Not Good Enough's

Have you ever felt you were not good enough, not worthy? Maybe not, but have you looked at someone else as not good enough? Not good enough of your time, your attention, your love, your affection or your assistance?

We may not want to admit it, and sure enough don’t like to talk about it, but it maybe true. Something to consider tonight as we go through this lesson. When we have those thoughts of not good enough, we need to remember that Jesus was not considered good enough. But by the work of Jesus, not only did He prove He was good enough to be your Savior but good enough for you to be good enough too.

In this series, Practical Christianity for Today’s World, we are looking at application. How can we, who are not good enough, be good enough to share about the one who is good enough to save us and them?

I. Not Good Enough Jesus

When you think of Jesus, why would anyone not think He is good enough?

He was just the son of a carpenter (Mt13:53-57)

Matthew 13:53–54 NASB95

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?

Matthew 13:55–56 NASB95

55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

Matthew 13:57 NASB95

57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”

He was a guy from Nazareth (Jn1:43-47)

John 1:43–44 NASB95

43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

John 1:45–46 NASB95

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

John 1:47 NASB95

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

He taught on a rock or a boat (Mt5:1; Lk5:3)

Matthew 5:1 NASB95

1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.

The temple was not his teaching ground, he was where the people were. He was on the mountain side, the lake side, the sea side and taught to the wayward since His own would not accept Him.

John 1:11 NASB95

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

He even taught from the boat

Luke 5:3 NASB95

3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.

He was not well received, in fact the religious folk judged Him, questioned Him and even tried to trick Him at times. (Mt21:23)

Matthew 21:23 NASB95

23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

Jesus was not thought of as good enough, but they had the wrong concept of good enough didn’t they? But you and I know He was, is good enough to save us, for we are not good enough to save ourselves.

They even challenged the not good enough on the cross (Lk23:36-37)

Luke 23:36–37 NASB95

36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!”

But the not good enough proved to be good enough when He rose from the dead. (Lk24:5-6)

As the women on the first day of the week went to the tomb the stone was rolled away.

Luke 24:5–6 NASB95

5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

So the proven good enough, risen from the dead fulfilled the prophesy of old so then He could fulfill other prophesy and save us. The one’s who really aren’t good enough

II. The Not Good Enough’s

(insert personal story here about not feeling good enough before and after baptism; needed to learn about my being good enough is found in Christ)

When you look at scripture we can know we cannot save ourselves, that not only does Christ die and rise again, He did it for us (Rom5:8)

Romans 5:8 NASB95

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Not feeling good enough at times look at what Paul has to say in (Rom3:10-18)

Romans 3:10–11 NASB95

10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God;

Romans 3:12–13 NASB95

12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”;

Romans 3:14–15 NASB95

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,

Romans 3:16–17 NASB95

16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And the path of peace they have not known.”

Romans 3:18 NASB95

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

There are none righteous no not one (v.10)

None good (v.12)

No one has a fear of God (v.18)

Paul showing the depravity of all men, but Roman’s written to Christians who still fall short

Romans 3:23 NASB95

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Do you ever feel you fall short? If so, you are not in bad company, another good example (Jn8:1-11)

Summarize it until (vv.10-11)

John 8:10–11 NASB95

10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

The not good enough’s cleansed by the One who was good enough, a reminder of (Rom5:8)

Romans 5:8 NASB95

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus stepped in for us, died for us, rose for us to intercede for us (Heb7:25)

Hebrews 7:25 NASB95

25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

For there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom8:1-2)

Romans 8:1–2 NASB95

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

And if that were not enough, lets press on more

Romans 8:3–4 NASB95

3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:5 NASB95

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Since you were made good enough by the the One who was considered not good enough. Good not on your own, but by the One who dwells in you now. Because of His Spirit, we have life so we can share that life, regardless of how we feel with others who may not be good enough in the world’s eyes, even our eyes at times to bring them to the One who is good enough.

III. Example of not good enough sharing the not good enough.

When you think of Peter what do you think of?

The one who would try to keep Jesus from the cross?

The one who denied Him 3 times

The one who was concerned about his suffering compared to the suffering of others?

But in reality we do think of him in some might ways

The one who knew and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, the son of the living God, who had the words of life

The one who tried to defend Jesus in the garden with the sword

The spokesmen of the Apostles who spoke that first sermon in which the church was born.

Acts 2:22–23 NASB95

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

Acts 2:24 NASB95

24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

Then a little later

Acts 2:32–33 NASB95

32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

And

Acts 2:36 NASB95

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

But that one, not good enough brought a message of the One who was good enough to save anyone who would call on His name

How about what another not good enough had to say (Eph2:1-10)

Ephesians 2:1–2 NASB95

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 2:3–4 NASB95

3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Ephesians 2:5–6 NASB95

5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:7–8 NASB95

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Ephesians 2:9–10 NASB95

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

So, practical Christianity for today’s world application for today is knowing that the One the world thought was not good enough is good enough to save the one’s who really are not good enough, so they can share the One who is good enough with others.

Maybe we can use just a small reminder

We were dead in our trespasses (V.1)

But God, rich in mercy saved us (v.4-5)

It is by grace through faith (vv.5, 8)

It is God’s gift to us to share (v.8)

Left us prepared for us work to do (v.10)

(Insert Invitation Slide)

We are made good enough only by the finished work of Jesus on the cross

When we realize it, believe it, obey it, then we are left to do something with it. Share it with others.

Go, be a person like the woman at the well, or like Paul who was not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation for all, the Jew first and then the Greek!