Sermon of the Week - If You Have Christ, You Have Enough By: Jeffrey Curtis Poor

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

This is one of those Bible verses that shows up everywhere. Athletes shout it. People tattoo it. Pastors quote it. And when life gets hard, a lot of us grab onto it, thinking it will give us the strength to keep going.

But for how famous it is, Philippians 4:13 might be one of the most misunderstood verses in the entire Bible. We tend to read it through the lens of achievement and personal success. We hear it as a promise that whatever we want to do, God will help us do it.

But Paul did not write it from a place of success. He wrote it from a place most of us would never choose.

And that is why this verse matters so much. Because if you have ever felt discouraged, overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted, or stretched beyond what you think you can handle, this verse speaks straight to you. But it speaks with a depth we often miss.

Most people read that and think it means they will succeed. Paul wrote it as a declaration that he could remain anchored in Christ no matter what he was facing. Not because he was strong, and not because his circumstances were good, but because Christ was with him in the middle of all of it.

And when you understand what Paul meant, this verse becomes so much more than motivation. It becomes a lifeline.

The Context Of Philippians 4:13

Let’s briefly look at what lead Paul to write this verse. Paul wrote Philippians while under Roman house arrest.

He could not leave. He was chained to a guard. He depended on others for food and support. And he had no guarantee of how his trial before Caesar would end. Yet from that place of limitation, uncertainty, and suffering, Paul writes one of the most joy-filled letters in the entire New Testament.

As he nears the end of the letter in chapter 4, he tells the Philippians something he has learned through years of walking with Christ. He has learned that his circumstances do not have to determine his joy.

He writes that he has “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” Whether he has plenty or nothing, whether life feels good or painful, his contentment is not tied to what is happening around him.

It is tied to a person. Jesus.

That is the heartbeat of the entire passage. Paul is showing them, and us, that true joy and contentment are not found in having everything go our way. They are found in Christ himself. If you have Jesus, you already have enough.

And that is the backdrop for Philippians 4:13.

This verse is not about personal achievement. It is about the deep, steady contentment that comes from Christ alone, even when everything else in life is uncertain.

What Philippians 4:13 Means

Now that we see the context, we can hear Paul’s words the way he intended them. The power of Philippians 4:13 is not in the short inspirational phrase we often quote. It is in how Paul ties this sentence to everything he just described. So let’s look at it in two parts.

I Can Do All Things

When Paul says, “I can do all things,” he is not talking about accomplishing whatever he wants. He is pointing directly back to the list he just gave in verse 12. Hunger and plenty. Freedom and confinement. Days of abundance and days where he has nothing.

He is not claiming the ability to achieve. He is describing the ability to remain content.

The phrase “all things” is tied to those circumstances. Every high and every low. Every season that makes sense and every one that doesn’t. After everything Paul has walked through, he has learned that his joy no longer rises and falls with his situation.

Tim Keller said that true Christian contentment is “an inner calm that is rooted in something unshakeable.” That is exactly what Paul is describing. His peace is not fragile. It is not circumstantial. It is not dependent on comfort or success.

Paul is essentially saying, “There is no situation I will ever face where I cannot be content in Christ.”

That is the “all things.”

Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

And here is the second half of Paul’s message. His ability to remain content does not come from digging deeper into himself. It does not come from willpower, discipline, or positive thinking. It comes from Christ.

The word “strengthens” carries the idea of being empowered by someone outside of yourself. It is not inner motivational energy. It is grace. It is Christ supplying what Paul does not have.

Paul lived this. He was beaten, shipwrecked, ignored, imprisoned, and betrayed. Yet through every season, he discovered the same truth. Christ gives a kind of strength that circumstances cannot touch.

When we live our lives with God his princes becomes the sustaining center of everything else… That is what Paul is explaining here. Christ does not simply help him endure. Christ is his endurance.

Paul is saying that contentment is not natural. It is supernatural. You do not produce it. Christ supplies it. You do not hold yourself together. Christ holds you.

This verse is not about becoming unstoppable or achieving the life you want. It is about the quiet, steady strength that comes from knowing Christ is with you, supplying what you lack, and giving you the ability to live with peace and joy in every circumstance.

Even when storms come, you can walk through them with Christ. And not only endure them. You can find peace, joy, and contentment in the middle of them.

If you have Jesus, you truly have enough.

3 Practical Ways You Can Do All Things Through Christ

Philippians 4:13 is not a slogan to help us achieve our goals. It is an invitation to a deeper peace and a steadier joy in the middle of whatever we are facing. Here are three ways to live this out.

1. Don’t Let Your Circumstances Determine Your Joy

Most of us live with emotional whiplash. When life is good, we feel good. When life is difficult, everything in us unravels. Paul discovered another way. His joy was no longer tied to his situation but to his Savior. His circumstances changed often, but his contentment stayed rooted in something unchanging.

This does not mean we pretend everything is fine. It means we learn to anchor our joy in Christ rather than in the unstable conditions of life. Paul had every reason to complain. Yet he chose gratitude and rested in Christ.

Joy is not something life gives you.

Joy is someone you belong to.

2. Keep Your Eyes On Jesus

Paul did not find contentment by being strong. He found it by looking to the One who is strong enough to carry him. When we take our eyes off Jesus, our circumstances grow larger and God grows smaller in our minds. But when we turn our attention back to Christ, we remember who holds our lives.

Prayer, Scripture, worship, and Christian community are not religious tasks. They are practices that keep your heart anchored in the presence of Jesus. When you keep your eyes on him, you can face anything with the strength he provides.

3. Jesus + Nothing = Everything

This is the center of Paul’s message. If you have Christ, you have enough. Contentment does not come when life finally aligns with your plans. Contentment comes from Christ alone. Nothing you gain can add to him. Nothing you lose can take him from you.

Christ gives the strength you lack.

Christ provides the peace your heart longs for.

Christ is enough for every situation you will face.

If you have him, you truly have everything.

Philippians 4:13 is not about accomplishing every dream or pushing yourself into success. It is about discovering the steady, unshakeable contentment that comes from Christ alone. Paul learned that no circumstance could take his joy because no circumstance could take his Savior. And the same is true for you.

Whatever you are walking through today, you do not face it alone.

Christ is with you.

Christ strengthens you.

And if you have him, you already have enough.