Philippians 4:23 - Grace for the Journey

In Philippians 1:2he writes, "Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and fromthe Lord Jesus Christ." Now in the last verse he writes, "Thegrace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Grace is thebookends of this letter. Grace brought us into the family of God. Gracesustains us every day. And grace will carry us safely Home. We never outgrowour need for God's grace. Sometimes people think that grace is only forsalvation. They say, "I was saved by grace, but now I must live theChristian life on my own." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Thesame grace that saves us also strengthens us, teaches us, forgives us, restoresus, and keeps us until the day we see Christ face to face. Paulunderstood this. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace ofGod I am what I am." He did not say, "I used to need grace."He said, "Everything I am today is because of God's grace." When thethorn in the flesh was not removed, the Lord said to Paul in 2 Corinthians12:9, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfectin weakness." Notice that Jesus did not promise to remove everyburden. He promised sufficient grace. Grace for every trial. Grace for everydisappointment. Grace for every temptation. Grace for every sorrow. Grace forevery opportunity to serve Him. That is why I have entitled today's chat, “Gracefor the Journey." Aswe have traveled through Philippians, we have discovered that the Christianlife is a journey. In chapter one we learned to have a single mind, living forChrist and the Gospel. In chapter two we learned to have a submissive mind,following the example of our humble Savior. In chapter three we learned to havea spiritual mind, pressing toward the prize and refusing to trust in the flesh.And in chapter four we learned to have a secure mind—rejoicing in the Lord,praying instead of worrying, thinking on the right things, being content inevery circumstance, and trusting God to supply every need. How do we live thatkind of life? Only by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Youmay remember what we have said several times throughout this study: theChristian life is not difficult—it is impossible apart from Christ. We cannotrejoice in every circumstance by our own strength. We cannot love our enemiesby our own strength. We cannot have peace that passes understanding by our ownstrength. We cannot overcome anxious thoughts by our own strength. We cannot becontent in every situation by our own strength. But what we cannot do, Hisgrace enables us to do. His grace is not merely God's favor toward us.Itis God's power working in us. It is Christ living His life through us. Perhapsthat is why Paul specifically says,“Thegrace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Graceis not an abstract idea. Grace is found in a Person. Everything we need isfound in Jesus. John tells us in John 1:16, "And of His fulness haveall we received, and grace for grace." Every day we draw upon Hisfullness. As yesterday's grace is spent, today's grace is supplied. Tomorrow'sgrace will be there when tomorrow arrives. God never asks us to live today onyesterday's grace, nor does He expect us to borrow tomorrow's grace. He givesus exactly what we need for each day. I have often thought about Paul's ownlife.Hehad been beaten. He had been imprisoned. He had been shipwrecked. He hadsuffered hunger, loneliness, rejection, and persecution. Yet when he comes tothe end of this letter, he does not complain. He does not express regret. Hesimply points everyone back to the grace of Jesus Christ. That tells me thatgrace is enough. It was enough for Paul. It is enough for us. Aswe conclude our study of Philippians, I hope you will remember the greatlessons God has taught us. Remember to keep your eyes on Christ. Remember thatjoy is found in Him, not in your circumstances. Remember that peace comesthrough prayer. Remember that your thoughts shape your life.