January 14, 2012 by

I Can Do All Things In 2012

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Happy New Year! I trust that you had a wonderful Christmas season and a grand New Year’s Day. I hope that you are as excited about 2012 as I am. I’m wondering how many of us have made New Year’s resolutions yet? Most of us, I suppose, use January 1 as a place to begin making some changes in life. Perhaps by now you don’t write them down; perhaps you don’t share them with anyone else. The specifics don’t matter. Most of us plan to lose weight, or to start saving money, or to call our parents, or to have a daily quiet time, or to break some stubborn habit.

How are you doing so far? This is January 8th. Anyone broken a resolution yet? I thought so. That, of course, is the discouraging side of resolution-making. They are easy to make and hard to keep—even for 1 week! That’s why so many of us are so hesitant to make a new start. Sometimes it’s easier not to try than to try knowing you will certainly fail. However, there is a biblical perspective we need to remember at the beginning of a new year. It’s a perspective that’s wrapped up in one simple word. If you remember not to use this particular word this year, your chances of succeeding are going to go through the roof.

 

The word is can't.

That’s right. The one word you shouldn’t say in 2012 is the little word cannot. We use it all the time, don’t we? We say, “I can’t lose weight.” “I just can’t seem to save money.” “I try and try but I can’t find the time to read the Bible.” “After what she did, I can’t forgive her.” “No matter how hard I try, I can’t change.”

The Most Destructive Word

On and on it goes. In fact, I think you can make a persuasive case that “can’t” is the single most destructive word in the English language.

* It destroys motivation.

* It shifts responsibility.

* It denies reality.

When you say “can’t"—especially with reference to the problems of life—you are simply giving up without a fight.

My whole goal in this sermon is to convince you that you can. I firmly believe that this year you can do everything God intends for you to do. No matter how hard, no matter how difficult, no matter how impossible things may seem right now. If God wants you to do it, in 2012 you can!

 

Five Versions of One Verse

My text is only one verse of Scripture. You’ve heard it, you’ve read it, and most of you have memorized it. The verse is Philippians 4:13. It reads like this in the familiar King James Version: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The NIV says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”The Living Bible expands the text this way: “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me strength and power.”J.B. Phillips gave us this colorful rendering: “I am ready for anything through the strength of the one who lives within me.”Finally, here is the unique translation of the Twentieth Century New Testament: “Nothing is beyond my power in the strength of him who makes me strong!”

No matter what version you use, Philippians 4:13 is a verse of unlimited possibility. We have the power of Creator in us to do all good things with Him.

For most of you, Philippians 4:13 is an old friend. The Bible says that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. “All things.” Can you really do “all things” through Christ? Is that just wishful thinking, just another piece of hopeful religious propaganda? Or is it literally true?

Can you do “all things” in 2012? I am going to give you four answers to that question. These four answers, taken together with the four principles, make up what I call “’I can Christianity.”

 

I. You Can If You Want To.

I call this the principle of Personal Desire. Before you can, you must want to. Before the deed, there must be the desire. In order to accomplish your goals in 2012, you’ve got to decide what it is you truly want to do. If you want it badly enough, you have a fighting chance of getting it. If both of spouses want to be together, nothing can separate the. But if want start the desire for divorce it won't be long.

If you don’t really care, then it probably won’t happen. So many people who say they want to do things really don’t want to.

Won’t Versus Can’t

Through the years I have learned this much: If you’ve got a problem in your life, you’re going to get better faster if you stop saying “can’t” and start saying “won’t.” Once you start saying “won’t” you’ve put the matter in the right framework.

We say, “I can’t lose weight.” For most of us that really means, “I won’t lose weight.” We say, “I can’t forgive.” For most of us that means, “I won’t forgive.” We say, “I can’t find time to read the Bible.” For most of us that means, “I won’t find time to read the Bible.”

When you say “won’t” instead of “can’t,” you have started to tell the truth. For most of us “can’t” is simply a convenient excuse.

Is it possible for you to do “all things” this year? Yes it is. But you must want to. That’s step number one, the principle of Personal Desire.

 

II. You Can If God Wants You To.

This is the principle of Divine Direction. It’s crucial for you to understand this second answer because it is clearly stated in the text. “I can do all things through Christ.” This verse is not a blank check. It’s not as if Paul is saying, “I can do anything I can dream up.” No. If you read the context, he is speaking about the varying and sometimes difficult circumstances of life. Verse 11, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Verse 12—"Sometimes I find myself with plenty of food and sometimes I have nothing to eat. Sometimes I have a roof over my head and sometimes I don’t.” “I know what it is to have money in the bank and I know what it is to be flat broke. And I’ve learned to be content no matter what my situation might be.” Then verse 13, "I have learned through the power of Jesus Christ that I can face whatever comes my way.” If it’s good, I can enjoy it. If it’s not so good, I can deal with it. Why? Because I have access to the everlasting strength of Jesus Christ.

Let me share a simple phrase with you: “If God is in it, you can do it.” That brings it all together, doesn’t it? If God is in your difficulty, you can face it. If God is somehow in your failure, you can overcome it.

Here is what God wants you to do: "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Phil. 2:13

If God is in your dreams, your dreams will come to pass. If God is in your goals, you can achieve every single one of them. If God is in your prayers, he will not only hear them, he will also answer them

 

III. You Can If You Rely on Jesus Christ.

This is the principle of Divine Enablement. We come now to the heart of the verse: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” In the Greek, the word itself means “to pour strength into.” It’s like pouring milk into a pitcher or water into a glass or coffee into a cup. It’s the picture of something empty that is filled by an outside source. It’s the picture of a believer facing the problems of life, hopeless and helpless, and in that situation, Jesus Christ pours his strength into the believer’s life. He strengthens us, he pours his strength into us.

You’ve got to have Jesus Christ on the inside. Are we who believe better than other people? No. Are we stronger? No. Are we spared the problems of life? No. Are we tougher than others? No. Does God give us a free pass so that what happens to others doesn’t happen to us? No. Are we wiser than others? No.

What makes the difference? Only one thing. Jesus Christ within. We have the power of the indwelling Christ and that makes all the difference in the world.

Not on your own strength, not on your own power, not on your own wisdom, and not on your own ability to figure things out. But if you will say, “Lord Jesus, this year I’m relying on you,” you can do all things through Christ.

 

IV. You Can If You Start Today and Don’t Look Back.

This is the principle of the Personal Choice. One question: Which way are you going this year? Are you going backwards into 2011 or are you going forward into 2012? Your answer makes all the difference. Let me put it all together. Can you really do “all things” in 2012? Yes, you can. Here are the four principles:

*Personal Desire

*Divine Direction

*Divine Enablement

*Personal Choice

Notice that the first one is personal, the next two are divine, and the last one is personal. There’s perfect balance here. Two depend on you, two depend on God. Does it depend on you? Yes. Does it depend on God? Yes. Think of the verse this way: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It begins with I, ends with me, and Jesus Christ is in the middle.

When you come to the end of this year, you’ll say, “I thought I could.” Right now it’s only, “I think I can.” But remember, through Jesus Christ you can.

 

In our life journey we often say, “I think I can.” But Paul was saying, “I know I can.” What makes the difference? We are relying on own power to get over the problem. But we have available to us the resources of an infinite God. That’s the difference between “I think” and “I know.”

Conclusion:

Can you really do “all things” in 2012? Through Christ you can.

So it is time for you to resign now: During Christmas time I like what God told us through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Illustration: A manager ran YMCA and he worked very hard 80 hrs a week to get the operation going. But there were many problems that he could not handle. He visited a therapist who warned him he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Somehow he needed to let go and let God take charge of his problems. But how do you do something like that?

The breakthrough came one day when he took a notebook and ventured into a forest not far from where he lived. He took out his notebook and decided to let go of the burdens of his life. He wrote God a letter that simply said, “Dear God, Today I hereby resign as general manager of the universe. Love,.” Looking back on that moment, he reflected with a twinkle in his eye, “And wonder of wonders, God accepted my resignation.”

 

Without Christ, we cannot do all things. When you let Jesus run your life's operation you can do all things through Him. Amen