Your Spiritual Supplements
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I want to talk about where our strength comes from… where our qualifications or sufficiency comes from. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that we are self sufficient.
Our sufficiency is from God
Our sufficiency is from God
Look at what Paul said.
5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
Paul was confident in his ministry but that confidence came through Jesus. He did not think or claim that his knowledge or skill had anything to do with his ministry. It all came from the Lord.
Paul recognized that his sufficiency came from Jesus.
Every morning I take an increasingly large amount of supplements. It’s the main reason I always eat something for breakfast… so my stomach will not just have all those supplements in it.
It made me wonder, what spiritual supplements are we taking every day.
Your Spiritual Supplements
Your Spiritual Supplements
1. His Death on the Cross is sufficient for my salvation
1. His Death on the Cross is sufficient for my salvation
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
What does this mean?
Jesus completely saves you and me
Jesus completely saves you and me
No one can add to what Jesus did for you. His death paid the price for all sin… they are forgiven.
24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. 27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Jesus gives us direct access to God
Jesus gives us direct access to God
22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Jesus always intercedes for you and I.
Jesus always intercedes for you and I.
Jesus is always looking out for us and for our interests. He is always next to the Father telling him our needs and desires.
Imagine having the best chef preparing every meal with you… the best doctors in the world always with you… the best golfer of all time helping your swing. Imagine the one and only Creator and Savior of the world, the expert at solving all of your biggest and most worrisime problems along with the small concerns working on your case all the time… You don’t have to imagine, he has put His Spirit in you and he is alway talking to the Father about you.
2. His strength is sufficient for my weaknesses
2. His strength is sufficient for my weaknesses
29 He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak.
When my dad flew P51 planes, there was a label on his cockpit dash that said WEP. It stood for War Emergency Power. If he found himself in a situation where he needed a little more power than the engine would normally give him, he could bend the throttle past the max point and push it to WEP and get more power from the engine for a short period of time.
That’s what Isaiah is saying God does for us. He gives that extra strength to you when you are tired and worn out and have become weak… he gives you WEP.
3. His authority is sufficient for my struggles
3. His authority is sufficient for my struggles
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
Jesus had authority over everything. He had the authority to heal… raise people from teh dead… to forgive sins… over the devil… over death.
Jesus has all authority
Jesus has all authority
This authority was spoken of by Daniel in
13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
and by Paul
9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the verse people today hate… but let me tell you. Every knee will bow… doesn’t matter who they are or who they think they are…
Since Jesus has all authority we can obey and follow him confidently because He has everything under control.
Jesus not only has all authority but he shares that authority with us. He doesn’t want any one to perish...
9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.
He wants everyone to be restored to God so he has given us the mission to finish…
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Go is not a command, it’s a present participle that actually means … as you go...
Jesus is giving us this mission that as we go… go about our daily routines… go to work… to the grocery… as we go we are to make disciples.... to baptize… to teach…
IOW we are to be witnesses for the Lord everywhere we are… we are never off duty.
4. His power is sufficient to restore me
4. His power is sufficient to restore me
14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
When we grow tired and fall, God gives us His restoration power. He will lift your load.
5. His wisdom and knowledge are sufficient to direct me
5. His wisdom and knowledge are sufficient to direct me
10 “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.
God knows right where you are… all the time. This means that you can depend on him to guide and direct you if you will just let him.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
If we will just trust the Lord, he will who us the way we are to go.
God will direct you in many ways. He will speak to you through His Word… directly to your heart… he directs you with wisdom … and he directs you through circumstances…
the car ac story
6. His grace is sufficient for all my needs
6. His grace is sufficient for all my needs
Paul had a problem and he repeatedly asked God to remove it from him, but God didn’t…
9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
We don’t really know what Paul’s problems were but we know he wanted God to remove them. But God did not. However, God worked through Paul’s weaknesses.
Weakness here actually refers to our human limitations and frailties. We all have them and God told Paul that he will take our insufficient, frail, flawed, weak human lives and through His Grace meet all of our needs. He said that His power would make up the difference.
Paul wanted to let Jesus power show through him. Jesus talked about this much earlier when he said.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
We can’t do anything apart from Jesus.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
We misquote this verse a lot. People will say, restore unto me the joy of my salvation. That implies that it’s something I have to work for. The focus is on us. Salvation comes from the Lord… the psalmist said restore to me the joy of your salvation… big difference.
We cannot save ourselves
We cannot save ourselves
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
Dead people cannot do anything about their situation…
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
Jesus gives you and I life. That life is available because Jesus paid the price for yours and my sins. We did not deserve it, but he freely gives it.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Christ death … strength … authority… power … wisdom and knowledge… grace… is sufficient.
Christ is sufficient for everything you will ever need.
Christ is sufficient for everything you will ever need.
Prayer