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The All Sufficient Christ
In II Corinthians 3:5, Paul
says, "but our sufficiency is of God." We are not sufficient in
ourselves in situations of life. The word sufficient means to be adequate or
equal to the task or need. Therefore, in Jesus Christ, God has provided a
sufficient Savior and Helper. Not only is He "able to save to the
uttermost," but also to keep, "that which is committed unto Him."
Christ meets every physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of our life.
All that God is, He has placed in His son Jesus. In Romans 8:32 Paul said, "He that spared not His Own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things." Everything which Jesus accomplished through His death, God makes available to us.
Many people are frustrated and stressed to the limits with family and employment responsibilities and as a result are suffering spiritually and physically. The drug and alcohol problem of the world is man’s effort to escape these things that they cannot deal with. Christ is sufficient to give us peace and strength to deal with every area of our life.
We have many incidents of God’s sufficiency in Christ recorded in the Gospels. Every miracle in the Gospels not only met an immediate need of the person but also speaks to us of God’s ability to aid and help us in our lives. As He was then, so is He now. Jesus has the same love and compassion today as He did for the suffering in His day. In Luke 4:18 He said, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." This states the overall comprehension of God’s sufficiency in Christ.
Let me mention just a couple of His miracles that speaks to us of His willingness and power. In Mark 4;35-41, we have the Apostles in the midst of a storm on the sea of Galilee. Jesus is on board, but asleep. It appeared that they would be thrown into the angry waves. They awoke Jesus and asked, "carest Thou not that we perish." He arose and rebuked the wind and said, "Peace be still." The wind ceased and there was a great calm. All of us at times are caught in the midst of life’s storms, we are unable to help ourselves, but Christ is the master of the storm. The song writer has said, " No wind or wave can sink the ship (our lives) where lies the Master of earth and sky."
Again, we see the Apostles caught in a storm, but Christ is not on board. He is in the mountain in prayer. From the mountain, He sees them rowing and toiling against the storm to no avail. Mark 6:45-52. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came walking on the sea as if He would pass them by. They thought Him a ghost and cried out. He spoke to them and said, "Be of good cheer, It is I." Matthew 14:28 Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to You." Jesus said, " Come." Peter walked on the water, but when he saw the wind boisterous, he became afraid and begin to sink. He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me." Jesus stretched forth His hand and said, "why didst thou doubt?" The greater message for us in this incident is that regardless of trials or tribulations or winds that are contrary to our life, Jesus comes walking to us. The waters that caused the Apostles to fear for their lives was under the feet of Christ. Jesus stands upon and above the things that trouble us. Just as He said to Peter, Come. So He says to us, "Come." As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he had the ability to walk on the water. As we keep our eyes focused on Christ, He will empower us to rise above the trials and tribulations. He will walk us thru the storm.
In feeding the five thousand and the four thousand, we see God’s concern for our physical and temporal needs. After teaching the people all day, Jesus could not send them away less they faint from hunger. He told the Apostles to feed them. They said, "we have only a few loaves and a few fish, what are these among so many?" Jesus took the loaves and fish and after He blessed it, He broke them and fed the multitude. There were several baskets left over. God takes what we offer to Him in thanksgiving and blesses it to meet our needs. Jesus said that we are worth more to God than all the sparrows that He feeds, and lilies which He clothes.
Maybe today, you are in need of a miracle in your life. Maybe you need strength to help you through some storm. Look to Jesus, you will find Him in the midst of your storm or need.
HE IS ALL SUFFICIENT!