Our sufficiency is of God

May it please Almighty God to come into our midst tonight and direct all that is said and done, and that you and I, all those who are here, may have a hearing ear, and may God therefore bless us, we pray. Let's turn to the second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians in the third chapter, and we'll read verse five. The second epistle of Paul to the Corinthians and chapter 3 and reading verse 5.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. We're thankful that the Apostle Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, was able to write such important truths for us to recognise and consider.

Because he tells us here, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. and we can sometimes have a wrong spirit we can sometimes think that we have natural ability that can deal with situations.

And we rely upon our own natural acumen rather than looking to the Lord. And so here we have a statement really to correct such thinking. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves. We're not sufficient. We're not adequate. But there is a solution. But our sufficiency is of God. It's a great blessing.

Therefore, if you and I are dependent upon God's direction, dependent upon God's help, God's guidance, we have a God who has told us that we are to seek him, seek ye my face, call upon me in the day of trouble. There are many words in the scriptures to encourage us and to not rest on our own abilities because we're sinful. Our abilities are often found with sinful ways. We look and we consider what to do and what to say, and often they're influenced by our own evil heart.

Well, how good it is if you and I remember that our sufficiency is of God. We have a God who can help, a God who knows all that we need, and it's good, therefore, to always come to our God, whatever the situation. However we think we may be able to cope with something ourselves and come to a right conclusion, let us remember this great statement, but our sufficiency is of God.

The apostle in the previous verse tells us, for as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not within, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart. What a blessing if God has done that for you and me. He's written directions in our heart so that we're able to come and concur with what the Apostle says and such trust have we through Christ to God ward. Our motives should always be for the honour and glory of God.

We should not be worried what people think of us, how they judge us. If we have a good conscience before God, that we are doing His will and not our will. So we should recognize that God in His love, which He is, has given us His word and has given us such a statement as this, that our sufficiency is of God. And how good it is to realize this great truth.

The apostle, when he wrote the glorious 15th chapter, in this epistle to the Corinthians, sorry, the first epistle to the Corinthians, and he tells us this. So he looks at himself and he says, he tells us his testimony and says, and last of all he was seen in me also as a one born out of due time, for I am the least of the apostles. that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the grace of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace, which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all. Yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. That's a testimony we might take on board and remember. It's relevant, isn't it?

He confessed, although he was a learned man with great knowledge and wonderful revelations, he tells us this, quite categorically, for I am the least of the apostles and that I'm not meet to be called an apostle. The Lord humbled the Apostle Paul. It's good, you know, when you and I are humbled under the mighty hand of God, not to take the highest place, but to take the lowest place. and be willing to hear what God the Lord speaks to us, speaks to our very soul, speaks to our heart, directs us in that which is right. What a mercy then to have a God who does hear and answer prayer and to direct us in that right way and to realise therefore that you and I are not sufficient of ourselves, but we have a God who is, and a God who comes and directs us and instructs us in the things that we should do and the things that we can say. The Apostle Paul, as you know, wrote a number of epistles, a number of letters to the various churches, and it's good to realise what he wrote and how he wrote them and the instruction that he gives in them and we can read in the Epistle to the Philippians which I'm sure as you know has some wonderful statements with regard to the Savior in the third chapter which I often refer to but in the fourth chapter the Apostle speaks about himself and he says this I can do all things.

But he tells us the reason. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. What a wonderful statement that is. And how good it is if we realize that. In and of ourselves, we are weak and foolish and silly. but under the blessed influence of the Saviour. We can do all things. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

And that's in the 13th verse of the 4th chapter. And as we come down towards the end of this chapter, and we come to verse 19, this is what the Apostle tells us, but My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He had confidence in his God. He had confidence in the sufficiency that was provided. He's able to make this great statement. And he tells us in the previous verse, but I have all and abound.

I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable well-pleasing to God. And then he says, but my God. How wonderful, isn't it, to be able to come in with him and say, my God, the God who I worship, the God who I adore, the God who's looked upon me, the God who's had mercy upon me, so that we can humbly come and say, with the apostle, but my God shall supply. A humble confidence, isn't it? A godly confidence. An anticipation that as God had helped him thus far. We only have to read through, don't we?

The Acts of the Apostles and see how God was with the Apostle Paul. and supported him and strengthened him in his every time of need. It's not surprising, therefore, that he's able to declare such a truth. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. We know that those riches in glory are limitless. God and the Blessed Saviour has everything at his disposal. We shall not need anything that's necessary for us in this life. It doesn't mean to say we'll have everything that we want, but everything that is necessary for us in our life, our God will supply.

It's a wonderful and great and glorious truth, isn't it, to think of that. And so the Apostle writes to the Corinthians in the second epistle and tells them, not that we are sufficient of ourselves. Well, I hope we understand that. I hope we appreciate that. I hope we recognise that we're not sufficient of ourselves, even if we do have high and mighty ideas of our own abilities. Let's remember what the Apostle said, who was a very learned and very able person, but he writes like this, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves.

Well, it's good to be humbled, isn't it, under the mighty hand of God, that we may be exalted in due time, casting all our care upon Him, believing that He cares for us. Surely that's the great and wonderful blessing, isn't it, to think that the Lord Jesus Christ cares for such unworthy sinners.

He hasn't cast us off onto the rubbish dump, has He? Because if it was so, he wouldn't be here tonight. But it's because he's a merciful God and a gracious God. He remembers that we are dust. He remembers what we are. what a mercy it is to be able to come and commit ourselves to this God. And remember the words that the Apostle tells us, having made that statement, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of our God. So is that true tonight? Our sufficiency is of God. How humbling it is to recognise that God takes notice of us and doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve.

The Apostle in the next chapter, the fourth chapter, tells us such wonderful and glorious truths. In the sixth verse of the fourth chapter, he says this, which is a verse I often quote, it's so glorious. For God, who commanded the light, the light of the Gospel, commanded the light to shine out of darkness, What a mercy if you and I know that. And it's because of the sufficiency of our God who knows what we need. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Well, I hope we can all agree with that. I hope we can all believe it and thank God for it, that it's because of his wondrous love and mercy that he tells us such a grand and glorious truth.

For God none less for God himself who commanded, commands the light. You and I can't command the light, but our God can and our God does. For God who commanded the light to shine out of our darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Simple words, aren't they? But powerful words. And I wonder if you and I understand what they really mean.

Hath shined in our hearts as the light of the gospel shone into our hearts. Not because we're sufficient in ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. and He has caused the glorious light of the Gospel. Our eyes have been opened. We were born blind to the truth of God. But what a mercy if He's opened our blind eyes. And we can therefore rejoice in such a truth as this.

Who commanded, don't forget it's God, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness. We were born in darkness. We lived in darkness until God caused this light to shine, the glorious light of the Gospel. And what was it has shined in our hearts, not our mind, in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

How wonderful, if you and I can absorb the truth and the depth of such a wonderful statement. And the Apostle goes on to just explain our situation, but we have this treasure. What a treasure it is to be shown the glory of Jesus Christ to our hearts, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that's our natural body. Nothing that we can boast of ourselves that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Again, do we know anything of the power of God which is descending upon us into our hearts and it's revealed to us the glorious truth of the Gospel, so that we rejoice indeed in what the Lord Jesus Christ has done on our behalf.

He paid the price to redeem our souls. He willingly came. He knew the cost. He paid the price. And so to think that we have this treasure in our bodies, earthen vessels. God has made known unto us that the excellence and the power may be of God and not of us. You know, the power of God enters into the hearts of his people and it changes them. It changes them. They become a new creature. Old things are passed away. All things become new. And it's a wonderful blessing to know this favour of almighty God, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

You and I can't produce spiritual life, but it's God that does. It's a case for rejoicing. It's a case for praising our God. It's a case to recognize that our sufficiency is of God, not of ourselves. It's totally beyond us. But we have a God who is sufficient and a God who can and a God who does open our blind eyes.

It goes on, we are troubled on every side. Sometimes we understand what that means. Everything seems against us. Everything's against us. We have an evil heart all the time speaking against us and encouraging us to turn away from the things of God, encourages us to forget the things of God. No wonder he says, we're troubled on every side, yet not distressed.

We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed, because our sufficiency is of God. It's not our ability. No man can keep alive his own soul. We are dependent upon the grace of God. We are dependent upon what He has done.

And the Apostle tells us, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, and the life also of Jesus, might be manifest in our body. That glorious life which transmits spiritual life into our heart and shows us where we were, where we are, where we're going, but for the grace of God. It causes us to consider our ways and to consider Him. That's a great blessing, isn't it? God shows us where we are.

Yes, we're just carrying on. his poor world but then to consider him the Apostle speaks isn't he so powerfully with regard to that in the twelfth chapter to the Hebrews where he speaks and tells them it's a wonderful statement wherefore he says we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses Let us lay aside every weight, and let us be found looking unto Jesus. the author and the finisher of our faith, because he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, for consider him. Do we sometimes sit and ponder and consider him? Consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

This is the great and glorious Saviour that we have. Oh, my friends, may we be concerned then to really follow Him, to take up our cross and follow Him. It's a blessed path. It's a wonderful path because we are walking with the Saviour. No better place to be found, united to Christ, walking with him, hearing his voice. and to bless him for it and to realize what the Apostle says is so true.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Well, we have then such a wonderful Savior who has spoken such words to us, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, but to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.

Is that where we are tonight? Is our sufficiency of God? Have we given up looking to ourselves? Have we given up trying to justify ourself? We look out of ourselves. to the Saviour and in doing that we cannot but come and recognise what the Saviour has done on our behalf to redeem our souls.

It's worth again sometimes pondering that the Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gloriously left his throne in heaven, where he'd been since he rose from the earth. He'd been there and he now came back to this sinful earth to look and save his people, redeem them from all their sins. What a wonderful, wonderful saviour we have. He didn't back away to think that he came to save such unworthy sinners like you and me. It's good sometimes when we just ponder what we're like in the sight of God. You know, if God gives you a little view of what we're like, we have to hang our head in shame and confess our sins and pour out our heart to our God and plead that he would look upon us and have mercy upon us and rejoice then in what he did when he was on this earth. You think, The spotless, sinless Son of God spent 33 years in this sinful world in order that He might redeem your soul and my soul by paying the price to take away all our sins.

What a glorious, willing Saviour we have. Do we today thank Him? Have we thanked Him? Have we thanked Him for His finished work? Have we thanked Him for what He's done? And has He therefore given us that good hope, through grace, that it will indeed be well with our souls? Well with our souls. while life endures and all through eternity. Well, you know, the Apostle Paul tells us in his life, he said, it is expedient for me, doubtless. for me doubtless to glory. Sorry, let me say that again. It is not expedient for me to doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. And then he gives us a testimony of how the Lord revealed himself to him and showed him heavenly glories.

And he tells us this, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, well, that he was writing about himself. 14 years previously, God had come and blessed him. I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, whether in the body, I cannot tell. or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth such a one caught up to the third heaven.

And I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knoweth how he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. of such and one would I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth. But now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above, that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations that was given to me, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. You see, the Lord knows how to deal with us. The Lord knows how to keep us down. The Lord knows how to raise us up. And yet, you see, we're told the apostle besought the Lord three times that it might depart from him.

What was the response? The Lord could have, of course, done it to the apostle Paul. But what happened? The Lord said to him, my grace, unmerited favour is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. And what was his response? Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities than the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses. For Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong. What a mercy that is. And that's why surely we have such a statement as this fifth verse tells us, but our sufficiency is of God.

It wasn't the Apostle's sufficiency in and of himself. But God brought him to that willing state to bear the thorn in the flesh. He wasn't freed from it. He had to endure it. But God told him his grace, his free unmerited favour, he would grant and that his strength was made perfect in weakness.

It's good sometimes to just read and remember these truths, the words that the Apostle Paul was able to write from a personal testimony. He had experienced it. And isn't it wonderful to think that these things are true? They're not false, they're written. for our encouragement.

He tells us, I have become a fool in glory. You have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you. For in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. didn't have a higher view of himself, did he? He tells us in another place, he was indeed the chief of sinners. He didn't minimize the situation.

No, he was able to view himself in some measure as God saw him. And it's good for us today to realize that God looks into our hearts. You know, you and I might be very prim and proper in our outward walk, conversation but God looks at our heart and God sees what's there God sees whether there are no secret things or which are sinful and God has to deal with My friends, God does deal with and we can be very thankful that we have a God like that. A God who is mindful of us and a God who is merciful to us. And so we could thank God that we have this account of the Apostle Paul lifted up to the third heaven. and seen that glory of paradise and yet we're told he wasn't allowed to declare it but we just have that view that he was blessed by almighty God and we have a little testimony from him of this tremendous occasion and so it gives us again a little insight into the fact that there is a heaven to be anticipated. There is a place of paradise. The Word of God is not mythical. The Word of God is true. The Word of God tells us of those things which are to be looked forward to. that are to be enjoyed.

That's why the Apostle John, when he wrote the revelation, revelation of God to him when he was on the isle of Patmos, and he was able to tell us in the number of places, but in the seventh chapter, we're told, after this, I beheld and lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds and people and tons, stood before the throne and before the Lamb. The Lamb, of course, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders, and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes, and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation. The word of God tells us that you and I will pass through great tribulation. and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So only one way that you and I can be freed from our sin is being made white through the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in this temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them. nor any heat, for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains and waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

We just have a little view of the scene in glory. a wonderful place and that forever. So may we underestimate the glory of Emmanuel's land and be thankful tonight to come and understand this truth, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. we see in Christ all that is needful for our life on this earth and that which is needful to take us to glory when we die and to be with us and we with the Saviour and the whole Church of God throughout all eternity. Well, that's why the Apostle says, but our sufficiency is of God. It's not because we're sufficient of ourselves, we're not at all.

And it's good when we look out of ourselves to the glorious sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that sacrifice that he was so willing to pay, and it was none less than his life. Willing to sacrifice his life as that Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. To realise that by his grace, We are complete in Him. Not because of what we've done, but because of what He's done on our behalf to redeem our soul.

That's why in this third chapter of the second Corinthians, we can then read now, the Lord is that spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image. from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Well, may God direct us, and may God bless us, and instruct us, and may we have the wonderful evidence that our sufficiency is of God. All that we need, naturally, all that we need spiritually is of God. And that brings us then to that great truth, to God be the glory, great things he hath done. Amen.

Our sufficiency is of God

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Our sufficiency is of God

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