The Breastplate of Righteousness pt. 3

Is Jesus Enough?

Is Jesus enough for you?

I want you to think about this question as we move forward this morning and into the days to come. Is Jesus enough?

3 things that got me off track:

1- Someone promising me something that they didn’t come through with.

2- Someone saying something that hurt.

3- Someone saying something that hurt that made me think over the last thing that hurt.

I’ve battled feelings of inadequacy…insecurity…self-doubt…anger.

Now I haven’t been in a deep pit. I’ve known the truth all along the way…but still the battle raged.

In the last few weeks I’ve realized that even though the Lord has brought me so far…I’m still really broken.

There are areas of my life where I’m strong, but others not so much.

Are we willing to recognize our brokenness?

Sometimes we are broken, but we don’t want to admit it.

Sometimes we are broken, but we just don’t see it.

Sometimes we are broken and we think something else will fix it besides God. Even if we aren’t consciously thinking that.

I realized I was like Naaman.

2 Kings 5:1 “Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.”

That’s us. Mighty in some ways, but really broken in others. We are lepers.

2 Kings 5:2–16 NKJV

And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.” So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

Are you willing to be fixed the right way? Or are you going to try and find the solution that your flesh wants?

Is Jesus enough or do you need something bigger, greater, more impressive to others?

Time when Heather and I began seeking words, but not God.

Lots of people right now are wanting a move of God…but do they want God?

Lots of people are wanting revival…but are they allowing God to revive them?

Sometimes God will fix you, but it won’t be the way you expect or want.

Is Jesus enough?

When you come to church are you coming to be seen…or to see?

Are you coming for God to do something…or to honor and worship Him even if He doesn’t do one thing for you.

Nothing else song. Jesus you don’t owe me anything.

There’s more to Naaman’s story though.

2 Kings 5:16-19 “But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.” Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.”

Why dirt?

Exodus 20:23-24 “You shall not make anything to be with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.”

This was Naaman’s reminder that God was enough.

This was Naaman’s reminder that God healed him and not himself.

This was Naaman’s reminder that he almost missed it because of what he thought God should do!

Genesis 3:19 “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.””

John’s ties

So what does this have to do with the Breastplate of Righteousness?

Psalm 31:9-13 “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.”

Reminder that we are all broken.

Psalm 31:1-2 “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.”

I am broken, but Jesus is not.

I’m not ok, but Jesus is.

There are lots of things that are wrong with me, but everything about Jesus is right!

We are delivered by His righteousness!

We need to bring our wrongness into subjection to His rightness!

His rightness was extended to us at the cross.

Our sins are washed away and forgiven.

Wholeness

Peace

Joy

His righteousness can deliver us from all of our wrongness…but we have to believe that Jesus alone is enough.

We have to be willing to submit to what He wants instead of pushing through with what we want!

Pray