00:00:00:32 – 00:00:27:07
Clint Loveall
Hey, everybody. Thanks for being with us of closing in on the end of the book of Philippians here. We’ll be coming out with what we’ll do next. Just a sort of what we call it programing. Note we will not be meeting next week. I will be out and we’ll come back to finish Philippians. It would have been nice to get it done, but we’ll have to put the end on hold for a little bit today though.

00:00:27:12 – 00:00:50:12
Clint Loveall
We’re looking at chapter four. We’re in verse ten. I think we’ll hit a part of this passage that is incredibly well known, and I think there are some things to say about it, but let me go ahead and read these verses first. I rejoice in the Lord greatly. That now, at last you have revived your concern for me.

00:00:50:16 – 00:01:15:06
Clint Loveall
Indeed, you were concerned for me, but you didn’t have an opportunity to show it. Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little. I know what it is to have plenty. And in any and all circumstances. I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and being in need.

00:01:15:10 – 00:01:51:05
Clint Loveall
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. We find out late in the letter that Paul has received a gift from the Philippians. They’ve been supportive of his ministry. Reached out to him. Probably some sort of donation. Perhaps supplies? I don’t know that we know exactly what he’s referring to, but the text makes it relatively clear that they have graciously and generously given Paul something at some point.

00:01:51:05 – 00:02:17:26
Clint Loveall
And so now he thanks them about he thanks them for that and is grateful that they have shown concern about him. This first verse, Michael, you know greatly you’ve revived your concern for me. And then he kind of backs off. You know, you had concern for me, but I’m grateful now that you had the opportunity to show it in the day of, screens and delete.

00:02:17:27 – 00:03:10:09
Clint Loveall
He might have just backed up a little bit, but here he he makes sure that he’s not misunderstood. Then we get to, a very interesting section that Paul says I’ve. I’ve learned to be content. Whether I have a lot whether I have a little, whether I get hungry, whether I’m well fed, whatever every circumstance I’ve learned the secret and contentment is a wonderful topic that Paul’s not necessarily teaching here about contentment, but certainly in his remarks, I think we hear a a goal and a challenge as we consider what it would mean for each of us to be content as well.

00:03:10:13 – 00:03:32:39
Michael Gewecke
I think that you’re right. I think that we got to point out the things as we see them. First of all, notice at the beginning of verse ten, here we have rejoice again. It is, isn’t it striking how joy is just woven throughout this text? It’s it’s almost like the thread that binds the garment together. That joy is just a integral part of what Paul has to say to the church in Philippi.

00:03:32:43 – 00:03:56:22
Michael Gewecke
And here we begin with again. And then it’s connected. In this case, though, for the relational structure, that connection that Paul has with the church in Philippi, you have, revived your concern for me. Even if you didn’t have opportunity to show it. And then and this is one of those texts, Clint, where I think it is worth pausing.

00:03:56:27 – 00:04:16:37
Michael Gewecke
It is so easy to hear in these words. Not that I’m referring to be a need. I’ve learned to be content with anything that I have. That’s a very well known text, but often not known inside the context of what’s happening here in Philippians. You you go from this conversation about these women, hey, let’s forbear with one another.

00:04:16:37 – 00:04:37:37
Michael Gewecke
Let’s be of the same mind. Let’s, you know, take on the same mind as Christ, and then we make our way down through that. Think on these things, you know, pure, lovely, this beautiful list. And now we get here and this idea. Well, hey, I’m grateful that you were willing to join not just in your hearts, but you.

00:04:37:42 – 00:04:59:25
Michael Gewecke
You deeply had concern for me, even this. At that point, you didn’t have a way to act on it. Then he says, but don’t worry. I’ve learned to be content. I think there’s a beautiful movement in a text like this. It is teaching not, as you said Clint directly, but rather indirectly. When Paul says, you know, follow me as I follow Christ.

00:04:59:25 – 00:05:23:24
Michael Gewecke
This is a moment where Paul is doing that work. He’s he’s showing by his example. Hey, listen, you know, contentment is not connected to what is happening. It. In fact, he says, in any and all circumstances, I’ve learned the secret. Well, what’s the secret? And that is that fundamentally, I can do all things through him who strengthens me, and that this is the definition.

00:05:23:34 – 00:05:55:55
Michael Gewecke
Not to rush ahead here, but this is where we get to the definition of what is all things right? Because it’s easy to say all things and make those the things that you want, whether that’s bigger house, faster car, better, career more report, or you know, more, maybe more fame, whatever, influence, whatever you define is all fundamentally, Paul, is reframing that from the place of lack, from the place of in want and saying that fundamentally, if I have Christ, that’s all I need.

00:05:56:04 – 00:06:03:23
Michael Gewecke
Five Christ, then I’ve learned the secret of contentment. And that’s a beautiful lesson to be teaching in the midst of this relational letter.

00:06:03:36 – 00:06:26:38
Clint Loveall
Yeah. Particularly given that he writes it from prison with unknown circumstances ahead of him and says, I, I do know the secret of contentment. And I think if you offered that to people, if you marketed that do, would you like to know the secret of contentment? Most of us would say, yeah, yeah, I’d be interested in that. And then he says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

00:06:26:38 – 00:07:07:45
Clint Loveall
Often you hear this quoted, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I don’t know. There are two things I think that I want to say about this text or this verse specifically trying to think which order to go. The first one I think that I’ll say is other than maybe John 316. I think this is maybe the most popular verse that people quote, I’ve seen, this is tattooed on athletes, this is in people’s bios, this is quoted in books.

00:07:07:49 – 00:07:54:00
Clint Loveall
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is a wonderful verse. It’s a compelling idea. I do think, though, we are often comfortable taking it out of context. Yeah. And when we do that, unfortunately the emphasis goes not to him who strengthens me, but I, I can do, I, I can win, I can compete, I can succeed, I, I can dot dot, dot, fill in the blank because Christ strengthens me and I almost question the word do here it if if a better and I don’t know the word.

00:07:54:00 – 00:08:19:21
Clint Loveall
So I’m not a. I’m not claiming this in terms of translation, but it it almost would fit in the context better if it’s said I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me, though I have to suspect that would make it a little less popular. I mean, the idea of achieve versus endure achieve is is more attractive, right?

00:08:19:21 – 00:08:41:49
Clint Loveall
But that that is, I think not fundamentally what Paul is saying. And I don’t know that there’s anything wrong with people loving and leaning on this verse, but I do think the way that it tends to get used culturally is not always related to where it comes from. In terms of Paul’s own writing.

00:08:41:54 – 00:09:10:43
Michael Gewecke
I think that’s a really helpful introduction and a really helpful bridge. I just want to point out that if you read verse 13, in the context of even verse 12, you go from having little to having much. You go from being well-fed, being hungry, plenty and need. Here you you see Paul laying out these poles right here is hungry, here’s well-fed, here’s plenty, here’s need.

00:09:10:47 – 00:09:34:33
Michael Gewecke
Okay. Then you say, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And then you realize, oh, Clint, the all things is in that continuum. It is from this point of life which, quite frankly, is that Jesus Christ dying and going to the bottom, and then the other side, which is Jesus Christ being raised again from the dead, ascended into heaven right?

00:09:34:42 – 00:09:59:31
Michael Gewecke
All in these will bow like it’s all of it, everything in between. The secret is through him who strengthens me. And so fundamentally, what’s fascinating is if you read verse 13 out of context, if you didn’t know that this was in the Bible, you could almost read this as just a self-help ism, right? I mean, you would ask, who’s him?

00:09:59:31 – 00:10:01:01
Michael Gewecke
Who’s Jesus? Why is that the case?

00:10:01:03 – 00:10:02:33
Clint Loveall
Success through Jesus.

00:10:02:33 – 00:10:28:03
Michael Gewecke
Yeah, yeah. And if that is your frame, then not only do I think you really don’t know what Paul was saying, but I think you’re also leaving behind a substantial part of the real treasure of this text. Because I want to be clear, there are very many people who reach either the end of a career or the end of a season of life, or in some cases, Clint, the end of life itself.

00:10:28:08 – 00:10:54:37
Michael Gewecke
And they look back on their lives and they think to themselves, while I wasn’t fill in the blank enough, I didn’t meet all the goals I had. I this didn’t reach the level I expected. I, in other words, couldn’t do all things like I thought I could. And the impoverished view that really hurts us. There is that we’re failing to understand that the all things is more than success, the all things.

00:10:54:37 – 00:11:15:45
Michael Gewecke
There’s also the struggles and the pain and the trials. Those are also the places where we discover that we have strength because and, you know, this is the core of this letter. We can have joy, we can have faith, we can move forward in life because Jesus Christ has done this all ahead of us before us. He is he’s the first.

00:11:15:57 – 00:11:18:29
Michael Gewecke
And so therefore we can follow him in that way.

00:11:18:34 – 00:11:54:24
Clint Loveall
Yeah, I’m not sure there’s anything fundamentally wrong with reciting this verse before the championship game or, you know, the the sales meeting or the whatever it is, as long as one understands that it is not about the outcome, it it is not about I can win because Jesus is on my team or I would and.

00:11:54:28 – 00:12:20:36
Clint Loveall
And when we narrow the verse that way, I think it loses some of its broader power, because this also has a powerful word to speak to the person struggling to get out of bed and go take another treatment that’s going to knock them down, or the person who is struggling through a season of grief and having a very difficult time reengaging their life.

00:12:20:36 – 00:12:28:57
Clint Loveall
And this verse has something to say to that as well. I can.

00:12:29:02 – 00:13:02:15
Clint Loveall
Endure all things. I can face all things I have learned the secret to being content, not just when things go well, but in the midst of struggle. And that is, I find my strength not from my circumstances, but from Christ, and properly understood that this is a very powerful verse, and I think it’s, it’s important to remember the circumstances in which Paul writes it.

00:13:02:15 – 00:13:26:54
Clint Loveall
And, and again, as we’ve seen throughout in this letter, Michael, Paul makes such a beautiful, poignant point in almost just passing language. I mean, he’s he’s saying thanks. It was nice. I don’t need more. It’s it was good of you to think of me. I’m okay. And the reason I’m okay is because I draw my strength from Christ.

00:13:26:54 – 00:13:48:07
Clint Loveall
And then he says at the end. But it was nice that you would share in my distress. It’s arguably not the greatest thank you letter of all times, but but it is a it’s a pretty impactful sermon, again, that he manages to do with just a few sentences really, really impressive.

00:13:48:07 – 00:14:12:28
Michael Gewecke
So let’s pause there for a second, though, and let’s not push on. I bet you you’ve heard Philippians 413 before, and that’s my guess. If you’ve been around the church, even if you haven’t, I doubt that you have the same amount of contact with. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. And what’s really fascinating about that is the the text.

00:14:12:28 – 00:14:42:28
Michael Gewecke
Clint, that we so often attribute to success and advancement is immediately followed by, you know, I was really grateful that you showed up for me when I wasn’t succeeding and advancing. And that is really essential because it reframes this letter for us. And this is a core temptation that we just need to name again, that we should not read these books as if they’re all self-help books sold in Barnes and Noble.

00:14:42:28 – 00:15:02:31
Michael Gewecke
If that’s the thing, whenever you’re watching this study, where it’s all about your story, this is about a church. It’s about a community. It’s about a relationship with one man and believers trying to do their best to muddle the way through. So when he says you, it includes you. And. And I don’t want to overstate that point.

00:15:02:31 – 00:15:31:40
Michael Gewecke
Of course, the body of Christ is made up of the individual members of it. And so therefore this is a word to you. But when we short circuit the word to all of us, we forget that it’s about us showing care for one another or as it ends, it was kind of you all to share in my distress for you to be there with me when you show up to the, to the family that is grieving the loss of a loved one, and you’re just with them.

00:15:31:40 – 00:15:46:45
Michael Gewecke
You don’t have all the answers, but you just show up for them. Or when you know someone’s going through hard straits and you go out of your way just to be with them, just to to give them a thing that might help them in that leg of the journey. That’s the kind of thing that Paul’s modeling here, right?

00:15:46:49 – 00:15:59:19
Michael Gewecke
I can do all things through Christ. I my strength is not in your gift, but fundamentally, it’s meaningful that you share in my distress. So there’s some word here for us. And I think that us is important when we read this letter.

00:15:59:24 – 00:16:34:09
Clint Loveall
Yeah, I, I think if you look through the simple through line, it is that contentment is attainable because we are strengthened by Christ. Paul fills in some really nice gaps in that. But I think if you were looking for the simple takeaway, it is not about what we can achieve, it is about the strength that we draw from Christ that allows us to celebrate good times and to persevere in difficult times.

00:16:34:13 – 00:17:04:46
Clint Loveall
Because ultimately, for Paul, it’s not really about us or the time we’re in. It’s about our connection to Jesus Christ and arguably our connection to others. And yeah, yeah, it’s it’s a it’s a little bit the way in which John 316 has been kind of separated from John 317, which completes the idea. It, it it is again, there’s there’s nothing wrong with the popularity of this verse.

00:17:04:46 – 00:17:15:35
Clint Loveall
It’s unfortunate that most people who would know the verse may not know the context and the full meaning of of where it comes from, and it would probably be helpful if we did as well.

00:17:15:35 – 00:17:32:09
Michael Gewecke
Said, we are glad to have you here. We are going to be finishing this book, not next Monday, but the week after. We look forward to seeing you then. If this has been encouraging, challenging, maybe you’ve heard this on your way. Give this video a like helps others find it in a new way themselves and do subscribe so you don’t miss studies like this.

00:17:32:09 – 00:17:34:06
Michael Gewecke
Friends, we’ll see you in a week.

00:17:34:13 – 00:17:34:54
Clint Loveall
Thanks, everybody.