Living in the Goodness of God's Provision

LIVING IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD’S PROVISION

An Exposition of Philippians 4:19

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date:   March 31, 2019

Series: Philippians: Gospel Partnership on Mission in the World

Note:   Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says, through the apostle Paul:

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

INTRODUCTION

The difference between God and humanity is vast. God is all-powerful; we are weak. God is all-knowing and all-wise; we are ignorant and foolish. God is all-glorious; we are ordinary, unremarkable, and – on account of our sin – shameful. God is infinitely resourceful and totally self-sufficient; we are poor creatures who are dependent on God for our existence and sustenance. God is always in the position of generous giver; we are always in the position of recipient.

And yet, some of you may have come to service this morning with very little thought about the glory of God and very little thought about your dependence on His generous provision. Which would mean that your mindset is contrary to reality, because reality is what Paul sets forth in Philippians 4:19 – God is the glorious and gracious supplier, and our most basic responsibility is to recognize His incomparable glory and rely on His fatherly care.

When we lose sight of our creaturely dependence on God, we go astray of the other instructions that are given to us in Philippians 4. Take Philippians 4:6, for example. How will we “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let [our] requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6), unless we actually trust our heavenly Father to take care of us?

LIVING IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD’S PROVISION

I have titled this sermon “Living in the Goodness of God’s Provision.” Philippians 4:19 is a promise for provision – “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (italics added). This promise teaches us to depend on God for our every need – as an individual, as a family, and as a congregation. In order to understand this promise, I want to ask and answer four questions: 1) Who is this promise for? 2) Who is this promise from? 3) What does this promise mean? 4) What difference does it make?

Question 1: Who is this promise for?

The first question is: who is this promise for? This promise is not a general promise to all of humanity. Instead, this promise is a specific promise to God’s redeemed people. When Paul says “every need of yours” (italics added), he is obviously referring to the recipients of his letter, namely, the believers in the church of Philippi. But we rightly understand that Paul’s apostolic instruction to the believers in Philippi are applicable to all believers everywhere.

That said, it would be over-simplistic to just say that this promise is for those who identify themselves as believers. After all, there is a world of difference between empty professors of an abstract faith and energetic possessors of a lively faith. Which one are you?

In terms of how Paul presents the life of faith in Philippians, it would be better to say that this promise is for faithful believers who love Christ and love Christ’s church and live for Christ’s kingdom. Paul addressed the Philippians as “saints [or holy ones] in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1). Paul identified them as “[partners] in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5) who shared in Paul’s trouble (Philippians 4:14) and supported his ministry (Philippians 4:15-17). Paul said that the Philippians “always obeyed” (Philippians 2:12) – so they weren’t just hearers of the word, they were “doers of the word” (James 1:22). God had “[begun] a good work” (Philippians 1:6) in the Philippians and God was continuing to “[work in them], both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13) – so their lives were being transformed, by the power of God, from the inside out. The Philippians were true worshipers who “worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). And Paul encouraged the Philippians to continue putting into practice what they had learned, to continue devoting themselves to advancing the gospel and edifying the church, to continue loving each other in Christ-like, sacrificial ways. The promise of Philippians 4:19 is only for such people as these who love the Lord and are walking in obedience to His instructions. In other words, the promise of Philippians 4:19 operates on the same principle as the promise of Matthew 6:33.

In the well-known passage from Matthew 6, Jesus gave a command and promise: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) The promise is that “all these things” – which in context refers to food and clothing and, by application, to the basic necessities of life – the promise is that God will meet your needs. But who is the promise for? The promise is for those who “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” Philippians 4:19 works the same way: God promises to supply the needs of those who love and follow Jesus. If you are one of those who love and follow Jesus, then this promise is for you: your heavenly Father will attend to your needs.

Perhaps you have come to service this morning and, if you are honest, you recognize that this promise doesn’t apply to you, because you don’t love and follow Jesus. You’re not seeking God’s kingdom as the first priority. You’re not walking in the ways of the Lord. You’re not participating in the life and mission of the church. You’re of a different spirit, and you’re not in fellowship with the living God. If that describes you, then it is quite true that Philippians 4:19 doesn’t apply to you. Maybe you are a smug, self-sufficient, self-absorbed person who thinks you are savvy in looking after yourself; maybe you are simply aloof and far from God; or maybe you are an anxious mess who feels that it all depends on you, and the feeling is too much to bear. No matter how religious or irreligious you think you are, if you don’t know Christ, then God stands against you and your sinful refusal to trust Him. Scripture says:

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:35-36)

It is true, of course, that God gives “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25) to everyone, including unbelievers. God causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). Whoever you are, there is no provision that you have that hasn’t come to you from the hand of God. But the point of Philippians 4:19 isn’t this general provision given to all without distinction. The point of Philippians 4:19 is that God takes special care to look after the needs of His believing children: God is for His people and actively undertakes to support them as an expression of His fatherly care for them. And the point of John 3:36, one of the verses that I just read, is that if you are outside of Christ, if you don’t live with trusting obedience to God’s Son, then you actually have an adversarial relationship with God: “the wrath of God remains on [you].” Instead of being for you, God is actually against you – and God is not pleased that you take the multitude of His gifts and use them as fodder and strength for your disobedient and unholy life.

Nevertheless, I have good news for you: the man who is an enemy of God this very moment, might soon become a friend of God; the woman who is at enmity with God this morning, might be reconciled to God before Noon. And this is because God has made a way for His enemies to be forgiven and put right. Scripture says,

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:6-8)

This gospel promise is for those who believe. Why not you? Christ didn’t die for nice people who need a little pick-me-up; Christ died for thoroughly sinful people who need a blood-bought deliverance from the power of sin and death. God’s standing order to all of humanity is repent and believe. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Turn from your sin, turn from your morality, turn from your religiosity, turn from your brand of politics, turn from your smug self-satisfaction, turn from your self-absorbed despair, and trust in Jesus Christ alone as the Savior and Satisfier of your soul. Then the Philippians 4:19 promise of God’s gracious supply will be for you also, and that would be a very happy thing!

Question 2: Who is the promise from?

The second question is: who is the promise from? In one sense, of course, the promise is from Paul: “And my God will supply every need of yours” (italics added). Nevertheless, we must understand that Paul is writing as an authorized agent of King Jesus (Philippians 1:1), and that Paul is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So ultimately this promise is from God, through Christ, and made known to us by the Spirit-inspired Word.

Even so, we should ponder for just a moment the significance of Paul’s testimony here. When Paul says “my God,” he implies that he, in his own experience, has found God to be a faithful provider of his every need. He has learned to have God-centered contentment in all situations. He has learned to receive strength through Christ in the face of all circumstances. He has learned that Christ’s power rests powerfully upon him in his weakness, and it is Christ’s power that makes him strong (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). He has learned that “the Holy Spirit” and “the power of God” are with him in the midst of profound suffering (2 Corinthians 6:6, 7). He has learned the gospel paradox of being “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” (2 Corinthians 6:10) Though he faced much suffering and loss, there was in Paul no sour grapes, no bitterness, no grumbling. How could he be anything but enveloped in God’s peace? The triune God was with him and for him, and that is more compensation that anyone deserves. On top of all this, Paul had just received practical assistance from the Philippians, and what did he say? “I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent” (Philippians 4:18) And now Paul assures that Philippians that the same God who so faithfully took care of him would also take care of them: “I am well supplied…. And my God will supply every need of yours.”

But beyond the powerful testimonial aspect of Philippians 4:19, this verse stands forth ultimately as a promise from God. As Holy Scripture, God is speaking to us in verse 19 and He is assuring us that He will supply our every need. The God who created the world and everything in it, the God who so loved our dead-end sinful world that He sent His Son in order to bring salvation to it, the God who formed you in your mother’s womb and has sustained your life to this very day, the God who has furnished you with innumerable supports and helps for 10 or 20 or 40 or 80 years, the God who made you alive – if you are a Christian – who made you alive when you were dead in your sins and who breathed spiritual life into your heart and brought you into repentance and faith, the God who has given you the Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen you, this God promises to shepherd you until the end and supply you with every need along the way. Do you trust Him?

This promise is indeed trustworthy, and it is trustworthy precisely because the faithful God is the One making the promise. The most mature Christians are imperfect in their reliability, but God is totally reliable and always makes good on His promises. Further, the God who makes this promise in verse 19 is infinitely resourceful and infinitely rich. God says:

“For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” (Psalm 50:10-12)

All of the world’s holdings – indeed all of the universe’s holdings – belong to God. If someone were to say: South Baptist Church will supply every need of all you people according to its modest resources, that wouldn’t inspire much confidence, would it? People have modest resources, and even those resources are on loan from God.

But the promise of verse 19 is much better: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (italics added). All of God’s vast wealth – material as well as spiritual – is invested in Christ. God created all things through Christ and for Christ (Colossians 1:16). Christ upholds all things (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3). By the Father’s appointment, Christ is the rightful “heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2). Christ is also the true mediator of all spiritual blessing, as is conveyed in the John 3:35 passage – “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.” (John 3:35) And likewise in Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). “[All] the promises of God” – including the promise of Matthew 6:33 and Philippians 4:19 that God will take care of our practical needs – “all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus Christ]” (2 Corinthians 1:20). At this very moment, the Lord Jesus Christ is seated in the place of sovereign authority at God’s right hand, and “[all] authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [him]” (Matthew 28:18). Our sovereign King has promised to be “with [us] always” as we seek to serve and advance the interests of His kingdom (Matthew 28:20). God’s fatherly care and infinite wealth, and our creaturely weakness and need, meet in one place and one place only: “in Christ Jesus.” Out of the glorious riches that are found in Christ, our heavenly Father generously supplies our practical needs.

Therefore, since you have such a wealthy and trustworthy Father in heaven: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) And: “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)

Question 3: What does this promise mean?

Now to the third question: what does this promise mean? The promise itself is simple and straightforward: “And my God will supply every need of yours.” At the most basic level of our hearts, we ought to have a simple, childlike trust in our heavenly Father, and not protest the details of his providential management of our lives. At the same time, God wants us to be wise in our understanding – this is one of the reasons He gave us the whole Bible! – and therefore we must seek to understand verse 19 in light of the other things that Scripture teaches.

Let’s begin with a simple but important clarification. God’s promise to “supply every need of yours” is not a promise to give you everything you want or everything you think that you need. The cravings of our heart can run amok, our desires can grow inordinate and unruly, and our sense of need can become imbalanced and unreasonable. Remember: God is all-knowing and all-wise, and we are ignorant and foolish. As we ourselves grow in God’s wisdom, we will realize that God’s promise to meet our needs isn’t a promise to be in the upper class or upper middle class, isn’t a promise to have the latest upgrade, isn’t a promise to successfully rival your well-to-do neighbors. So humble your heart, and trust your God!

Another lesson that we must learn regarding the promise of verse 19 is that God’s promise to “supply every need” doesn’t mean that we won’t have seasons and stretches where our needs are not met. In other words, God’s promise to “supply every need” isn’t a promise to meet every need immediately and without any suspense. The reason it is important to say this is because of Paul’s own testimony in Philippians 4. Paul sees no contradiction, and we should see no contradiction, between the promise of verse 19 and the circumstances of verses 12. Look at verse 12: God’s promise to meet Paul’s need didn’t prevent Paul from “[being] brought low” and from facing hunger and need (Philippians 4:12). So Paul envisions seasons or stretches of time in which we are brought face to face with our own neediness, and that circumstance of neediness isn’t immediately lifted, but we cling to the promise and await God’s answer. Yes, “God will supply every need,” but in His perfect wisdom He may not release the provision until some time has passed, and we must understand that this is for our good. God isn’t just committed to meeting our outward, practical needs; He is even more fundamentally committed to teaching us to rely on Him, to learn a deeper contentment, to experience His peace inwardly even when circumstances are turbulent outwardly (Philippians 4:6-7, 11-13).

Further, God’s promise to “supply every need” isn’t a promise to spare us the painful realities of persecution. On the contrary, the painful realities of persecution are actually one of God’s blessings to us, that we might share in the sufferings of Christ and “[become] like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). As Paul told the Philippians in Chapter 1: “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). There is no contradiction between “[suffering] – and suffering need – “for his sake,” and God’s promise to “supply every need.” In America, our experience of persecution is minimal at present, but globally and historically the reality of persecution is intense. Christians are arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and killed; church buildings are destroyed; believers are pushed to the margins of society, and livelihoods are lost. Hebrews 12 reminds us of God’s faithful people who

“suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated – of whom the world was not worthy – wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” (Hebrews 12:36-38)

Brothers and sisters, destitute circumstances and delayed provisions and difficult persecutions must be understood alongside the Philippians 4:19 promise, otherwise your weak faith will be deflated over every difficulty and every delay that you have to experience. You are not supposed to trust God’s promise only after He comes through for you (which would mean you are living by sight and not by faith); you are supposed to trust God’s promise before He comes through for you, and you keep holding onto Him and you wait patiently until the answer comes. And if you are put to the sword, then the glorious answer will come when you rise again in the resurrection, and there in the splendor of God’s presence in the new heaven and the new earth, having been raised to eternal life and clothed in immortality and glorified with Christ, you will say: My God supplied “every need of [mine] according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

So what does this promise mean? It is difficult to improve on the way that John Piper has explained Matthew 6:33, which carries the same meaning as Philippians 4:19. Piper says: “[God] will give us all that we need to do the will of God.”[1] In other words, God will supply you with whatever you need in order to carry out His will. And if you don’t have it yet, you don’t need it yet! What the wise 18^th-century pastor John Newton said regarding circumstances may be rightly applied to the whole issue of the nature and timing of provisions. Newton said, “All shall work together for good; everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds.”[2] Brothers and sisters, that statement captures the attitude of trusting God: we do not judge the promise through the window of our circumstances; instead we judge our circumstances through the window of His promise. “[Everything] is needful that He [supplies]; nothing can be needful that He withholds.” Yes, and amen.

4) What difference does it make?     

Now to the fourth and final question about verse 19: what difference does it make? What difference should this promise make in your life? What impact should the promise have on you? Your duty, of course, is to receive and believe this promise. And believing this promise should impact you in at least three significant ways.

The first significant impact is that the promise that “God will supply every need of yours” should settle your heart into the joy, peace, and contentment that we have learned about in Philippians 4:4-13. Have you heard of Elizabeth Cheney’s poem “Overheard in an Orchard”?

“Said the robin to the sparrow,

“I should really like to know,

Why these anxious human beings

Rush about and worry so.”

Said the sparrow to the robin,

“Friend I think that it must be,

That they have no Heavenly Father,

Such as cares for you and me.””

The promise of the Father’s care reduces anxiety, generates a calm spirit, and promotes good sleep.

The second impact is that the promise that “God will supply every need of yours” should keep our hearts God-centered when we consider the secondary means that God uses to supply us. God almost always uses secondary means in order to meet our needs. Often he uses our own diligent labor. Over and over again, God’s Word exhorts us to take appropriate responsibility for the maintenance of our lives: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10) And to those who were running away from their responsibilities, Paul charged: “Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their own work quietly and to earn their own living.” (2 Thessalonians 3:12) All this is good and right, but Philippians 4:19 reminds us that all our provision, including the provision that comes to us through gainful employment, is from the Lord. The opportunity to work, the strength to work, the skill to work, and the wealth or income generated by work, is all gift. You came into this world with nothing, and everything you have is a gift: “Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil – this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19) Brothers and sisters, work diligently. But do not work as if it depends on you. Instead work Christianly, knowing that both the work and the wealth that derives from it, depend on God.

Of course, God also uses other secondary means in order to meet our needs. Ordinarily the needs of young children get met from their parents. You might get help from your family members. You might get a bumper crop in your garden this year. You might receive a large inheritance. You might get help from your fellow Christians in the same way that Paul got help from the Philippians.  

When Paul received gifts (Philippians 4:18) and “help for [his] needs” from the Philippians (Philippians 4:16), he didn’t see the Philippians as the ultimate source of the help. Paul understands, of course, that the Philippians were meaningfully involved in the gift-giving, and so he expresses his appreciation: “Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.” (Philippians 4:14) But there can be no doubt that he saw the gift as ultimately coming from God through Christ. Thus his entire discussion about having needs and giving gifts to meet needs in Philippians 4:10-20 is set in the context of worship. In verse 10, Paul “rejoiced in the Lord greatly” (Philippians 4:10) on account of the Philippians’ concern and generosity. In verse 20, Paul rendered praise to God: “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:20)

The truth of the matter is that God is supplying your needs continually – every day, every hour! – and He almost always does it through very ordinary means. Appreciate the means, but make sure that your eyes should always be on Him. Regardless of how the provision got to you – assuming, of course, that it came to you lawfully and not through fraud or theft – whether it is the provision of a paycheck or the provision of stock value increase or the provision of an inheritance or the provision of generous gifts from other people, first and foremost give thanks to God for His gracious provision. All provision is from Him, and all praise belongs to Him.

This leads straightaway into a third impact that Philippians 4:19 should have on you. We should desire to be conduits of God’s generous supply to other people. So hear this: the promise that “God will supply every need of yours” should free you to be generous to others.

Remember that verse 19 comes on the heels of verses 14-18. What is happening in Philippians 4:14-18? Giving is happening! The Philippians have partnered with Paul in the ministry of the gospel; they have shared in Paul’s trouble; and on multiple occasions they have given out of their own resources in order to support Paul and his work. So we must understand that the promise of provision (v. 19) is given to those who are giving their resources to the cause of the gospel (v. 14-18). Verse 19 isn’t a promise to self-absorbed hoarders; verse 19 is a promise to Christ-loving givers. Are you a giver?

Further, remember the larger context of Philippians. Philippians 2:6-8 and 2 Corinthians 8:9 teach us that the Lord Jesus Christ moved from a high position of infinite wealth in heaven to a position of lowliness on earth, in order to bring the wealth of God’s grace to poor sinners like us. As followers of Christ, we are to clothe ourselves in this Christ-like attitude of humility and love: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4) Lovingly devoting ourselves “to the interests of others” can get expressed in dozens of ways, and many of those ways involve using our resources in order to bless, help, and strengthen others. If you are stuck on “selfish ambition” (Philippians 2:3) and storing up treasure for yourself, then you are living contrary to the spirit in which the promise of provision is meant to be received.

Here is the point: God’s promise of continued provision is meant to bolster continued giving! God loves to meet the needs of generous givers!

Jesus told a parable about a rich man whose “land… produced plentifully” (Luke 12:16). But instead of thinking about how he could use his increase of wealth in order to honor God and advance His kingdom and love other people, he thought only about himself. The rich man was a self-absorbed man who wanted to a self-dependent, self-sufficient man who was self-secure in his own stored-up wealth – so he built bigger barns to store up his wealth for himself (Luke 12:17-19). Jesus called this man a fool, and when the rich fool died, his soul was shown to be poor in spiritual riches (Luke 12:20-21). After telling this parable, Jesus instructs his disciples: “Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” (Luke 12:22) Jesus said that pagans “seek after” food and clothing, but your heavenly Father knows all about your needs and He will take care of you (Luke 12:30-31). And the practical application is that if trust in your heavenly Father, you will do just the opposite of what the rich fool did. You will think about your wealth in terms of how you can honor God and advance His kingdom and love other people. This is what Jesus says:

“… seek his kingdom, and these things [food, clothing, provision] will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:31-34)

Not: ‘Keep! Keep! Keep!’ But: Give! Give! Give! And why? Because your heart has been captured by the glory of God’s kingdom. And you have a faithful heavenly Father who has promised to take care of you. Therefore, you don’t have to be self-secure in stored-up wealth, because you’ve got God’s promise that He will supply what you need. Therefore, you are free to give generously to support the mission of the gospel and to care for other people. Therefore, give!

Friends, Philippians 4:19 is not intended to promote a self-enclosed bubble of provision all stored up in the four walls of your house. Instead this promise is intended to promote God’s kingdom of self-giving love in which His generous provision flows to you and then through you for the good of others.

Living in the goodness of God’s provision means freedom to give generously in order to love others and advance Christ’s kingdom. May freedom for such generosity increase among us! And remember these words: “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.” (Psalm 37:25-26)

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:19-20) 

Let us pray.

ENDNOTES

[1] John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006: p. 117 (also see Piper’s comments on p. 118). Further, watch John Piper’s short three-minute video on the same subject: “God Will Give You Everything You Need,” May 27, 2014, published by Desiring God. Available online: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-will-give-you-everything-you-need.  

[2] John Newton, “Dependence on Christ – God’s Prescriptions.” August 19, 1775. Available online: http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/newton/letter04.htm.