  • Therefore, none of us should be content with twisting the scriptures, no matter how much it may motivate us.  
• So again, going back to Philippians 4:13, to drive this point home…
  • Did the Apostle Paul who was moved by the Holy Spirit…
    • Pen this verse for the intent of motivating us to…
      • Win our game…
      • Get the raise…
      • And overcome any obstacle?
  • Or, have we cheapened this verse and this passage to mean something that it never meant?
• To our shame, by and large, it is by far the latter option…
  • Across much of the church culture today this verse has been cheapened to make this about us.
    • About our success…
    • About our pursuits…
    • About our desires…
  • We do it without even pausing to ask the question…
• Is that what this verse means?
  • We are going to ask that question of this verse this morning…
  • But before we do we must pause and consider some...

Principles to Practice

• Meaning that before we can ask…
  • What does this passage mean?
    • We must instead ask…
  • How should we interpret scripture?
• Where there is much to unpack in this question and in this point…
  • Which could be an entire study all on its own…
    • What I want us to focus on is just one aspect of how to read and interpret scripture.
  • That aspect that I want to point out for us today is the…
• Rule of context.
  • When it comes to understanding and correctly interpreting scripture the rule of context is that context rules.
    • What that means is that any single verse does not stand on its own…
    • Instead we recognize that it is found as a part of a passage, a chapter, a book, and the Bible itself.
  • You may ask, well what about John 3:16?
    • Can that verse not stand on its own?
      • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
    • It is true that some verses can have their meaning preserved even in a stand alone way…
      • Like John 3:16…
      • However, we must realize that those verses are the exception and not the rule.
    • Furthermore, even John 3:16 becomes more glorious when it is understood within its own context.
  • The point, therefore, that I am trying to get across is that a verse can only be properly understood and rightly applied when we understand the context around it.
    • Or, to say it differently and a bit more pointed…
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    • Context determines meaning.
• This is worth really leaning into because what we find in regard to those who would misuse the scripture, many times they do so by disregarding the context.
  • It is worth noting that those who would do that are following the example of the devil himself.
    • Do you remember when Jesus was tempted by the devil in Matthew 4?
    • He had been without food for 40 days, he was hungry and he was tired.
  • It was in this weakened physical state that Satan approached our Lord.
    • The first time he tried to tempt Jesus with simply turning stones into bread.
  • When that did not work he took Him to the pinnacle of the Temple and quoted Psalm 91 verse 11.
    • Matthew 4:6b - 
      “...He will command his angels concerning you,’
      and
      “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
          lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
    • We learn two things when the devil quoted this passage.
  • The first is that the devil knows scripture better than we do…
    • He has been twisting the Word of God since the very beginning.
    • However, do not miss the second thing we can learn.
  • We learn that Satan quoted Scripture accurately and interpreted it incorrectly.
    • Did you catch that…
      • He did not outright change the verse to Jesus, instead it ripped it out of its context in order to twist its meaning.  
        • Keep this in mind…
      • When it comes to knowing and interpreting scripture…
    • We are never more like the devil when we rip passages and verses out of their context to make them mean what they never meant.
• What this really comes down to is an issue of authority…
  • If this book is truly the Word of God, then we have no right to redefine it for any reason whatsoever…
    • Whether it be because of our shifting culture or our selfish hearts.
    • As Christians we should be about understanding the truth that is presented in scripture, whether we like it or not. 
  • I like what R.C. Sproul had to say in regard to interpreting scripture…
    • “We have no right to twist it to say that it is saying something that it never was saying.”
• Therefore, to guard ourselves against taking Scripture out of context, let me give you five practical steps we can take to help us understand and preserve the meaning of the text.
• Then we will apply those steps to Philippians 4:13.
  • 5
  • First, prayerfully read the passage to seek the meaning, not to seek what it means to you.
    • In our self centered culture of the day we are tempted to read a passage or text and jump straight to asking…
      • “What does this mean to me?”
    • That is not the question we want to ask when reading scripture, instead the question we need to be asking is…
      • “What does this scripture mean?”
    • It is only when we approach scripture with that mindset that we will be ready to apply the remaining steps.
  • Second, read the verse in its immediate context, examining the verses before and verses after to understand the nature of the passage.
    • This is just good practice in every part of life…
      • Imagine that you are planning a visit to six flags and you jump on their webpage to read about their new and exciting roller coaster.
      • You might find that they quote a local newspaper article claiming that it will be…
        • “An unforgettable experience…”
      • Now I am sure we can agree that when it comes to roller coasters that could be either good or bad, depending on the context…
        • What if the local paper reported on a story of high school students that got stuck upside down on this very coaster.
          • Maybe then the article ended with this sentence…
        • “These students were all rescued without issue after more than 90 minutes hanging upside down, to say the least it was an unforgettable experience.”
      • I think we would all agree that the context of that statement is important.
    • How much more so when it comes to the Word of God? 
      • We must consider the context…
  • Third, consider the type of book in which those verses are found…
    • The Bible contains many different types of writing…
      • We see history, narrative, wisdom, poetry, prophetic and apocalyptic writings…
        • As well as letters written to churches and individuals.
      • Knowing what book you are reading is vital to understanding the meaning of the text.  
    • This is when we ask…
      • Who was the author?
      • Who was the intended audience?
      • What was the purpose for writing?
    • And other questions that help us understand the context to which the passage is found.  
  • Fourth, submit the passage or the verse to the rest of scripture.
    • I am going to make a statement that you may want to disagree with but I assure you it is the truth.
      • The book of Genesis is just as important to the Word of God as the Gospel of Matthew.
      • The book of Numbers is just as important to the Word of God as the Pauline epistles.
      • 1 and 2 Chronicles is just as needed as 1 and 2 Corinthians.
    • Though some passages are clearer than others, some are more exciting than others…
      • None of them are so important that they are defined by themselves.
    • The Old Testament only makes sense in light of the New…
      • And likewise the New Testament can only be understood because of what we read in the Old.  
  • Fifth, once you know the meaning of the text, the truth of the passage, only then can you seek to see how it applies to your immediate context today. 
• If what I am suggesting sounds difficult, or sounds like hard work, then you understand the process that I am describing.
  • It is hard, it can be tedious and difficult, but please hear me when I say it is worth it.
  • If anything is worth digging into it is this…
    • For this book is the Word of God…
      • It reveals to us the character and nature of our Creator.
      • It explains the origin of sin and suffering and death.
      • It promises a Savior and then as you continue reading past chapter 3 you will find that the Savior has come.
    • Church, if you want hope in this life and eternity in the next…
      • You cannot find it in the New York Times, or on whatever Social Platform you find yourself on…
      • You cannot find it in a spouse, a profession, a trade, or your possessions.
    • It is only found in a Person, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you can only be sure of the Truth of who He is as it is revealed in the Bible.
    • Therefore the effort you have to put in to correctly interpret scripture is always worth it.  
  • So I urge you to put these principles into practice…
    • Prayerfully read the passage to seek the meaning.
    • Read the verse or passage in its immediate context.
    • Consider the type of writing that it is.
    • Submit the passage to the rest of scripture.
    • See how it applies to your immediate context today. 
• Now, let’s put this into practice as we seek to…

Preserve the Truth

• Of Philippians 4:13
  • Let us now untwist the text applying what we just learned about context to see what this scripture actually means.
• So first, we prayerfully want to seek the truth of this verse and this passage.
  • We have come before the Lord in prayer today, asking that He would glorify His Name…
    • And that He would give us understanding about the Truth of this verse and this passage.
  • Now, we must also deal with our own thoughts about this verse at this time.
    • Do we want to know the truth about it?
    • Are we willing to be wrong about what we have believed about it?
  • These are not even questions that only apply to this text…
    • Anytime we open the Word we must do so with a willingness for the Spirit of God to correct our misunderstandings of the text.
  • So I urge you to suspend how you may feel about Philippians 4:13, and set your heart to learn the truth of this verse and this passage.
• Second, let us examine the context and see how it elevates and transforms our understanding of this verse…
  • Look again with me at Philippians 4 but this time let us go back to verse 10.
    • Philippians 4:10-14
  • So as you can see we read a bit before and we read a bit after to simply place verse 13 in its proper context.
    • Just a plain reading moves us from promised success to contentment in whatever situation we face.
    • This step alone reframes verse 13 and helps to shape what this verse is really speaking about.
  • We will talk more about this in just a moment, but let us go ahead and apply the next two steps.
• Third, let us consider the type of writing that it is.
  • The book of Philippians is one of the Pauline Prison Epistles…
    • Written by the Apostle Paul from a Roman prison to the church at Philippi…
      • If you were to read through this four chapter book you would find that he had a deep love for this congregation.
    • In fact, since we are in Philippians 4 go back up to verse 1 and let’s read it together and see the care he had for this church.
      • Philippians 4:1
    • Can you hear it?
      • “...my brothers…”
      • “...whom I love and long for…”
      • “...my joy and crown…”
      • “...my beloved…”
    • He adored this church, he loved these people, and this is evident all throughout this short book.
  • Let us not miss how some of this information is relevant to Philippians 4:13.
    • It is almost laughable that this verse that is so often used to promise success, or great prosperity, was penned by a man in prison.
      • Who knew what it meant to suffer for Christ…
    • Written to a church during a time when persecution was common and expected.
      • Paul was not alone in suffering, but the church at Phippi also knew suffering.
    • We see this referenced earlier in Philippians…
      • Philippians 1:29 - “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,”
  • This is all relevant information as we ask the question…
    • What does Philippians 4:13 actually mean…
  • Next, and the final step before we see how it applies to us today…
• We must submit the passage to the rest of scripture.
  • This is perhaps the most difficult part, seeing how it fits in line with the rest of God’s Word.
    • Here is why this is important though, doctrine is not built upon a single verse of scripture.
      • Instead, the foundations of our beliefs are laid by countless scriptures woven together.
    • If you find a verse that seems to mean something that does not fit within the framework of the rest of scripture, do you know what you have found?
      • An opponent of Christianity would say that you have found a contradiction and that they exist everywhere in the scripture.
        • What I would say is that you have found a mystery that God has chosen to not reveal to you just yet.
      • Maybe you need to do more digging, maybe you need to seek wise counsel, maybe you are missing the full context of God’s Word.
    • Whatever the case let us remember what we are dealing with when we open the scripture.
      • It is the Word of God…
        • Penned by 40 different men over a period of about 1500 years.
        • Written on three different continents and in three different languages.
        • Yet, it is one unified message that has been preserved for us today.
      • It is simple enough for a child to understand and complex enough for you to never be finished with it.
    • Throughout your life, if you are in Christ, you will continue to grow, continue to learn, and continue to see more gems in this glorious work.
  • The more you know of the scripture the more you can apply the overall context to passages you are seeking to understand.
    • In the case of Philippians 4:13, the twisted idea that it means success by the world's standards is debunked when applied to the rest of scripture.
    • For let us just consider the Lord Jesus Christ…
      • Who, though perfect, was utterly rejected by man and suffered under judgment of God.
        • No one has suffered more unjustly than Jesus.
      • He did not experience success by the world's standards, but He was pleasing to His Father.
        • By His sacrifice we can be adopted as sons and daughters of the King of kings. 
      • So, Christian, if someone could be perfect and yet still suffer, then do not simply think that this verse guarantees your success.
  • Now, before we jump to how this is applied, let us bring it all together and ask…
    • “What does Philippians 4:13 mean?”
      • I can sum it up in one word, contentment.
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        • Paul tells us that he has found the secret to being “content” in any circumstances.
        • In need, in hunger, in plenty, and abundance, he has found the ability to be content.
      • So what does it mean to be content?
        • It can be defined in this way - “satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.”
        • Considering that definition, do you think that we are a people who are known to be content?
          • I would say by and large we are a people who are wholly unsatisfied with what we have or what we are.  
            • Perhaps this is the greatest reason we see such misuse of Philippians 4:13 today.
          • Because its proper meaning strikes at the heart of one of our greatest weaknesses. 
        • Survey the landscape of the day in which we live and you will find a whole host of people who are dissatisfied with their lives.
      • So much so you will find them willing to change nearly any part of their lives…
        • Searching for satisfaction in people, possessions, prosperity, or popularity…
          • It will not be found there.
        • Unfortunately, we find this also bleeding over into the church.
          • Christians jumping from one church to another because they are dissatisfied with the music, the order of service, or because pews were replaced with chairs. 
          • In all of that, and plenty more examples, what we are really seeing is people saying…
            • “It is not enough about me…”
        • That is not to say that there is not a time or place to leave a church, certainly there are, however, oftentimes legitimate reasons to not exist.
      • As we exist in a culture that is so flippant with our lives today, let us grab on to the truth of Philippians 4:13.
    • This is where we see the truth of the passage really elevating what Paul is talking about in verse 13.
  • He is not writing to us telling us how we can win the game, run one more mile, or get the promotion. 
    • He is writing to this church to tell them that though they may have want in this life…
      • They can still be satisfied with Christ because He has secured us for eternity.
    • This is the beauty of what Christ has done…
      • Church, He has not saved us for a moment…
      • He did not die to give us what we might want in this life…
      • He did not perish for our possessions this side of eternity…
    • He died in our place so that we can be satisfied with Him forever.
      • That is where true contentment is found, not in what silly thing we could want here but in the tangible hope we have in eternity.  
      • This is where it gets so good…
        • We learn that though we may suffer here, and that we may be in want here, that it is just for a moment.
          • James 4:14b - “...What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
            • It is but for a moment that we exist on this celestial ball…
            • Then if we are in Christ we will be with Him for eternity.
            • It is why Paul writes the way he does here as well as in…
          • Romans 8:18 - “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
        • You know why it is not worth comparing, it is because Christ is all we could ever want and imagine…
        • He is the satisfaction to our souls.
      • The truth is, believers, we have in Christ reason not only to rejoice but to be content in whatever situation we are found to be in.
    • That is what Philippians 4:13 is all about…
  • Let us now step into the final principle and…
• See how it applies to our immediate context today. 
  • We are confronted with one glaring question as we consider the accurate reading of this verse…
    • Are you satisfied in Christ?
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      • Is He enough for you?
    • If all was stripped away that you love, and all that you had passed through the blaze…
      • Could you say - “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
      • Not because He will change your immediate circumstances but because He has changed your eternal destination. 
    • Dwell upon these questions, think on them now, consider them as you lay down tonight…
      • Is Christ enough? 
  • That question is not meant for us to consider whether He is enough or not, I assure you that He is…
    • It is meant to ask, does your life reflect this same attitude of the Apostle Paul?
    • Does your life reflect that He is enough and that He has satisfied your greatest need?

Closing

• It is here we will come to a close…
  • As we do I want to extend two different invitations…
    • First, to the believer, consider these verses, consider these questions.
      • It may be that you need to repent of twisting this scripture…
      • It may be that you have been confronted with your discontent heart and need to see that Jesus is enough.
      • I urge you to yield yourself to the Spirit of God and respond as He has led you.
    • Second, if you are here this morning and you are not satisfied with Jesus because you have never surrendered your life to Him.
      • I want you to know that He died in your place to bear the wrath of God that was due to you.
        • Then He was buried and after three days He rose again.
        • So the invitation today is for you to submit your life to Him…
      • To turn from your sins and place all your hope in His finished work upon the cross.
        • That you would know this satisfaction that only He can produce.
    • Let us pray.