Let's open up our Bibles to the Word of God in Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4, we'll read verses 1 through 14, 1 through 14. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech you, Odius, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord, and I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, to help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving Let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. 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. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding, ye have done well that ye did communicate with my affliction." We read the word of God thus far and direct our attention now to the word of our text, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Our text, Beloved in Christ, is a very brief text. In the original Greek, simply merely five words. even briefer than as we have it here in the English. And yet, it is a text and it is a word of God that comes to us with extraordinary power and significance. The text, as you well recognize, is a personal confession of the Apostle Paul. And it's not a confession of a man who is proud and arrogant. It's not a confession that arises from conceit and self-confidence that characterized Paul. But it is a confession of faith on his part. Paul confesses in the words of our text The power that faith has and the power that faith gives to him as a believer and as an office bearer in the church. Remarkable power because faith in Christ enables him, as he puts it, to do all things. By faith he is able to say, I can do this. And this confession of Paul is the Word of God. And as the Word of God, therefore, it is a confession that every child of God can make and every child of God ought to make. and to make his or her own. We should all, as believers, say, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. From that point of view, therefore, the text could be used for many different occasions and applied in many different ways in the church. Could be used and applied to parents at baptism. They can confess this as they face the callings and responsibilities they have as parents in relation to their baptized children. It could be used at the occasion of a young person making public confession of faith. A young person can confess this truth and make this confession concerning what is before him or her as a confessing believer. And it could be used and applied to each of us as we face our many responsibilities in life as God's people. And it could be used and applied to every one of us as we deal with the unique circumstances and unique afflictions even that God brings upon every child of God. The believer by faith is able to confess, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But having said that, beloved, it's certainly appropriate that the application that we make this morning is to office bearers, to all office bearers, as well as specifically to the newly installed office bearers. After all, that's what Paul was. who makes this confession, and we'll be able to see shortly why it is appropriate that this be applied especially to office bearers as we learn what Paul means by what he confesses in this text. The work of an office bearer can seem to be daunting. especially for those who are in a particular office for the first time. The work of an office bearer is and can be a difficult work, a demanding work. Many duties and responsibilities are given to office bearers, as we were reminded this morning in the form for installation and ordination. The work requires much time and much effort. As an office bearer faces that work and seeks to carry out that work, it can be difficult also to persevere in that work. One naturally becomes weary in the work, especially when the work is difficult or when what is done as and by an office bearer is opposed by some. And it's also difficult for an office bearer to keep doing good work. with zeal and with true love and care for the sheep of Christ. The word of God before us, the text, over against all of that expresses the confidence that office bearers may have and can have in their calling and the ability they are given by Christ to carry out their calling. Consider, then, this text under the theme, Strength to Do All Things. And we'll notice, first of all, strength for what, strength from whom, and then the significance of this. In our text, the Apostle Paul makes a very bold statement. He says, I can do all things. Literally, he says, I am able to do all things. I have the strength, I have the power to do all things. And not simply, therefore, a matter of trying to do all things, but I can actually do them. I have the strength, I have the power to succeed in doing all things. That's the idea of Paul's confession, and he says that about all things. I am able to prevail and to succeed with all things, not simply some things or most things, but all things. A very bold confession. The Apostle speaks, as you will recognize, in absolute language. He uses language that is all-inclusive, and we may ask, how can Paul say that? And we may ask, how can anyone say that? And how can office bearers say that? We may even ask this. May they say that. May they say it. Well, to understand that the Apostle Paul can say this, we must consider, first of all, what Paul means by all things and what he meant by all things in his own confession concerning those things and in his own life. and work. The Apostle Paul, you understand, is not simply speaking of all things in general, so that if the Apostle Paul wanted to become the emperor of Rome, he could. He didn't mean that. Nor did the Apostle Paul mean that if he wanted to be a millionaire, he could become a millionaire. Nor did the apostle mean that if he wanted to become a great athlete, he could become a great athlete. I'm sure you have noticed that there are many who misuse this text in those kinds of ways. and make application of the text to their career, make application of the text to their work, make application of the text to their earthly goals, and even athletes making application of it to their accomplishments on the sports field. On Sunday, even. That's not what the text means. The Apostle Paul is not saying, and no one may ever say, Jesus Christ gives me strength to do whatever I want to do, whatever I set my heart and mind to do. That's not the meaning of all things. The Apostle Paul you understand, is speaking of and referring to his work in the kingdom and in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. He knows that Christ did the work of establishing his kingdom. He knows that Christ did the work of redeeming his elect by his death on the cross and bringing them into his kingdom and giving them a place in his kingdom. And therefore, not only earning for them the right to be in the kingdom, of God and the kingdom of heaven and in the church of Christ, but also giving to each of them and earning for each of them a specific place in his kingdom and in connection with that specific and unique place that Christ earns for everyone who belongs to him in his church. In connection with that, a specific calling that Christ gives them, and a specific work that He sets before that. Our salvation in Christ puts us into the body of Christ, and as members of the body of Christ, each member has a unique place in that body, and in connection with that place, a unique calling. calling according to the gifts and talents and time and circumstances that God gives to every person. And some members, in addition to the calling they have in the office of believer in the church of Christ, are given the calling to serve in the special offices in the church. the offices of minister, elder, or deacon. Therefore, while the text certainly applies to everyone, to every one of us here in connection with the unique callings that every one of us is given in the church, Paul has in mind first of all those who are in special office. He is thinking of himself and he is thinking of the place that he was given by Christ in the church. He was called to be an apostle. He was called, therefore, to be an office bearer in the church, one who represented Christ in his church specifically as a prophet, a preacher of the gospel. A missionary that was called and sent by Christ to bring the gospel to Gentiles, to those who were pagans and heathens and idol worshipers. And when the Apostle says in this text, and when the Word of God says here all things, it is referring to everything that the Apostle Paul had to do in carrying out his calling as an office bearer in the church of Christ. And Paul's work was not an easy work. You can read of the list of hardships that the apostle mentions in 2 Corinthians 11 verses 23 through 27. How many times he was beaten, how many times he was shipwrecked, how many times he was imprisoned. He faced hardships in the work itself. He faced hardships because he was hated, and he was opposed, and he was persecuted, and he was experiencing one of those hardships right now as he wrote this to the church in Philippi because he was in prison in Rome. And he faced the difficulty of bringing the gospel to pagans, heathens, and idolaters, those who had no interest in the word of God and those who were busy worshiping other gods and participating in all of the evil life that was connected to their idol worship. It wasn't an easy work. The Apostle says, and is saying here in the words of this text, if the calling that Christ has given me in the church is difficult, the duties and the responsibilities that I have been given and that have been set before me as a member of the church and now specifically as an office bearer in the church are weighty and serious and demanding, or if it is difficult work because of the hatred, the opposition, the persecution that I face, I can still do those things. Because I can do those things through Christ which strengtheneth me. I can do all that I am called to do as a servant of Christ in his church and in his kingdom. Regardless of what the work entails, I have the ability, I have the power, I have the strength to do it. That's what the Apostle Paul is confessing. And that's what all things means for us today, what all things means specifically now for office bearers today. A man who is called to serve in office is sometimes inclined to say, I cannot do it. And in that connection, inclined to find reasons why he cannot do it. The work is too difficult, he might say. My circumstances, my own personal circumstances in life make it impossible. I have too many other things to do. And I have many personal weaknesses. And there are certain things that a deacon is called to do that I am convinced I cannot do. There are certain things that an elder is called to do that I am convinced I cannot do. The text teaches that those things are not true. In spite of how it can seem, and in spite of how we might be inclined to think the man who has been called and ordained by Christ can say, I am able to do it. I have the strength to do all things that Christ calls me to do. The office bearer has that strength because Christ gives it. It's a fundamental part of being called into a special office in the church. Christ first calls a man to serve. gives him the work to do, sets before him his responsibilities and duties as an office bearer, but Christ also promises to and does qualify the man to do that work. He gives to those whom he calls the abilities that they need to do that work. That's really what our text is speaking of. When the apostle confesses that he has this strength through Christ who strengthens me, he is saying, Christ who has called me has also given to me as an office bearer the strength and the power that I need. Christ gives that by His Spirit. And Christ gives that by means of faith. Faith that unites us to Christ. Faith because of which there is a living connection between us and Christ. The office bearer as a man of God has that. and has received the Spirit in rich measure so that he is joined and united to Christ by faith in such a way that he receives special strength from Christ to do all the things that Christ calls him to do. What is significant, beloved, is how the text describes the giving of that strength. Christ strengthens me, the apostle says. And when he says Christ strengthens me, he doesn't mean that here he is and there Christ is over there. in heaven at God's right hand, and now somehow Christ sends me some strength now and then as I need it, gives it to me as it were externally, gives it to me like this, that while I'm this rechargeable battery that's dying and then Christ recharges me again, that's not. how this strength is given. But the way in which the text describes this expresses the idea that Christ is Himself the strength and the power that is in us. And He is that strength and that power constantly and continuously in us. The idea is that the office bearer possesses Christ himself and is all-powerful, I mean has the strength he needs because the all-powerful Christ is in him. Christ has all power in heaven and upon earth. He possesses it. He is sovereign over all. He rules and governs all things, also the church and everything in the church. And therefore, it is Christ who accomplishes things in the church, and it is Christ who accomplishes things in the lives of the members of the church. Men don't accomplish that. Office bearers don't accomplish that. Christ does. Christ does. But Christ is pleased to use men. And Christ is pleased to accomplish his work through men, through office bearers that he calls. And so he empowers them to do the work. and empowers them to do the work in spite of all of the hardships and challenges and difficulties of the work. He works in office bearers so that their strength is his strength, Christ's strength. And he works through office bearers so that their work Their accomplishments, so to speak, are Christ's work and Christ's accomplishments. And the point is this, beloved, having called a man to serve as an office bearer, Christ does not leave that office bearer alone. does not leave that man to fend for himself in the work that he gives him, but Christ strengthens him. And he doesn't just give him strength, but he strengthens him from within. And not just with strength to cope, but with strength that enables him to carry out the work. He makes him fit for the work that he is called by Christ to do. He gives him the ability to carry it out when he needs that ability. That doesn't mean that the work that office bearers do is perfect. They are sinful men. and their best works are, as is true of all of us, tainted with sin. But they are empowered and strengthened by Christ who is in them to do their work. He uses weak means, and he enables and equips them to do their work and even to do their work well in the church. He enables and he empowers them to do things that they are convinced they could never do. And everyone who has served in office has experienced that. Often an office bearer will say, how was I able to do that? How was I able to make that seemingly impossible visit? How was I able to say what I said at that meeting? How was I able to remain patient? How was I able to pray that prayer? How was I able to speak the words that I spoke? And the answer is always, Christ. Christ. And so the office bearer is able to say, because of the strength of Christ in him, regardless of the weight of the things that Christ calls me to do, I am able to do them. Regardless of how difficult the work is, because of Christ, I can do it. If I am called to be an elder, I can do the work. I can be a faithful watchman on the walls of Zion. And if I am called to be a deacon, I can do the work. I can faithfully show mercy and bring comfort to the sheep. I can because Christ is my strength. And the strength of Christ is always enough. What is the significance of all this? Well, first of all, The fact that Christ strengthens specifically now office bearers to do their work shows Christ's love for His church. Why does Christ provide office bearers? And why does He live in them so that they have the strength, His strength, to do their work? Christ does that because he laid down his life for his church. He laid down his life for his sheep. And he wills that his sheep be cared for. He wills that his sheep be admonished, that they be helped, that they be guided, that they be instructed, that they be comforted, that they be loved, that they be given hope, and peace and joy. Christ wills that for his sheep. And so he chooses men to provide that care. And in love for his precious sheep, he equips those men. He gives office bearers the strength they need so that they can be instrumental in providing for the eternal spiritual welfare and good of the sheep that he has purchased to himself by his blood. That first of all, significant because it shows the great love of Christ for his sheep. But significant in the second place, because of this, or in this way, that the text clearly implies that office bearers must never rely upon their own strength and ability. An office bearer may not say, nor may any one of us say in the callings that God gives to us in life, whether husband, father, wife, mother, parent, child, daily work, whatever it is that God calls us to do. We may never say, I have strength in myself to do this. We may never say, I have the ability in myself to cope with this. I have lots of experience. I have plenty determination and I have much wisdom that I can lean on and use in my work. I know how to handle things, these things that God calls me to do on my own, by myself. An office bearer may never say that. And it would be very foolish for a man to do that, to think that way and to speak that way, because then a man in his folly would not be relying upon Christ, the Son of God, the Almighty. And if he does not rely upon Christ, then his task will be impossible. If he does not rely upon Christ, then his work will be overwhelming, overwhelming. If he does not rely upon Christ, he will have to say, I cannot do all things. I cannot. When the text says, and when we make of that our confession that we can do all things through Christ, then we are saying not on our own, but only through Him. On our own we are weak, And if we try to do things on our own, our work in the church will fail. If we don't try to do our things, our work, our calling without Christ, the sheep will suffer. We are dependent on Christ, and we are dependent on Christ For strength, not only, but we are dependent on Christ also as office bearers and as believers for his mercy, his grace, his pardon for our weaknesses and for our failures and for our sins. Always and fully dependent on Christ. And so the office bearers in the church need to rely consciously on Jesus Christ and to live in close communion with him, to be men of faith who believe in and who seek and who trust in Christ. and who seek their strength from Him. And they need to be men of the Word, not only using the Word in their work, but daily turning to the Word for their own spiritual food. And they need to be men of prayer. Prayer as the chief means of grace, or the chief way in which we express gratitude, I mean, but as the way in which God has ordained for us to receive what we need. Ask, and it shall be given. It means to ask for the strength of Christ to do the work. And then thirdly, the significance of this text for us is this, that office bearers can have confidence in doing the work. They can confidently confess, I can, I can do it. Often the burden of the work is heavy. And often the circumstances of life are very difficult. There are sacrifices that must be made. Sometimes the sheep themselves are difficult and they argue and will not listen. And then there are the unexpected challenges that arise in the work that an office bearer is given. But all things are possible through Christ. And that's because we do not have a weak Christ in us. We do not have in us a powerless and an ineffectual Christ. But Christ is supremely powerful, and in his strength, the office bearer has the power to do all things. By faith, the office bearer can confidently say in the face of every duty and every responsibility and every task that Christ sets before him, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So may those whom Christ has called to represent Him here as prophet, priest, and king, as pastor, deacons, and elders, find their confidence and strength in Christ. And may we all as members of the church be thankful to Christ for our office bearers. and for these office bearers that Christ has provided us at this time. And let us remember, too, the words of 1 Thessalonians 5, 25, brethren, pray for us. Pray for your office bearers, pray for them often Surely and certainly they need our prayers. May God bless us then through the work of the office bearers that he has provided. Amen. Faithful God and Father in heaven, we thank thee for thy word. We thank thee for thy loving care of us as church, through providing what we need. Thou bless the office bearers that thou hast given and that thou hast newly or enabled us to newly install in this morning. And bless the other office bearers who continue in their labors as well. And may the strength of Christ be in them and direct them in everything that they are called to do in the church for the glory of thy name and for the welfare of thy sheep. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.