"They that look rightly unto Jesus, may say, as Jacob did, 'I have enough.'"
- Isaac Ambrose, Looking Unto Jesus
Let us speak directly today. We are either one of two people. We are either those who can confess, as Jacob, “I have enough,” or we are of those who have likewise wrestled with the idea of God, but have come to find Him lacking, and as a result, they live never having enough.
This careful and close quarters examination of our faith is not uncommon, for even Jacob when he was left alone, had to come to terms with the Author of his life, crying out, “Tell me Your name!”
And neither is this examination passive or gentle. For when Jacob wrestled with his faith, as many of us do, he came to an acceptance, “I have seen God!” but not without injury. His lingering wounds became evidence of a very real struggle, “the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.” And yet, even in permanent injury, Jacob came to the conclusion, “God has dealt graciously with me…I have enough.” Genesis 32:22-33:11
You see, it is not the examination of faith which creates the distinction, nor is it the amount of injury, struggle or wrestle we experience in our examination, rather it is in the conclusion:
‘Because God has dealt graciously with me, I have enough’
Or, I have wrestled and found Christ wanting. He is not enough for me.
In the most simple terms then, we are either those who say, “Christ is enough,” or we are those who say, “He is not enough for me.”
So the question for today is do we have enough yet?
In answering this question, let us follow the discourse of the author of Hebrews, speaking in both warning and encouragement:
A warning - Do not be of those who fall away, declaring Christ to be not enough, and in so doing, ‘crucify again for themselves the Son of God.’
An encouragement - Be as those who have enough, showing, ‘full assurance of hope until the end.’
There is none greater
“Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath by His own name, saying: I will certainly bless you…Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.” Hebrews 6:13,15
What more do you need? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t He enough?
He has given us His word, through both a promise and an oath
“God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind.”
“So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.” Hebrews 6:17,18
What more do you need? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t He enough?
Since He cannot lie, we can have absolute hope in His word, and this hope leads us into God’s very presence
“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” 19
What more do you need? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t He enough?
And we are not alone in this hope, but One has gone before us, becoming our Eternal High Priest
“Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our Eternal High Priest.” 20
What more do you need? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t He enough?
—
Friends, as we are speaking directly today, let me say that I have real and grave concern for those who cannot answer yes to these questions.
When the promises of God are not enough and we lose sight of the beauty of the crucified and resurrected Christ, there is no longer contentment to be found, either in this life or the one to come.
If He is not enough, nothing will ever be enough…for all of eternity.
We are tempted then, in light of the severity, to quickly confess, “Yes! I will follow!” Yet, we must not be so hasty, instead, we must, ‘count the cost.’ Otherwise, we will be mocked as those who, “began to build, and were not able to finish.” Luke 14:28-30
For Christ to be enough, He must be everything, preeminent in all things, and we must need nothing else. We must turn to nothing else in place of Him. This command to such exclusivity is not optional, “You shall have no other gods before me,” and, “Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33
It is a command which demands full obedience, not just in our words and our affections, but also as demonstrated by our actions. “In works they deny Him,” becomes true for us when we profess Christ, yet turn to other things for comfort, peace, excitement, satisfaction, rather than Christ. Titus 1:16
Why draw such a hard line on this issue of all in all? Because Christ is either all we need, end of story, or He is insufficient, lacking, and unable to provide. It is one of the two.
“And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.” Luke 22:35
Brothers and sisters, we must need nothing else, for He satisfies every need, and in Him we lack nothing. In Him we can truly, confidently and with full assurance say, “I have enough!” Therefore to turn to anything else for any need, before turning to Christ, is idolatry. For he was able to meet that need, but we have chosen the arms of another lover.
Sadly, many have fallen away in this manner, just as the young man devoid of understanding fell for the words of the harlot, “With her enticing speech she caused him to yield…He did not know it would cost his life.” Proverbs 7:21,23
For the seducing winds of deception which carry us away are rarely overt. It is not a sudden and complete departure from all semblance of true Christianity. Instead, it’s a questioning word about the exclusivity God demands, “Does He really require such abstaining?”
You don’t have to lay it all down. You can love both God and money, men’s praise and Christ’s reproach, friendship with the world and reconciliation with God. You can have it all at no cost. This is what Christ has done for you. This is how special you are.
Or it’s a flattering word, meant to make you, “Think more highly of yourself than you ought.”
You deserve recognition.
You demand respect.
And in this way we become as the compromised people of Israel who still held to their inheritance as God’s chosen, “But the high places were not taken away out of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 15:17
We want to claim the promises of a blessing without the exclusivity of purity. Why? Because this level of exclusivity requires incredible trust.
And in many regards, the question of, “Is He enough?” is simply another way to ask, “Can He really be trusted to provide my all?”
Right now we turn to music to bring us comfort on a tough day, could we trust Christ to be in this place?
We eagerly look forward to the activities of the weekend, the sports, dining, socialization, entertainment, or outdoors. And looking to these future activities gives us enough energy to endure throughout the week, could we trust Christ to fill this place?
Insert whichever indulgence - whatever we turn to for purpose, comfort, happiness - can Christ really be trusted in place of this?
These are the questions we are left with:
Is He enough or is He not enough? If He is not enough, nothing will ever be enough, for all of eternity.
If He is enough, can He really be trusted to provide my all? If so, I must live exclusively in Him for all my needs.
I pray you examine these questions with soberness and diligence, refusing to let go of them until He has blessed you with an answer.
In love,
Derek