Sufficiency for Godly Living #5 - Old Testament Examples of God's Sufficiency

The title of our fifth study is Old Testament Examples of God's Sufficiency. Old Testament examples. We are called to godly living, but the question must always arise, where do we get the resource to live the life God calls us to, a life of growth in Christ-likeness? Well, the title gives us the biblical direction.

We're to draw on God's sufficiency for godly living. These Old Testament saints that we'll look at in this study are examples of those who lived by faith, those who looked to God to be their sufficiency. They were driven to Him by the high and holy standards of the law of God and their own insufficiency to function that way.

But they were also drawn to God by His mercy and grace and His sufficient resources. These Old Testament saints will be another illustration to us of living by God's sufficiency as described in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 5, the first verses in your outline, one of the theme verses for our six studies. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

This particular seminar of studies, which is a follow-up on the Growing in the Grace of God six-study seminar, really looks at the same issue from a different perspective, living by the grace of God. In the studies on the grace of God, we were shown in the Scriptures that humility and faith are critical in living by the grace of God. God gives grace to the humble, James 4, 6. It's humble hearts that draw upon the grace of God.

But also faith, Romans 5, 2. By faith in Jesus, we have access into this grace in which we stand. Well, humility and faith are seen here in the two terms of the new covenant of grace. Verse 6 speaks of those who are made sufficient as servants of the new covenant.

That's those who live not by their sufficiency, but God's sufficiency. Those who humbly agree that we're not sufficient of ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves. But though we don't have sufficient resources in ourselves, sufficient resources can come to us.

And that's the issue of faith. End of verse 5, but our sufficiency is from God. As we draw upon the sufficient resources of God in humble faith, it's the grace of God that flows in and through our hearts and lives.

What we're going to do in this study is look at those of old who really lived that way. They lived by the sufficiency of God through faith in Him. The only difference really between them and us is they looked at the whole picture in promises coming their way that a sacrifice, a Messiah, a Lord and Savior would be provided.

We now look back seeing He has been provided, but it's all by faith. It's all by faith. They looked at the outline of the plan in shadow form, as Hebrews says.

Now in Christ we have the substance. The only difference is it's more abundantly available to us than even to them. But there are men of old who are great examples to us really of what that kind of life was about.

And in this study we'll look at some of these examples, such as Abraham in Genesis 15. As the first heading in the outline indicates, we'll look at Abraham believing the promises of God. Genesis 15, verses 4 through 6. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.

Then he brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to number them. And he, God said to him, said to Abraham, So shall your descendants be. And he believed in the Lord, and he, the Lord, accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham's temptation was to look at his own sufficient resources, lacking though they were, to try and supply what God had promised. He looked at Eleazar, the slave in his household, thought maybe he'd be the heir. No, he won't be the one.

God promised an heir, through whom would come many, and the nation would be mighty, and all the world would be blessed, because through that seed would come Messiah. On another occasion, Abraham tried to help God again, this time with Ishmael, product of their own ingenuity, he and Sarah. They had Hagar, handmaiden help out.

Things like that don't help God, they get in the way. Who are we to think we're going to help God anyway? He's there to help us. He isn't the needy one, we are.

He isn't the insufficient one, we are. Well, God promised to him, No, it's not going to be anyone you can come up with, Abraham. Come outside and look at the stars.

See that? I'll give you a seed that will make you a nation as great as the stars in the heavens in number. Innumerable host would be the family of Abraham. And Abraham believed in the Lord.

He just trusted the Lord. He said, OK, Lord, I'll count on you. You're the one who's able, you do it.

And God accounted that to him as righteousness. It's the same with us. We trust in the Lord Jesus Christ in whom there is the promise of salvation.

And ultimately, Abraham, we're told, was given the gospel in the promises of Genesis 12-3. Through him, all the nations of the world would be blessed. And he expected one to come who would take care of the needs of all, including himself.

Now we look back and trust in that same one. Romans 4 makes it clear by listing David and Abraham as those who are justified by faith. All who ever come to the Lord, it's by faith.

It's by trusting. It's by depending on the word of the Lord, the promises of God. And God accounted that to him as righteousness.

God said, I'll just consider you righteous because you believe me. That's really what he does with us. His promise of life in the gospel.

We believe it and God says, I'll consider you righteous. All based, of course, on the work of Christ on our behalf. So this is God's sufficiency for righteousness, not man's.

And Abraham found it, believing the promises of God. An early seed view of trusting in the Lord for his sufficient work. Not only Abraham believing the promises of God, but we can also see in Numbers, Joshua and Caleb trusting God for the land.

For the land that was promised to them. Numbers 14, verses 6 through 9. Numbers 14. At verse 6. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes.

Why did they tear their clothes? Because they had just heard the majority report from the ten spies who went into the land in addition to Joshua and Caleb. The ten gave their report. Watch out for the majority report.

You get a group of humanity. The majority report is generally based on man's sufficiency and it's bankrupt. And the majority said, yeah, the land's great.

The grapes are huge and it's a land flowing with milk and honey. But there's a problem. Giants and huge walled cities.

No way we can go into that land. Joshua and Caleb heard that and they tore their clothes. They were ripping their clothes because their heart was ripping in contrition and pain.

They hear such a message of doubt against the promises of God. These people were promised the land by God. Joshua and Caleb were going to stand on that promise.

It's usually the minority report that gets right at the heart of the kingdom of heaven. Those who stake their hope on the sufficiency of God Himself. Joshua and Caleb, their report, verse 7, and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel saying, the land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land, as God described it.

If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into the land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. The name of the Lord will eat them alive.

Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. This minority report was right in the heart of the will of God.

Looking to God's sufficiency, not man's self-sufficiency. Getting the land didn't depend on Israel being greater than the giants, or mightier than the walled cities. That was not it.

They were no match for such forces. But the Lord had promised it to them, and the Lord was going to give it to them. Joshua and Caleb, entrusting God for the land, are great examples of living by drawing upon, depending upon, counting upon God's sufficiency.

Here's another great example of living by the sufficiency of God. Deuteronomy chapter 20 Moses pointing to the Lord for the battle. Deuteronomy 20 verses 1 through 4 When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

So it shall be, when you are on the verge of the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people, and he shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you are on the verge of battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint. Do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them.

Now take careful note. This is nothing like the modern power of positive thinking issue. Just don't let them scare you.

Just think victory. Think positive thoughts. It's nothing like that.

The very next verse explains the basis upon which they could walk into battle without fear. Verse 4 For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save you. It wasn't going to be them against Goliath.

It wasn't going to be them against the mighty city of Jericho. It was going to be Goliath and Jericho against God. Oh, that kind of changes the odds.

Yeah, makes it a certainty on behalf of God. And those who line up with God, who draw upon the sufficiency of God. Moses pointing to the Lord for the battle.

Great example of living by the sufficiency of God. There are battles for us day by day in the Christian life. By the way, life in the promised land is a picture of life for us now.

We don't have a physical, literal land promised to us like Israel. For us, the land is living in the land of the promises of God. But the promised land is a picture of the Christian life.

Don't get confused on that. Sometimes we talk about the promised land like it's heaven. Like a picture of heaven, an example of heaven.

And we're saying, I won't have to cross Jordan alone. The Lord will be there to receive me. Well, He will be there to receive us to glory, but it doesn't involve Jordan.

On the other side of Jordan were giants, walled cities and battles. There will be none of those things in heaven. The promised land and entering in is a type of the abundant victorious Christian life.

The life you and I are called to live now. And we face battles now. We don't have to be afraid of our foes or our circumstances.

Why? The Lord fights for His people. You can count on it. It's part of His sufficiency, His adequate resources that we're to draw upon by faith and dependence.

So, Abraham believing the promises of God. Joshua and Caleb trusting God for the land. Moses pointing to the Lord for the battle.

These are all great examples of living by God's sufficiency here on earth. But here's a great one. Maybe the richest example in the Old Testament.

David confessing the Lord as his comprehensive resource. Listed four different passages here under David. He's such a great example.

Psalm 18. Look at David's confession of the Lord as his comprehensive sufficient resource. Notice the statements out of David's heart.

The Lord is. And then he describes the Lord. Rock, strength, deliverer, salvation.

Stronghold. But notice he adds the word my because of his personal relationship of faith in the Lord. The Lord is my strength.

My rock, my fortress, my deliverer. My God in whom I will trust. The Lord is all these things and He can be all that to us if we walk in dependence and faith upon Him.

Everyone needs strength. The Christian life is a battle. It's a walk.

It's a race. It calls for strength. God doesn't expect us to have sufficient strength.

So we can say by faith the Lord is my strength. I'm counting on His sufficient strength. We all need a rock to stand on.

This world is sinking sand. All around people are sinking. Where are we going to find that place of stability to stand? We can say the Lord is my rock.

Stand in Him. Stand on His promises. This world is a dangerous place.

It's warfare all around. Strife everywhere you look. We need a fortress to hide inside.

But where can you find a sufficient fortress? The club? The lodge? No. Won't be sufficient. But by faith we can say the Lord is my fortress.

He'll camp around me. He'll protect me. This is a beautiful example of someone living with God as their sufficiency.

God was David's comprehensive resource. What a beautiful example He is for us. He said in God He would put His trust.

That's how we draw upon the sufficient resources of God. We depend upon Him and He supplies all that is needed. Psalm 27, verse 1. Psalm 27, The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? This is a frightful world we live in. Dreadful things happening everywhere.

There are people around the world paralyzed by fear. Fear wants to strike us wherever we live too. It's a dark world.

It's hard to know what's coming. You can't see out there as it were. But there is a light.

There is a saving protection. Rescue is available. If this is our confession, The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear? We were saying that earlier, weren't we? Of whom shall I be afraid? Listen, if God is for us, Who do we have to be afraid of? When I was growing up in Indianapolis, Indiana, there was a bully on the block. I lived in dread of this kid who was about my age, but weighed twice as much as I did, and looked to me like he was three times as tall. I'm sure he wasn't.

I dreaded any encounter with him. What if I had a buddy twice as big as he was, walking right beside me? Hey, no problem. Well, it's like that and more for all of us.

The world, the flesh, and the devil, what can they do against us? If the Lord is at our side. God never expected us to be able to handle all these things that come against us. But He sure calls us to look to Him.

He's right there to take care of the issues. He's the light to shine in the darkness. He's our salvation.

He'll rescue us, just like He rescued us from sin and death, so He can rescue us through the circumstances of life. That's the way David lived. When David trusted in the Lord, he was a mighty example of living by the sufficiency of God.

Whenever David lived by his own sufficiency, he got in major trouble. Tumbled into the pits of womanizing, added wife to wife, took another man's wife, then to cover his trail, ends up murdering the husband. I mean, that's pretty low.

How much lower can you go? Even then he became a good example, because we stumble and fall too. And he threw himself on the mercy of God. He didn't justify himself and get into the contemporary blame theology.

Well, it's her fault. She shouldn't have bathed out there. Oh yeah.

What she did or didn't do right, David, is no case for you before God. Psalm 32 and Psalm 51 and elsewhere show his broken heart. And he just pled the mercy of God, confessed how totally wrong he was.

And God cleansed him and restored him. What an example of letting God be our comprehensive resource. In Psalm 36, David again confesses the Lord as his comprehensive resource.

Psalm 36, verse 7, How precious is your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your pleasures. For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light.

Oh, the precious, lovingkindness of the Lord could be translated loyal, steadfast love of the Lord. He's always lovingly for us, not against us, once we put our faith in him. Therefore, people put their trust under his shelter and protection, here described as his wings.

And they're not just protected, they're satisfied. Verse 8, they are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of your house. The world promises riches untold, but it's tarnished gold and it runs out anyway.

The only abundantly satisfied ones are those who draw on the fullness of his house. John 10.10, Jesus said, I came that you might have life and have it abundant. Not endless trinkets, but bountiful measures of love and peace and joy.

Faithfulness and meekness and gentleness and self-control. And you give them drink from the river of your pleasures. Nothing is more pleasing than a life lived by the river of life.

The Holy Spirit pouring out the resources of God to a trusting heart. Verse 9, for with you is the fountain of life. Where does your life flow from? Too many Christians, who are Christians because they found eternal life in Christ through faith, go about day by day to develop a life that they come up with.

Too many Christians are in this position of inadequacy. I'm going to develop a life for God. That won't be sufficient.

It may show good devotion, but not biblical wisdom. Verse 9, with you is the fountain of life. Jeremiah called God the fountain of living waters.

If God doesn't want us to come up with a life for Him, then what's the option? Oh, totally different. It's a life flowing from Him, that we pour out for His glory and service. There could hardly be a bigger issue for a Christian once saved than that.

Am I going to try and develop a life for God? That's man living by his own sufficiency. It won't be adequate. Or are we going to develop a life flowing from God by faith, that then pours out to touch others for His glory and honor.

David saw where life came from. For with you is the fountain of life. In your light we see light.

The only way we can see our path through this dark world is by the light of the Lord shining out of His word into our hearts and minds as we walk. What a beautiful picture of one living with the Lord as His comprehensive resource. One more from David, Psalm 37.

Psalm 37, verses 3 through 5. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Oh, what a statement of how to live by the sufficiency of God.

Verse 3. Trust in the Lord and do good. Our doing of good coming out of a trust and dependence upon the Lord. Dwell in the land.

They had a physical, literal land. Where is our promised land to dwell in? Living by the promises of God. Dwell there.

Doing what? And feed on His faithfulness. By faith let our nurturing and nourishment be the faithfulness of God. You know what that produces? Faithful people.

People say you are what you eat. Well, that's pretty good. They're usually talking on kind of a nutrition plane, and that's fine.

There's some wisdom there too, but spiritually you are what you eat. Feed on your faithfulness, and you know what you'll become? A demonstration of an inadequate, unfaithful person. Feed on His faithfulness by faith.

Count on it. You know what you'll become? An increasingly faithful, reliable person of your word. Because you're not drawing on your own resources, but the unlimited resources of God.

That's what David is speaking of here as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Verse 4, Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. You know what the flesh wants to do? Natural human thinking wants to do with that verse? Ooh.

Wow. Hey, a way to get the desires of my heart. All I have to do is delight in the Lord, I get all these things my heart desires.

Okay. Like we're fooling God with that one. Oh, they tricked me.

Who are we kidding? God sees through that like a glass door. That's not delighting in the Lord. That's delighting in the trinkets we want to get.

And our very clever technique is, we're going to use God. Backwards. We're here for God to use us.

We're not to be using Him. This verse is nothing about that. This verse says, Let God be the thrill of your very inner being.

Let God be that which excites you and motivates you and drives you and rejoices you within. Then He'll give you the desires of your heart. That is, He will plant in your heart the kind of desires you ought to have.

The kind He wants you to have. Desires for godliness and righteousness and purity and growth and service. He'll put those in your heart.

And then He'll fulfill them as well. That's living by the sufficiency of God. Verse 5, Commit your way to the Lord.

Let me ask you something. In whose hands does your future lie? Most people have to say, My own. Why? Well, they told me, Take charge of your life.

And I'm trying to manage it and build a future. Well, could we now start grieving with you? We won't even wait until the crash. That's not a good place to have our future.

Commit your way to the Lord. Here's my way, my path, Lord. I put it in your hands.

You manage it. You develop it. You lead and guide in it.

Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him. Lord, you're the one sufficient to develop a way through life for me.

Those who commit their way to the Lord and trust also in Him, how blessed are they, and He shall bring it to pass. What? The way He desires for you and me, He'll bring it to pass. Oh, what a beautiful picture of living by the sufficiency of God.

This is the end of Side A. To listen to the rest of the message, please turn the tape over now. May the Lord stir our hearts through the life of David. He who lived, as it were, looking at shadows of the fullness of the kingdom, and here we are now in Christ.

You say, yeah, but He's David and I'm me. Yeah, well, He lived in the shadows. You're right in the blazing light of Christ.

The way He walked is even more abundantly clear and available to us. Not less. More.

How about Isaiah? Isaiah 40. Here's another great Old Testament example of living by the sufficiency of God. And we see it in Isaiah, proclaiming God's power for the weak.

Listen up. If in any way you're aware of your own weakness or inadequacy, go ahead and get excited. This is addressed to you.

And it promises strength. How do you qualify? Just admit you're weak. God really makes it tough on us, doesn't He? His yoke is easy.

His burden is light. Isaiah 40.29 He gives power to the weak. Do you qualify? I do.

Why is it so many Christians do not walk by accessing the power of God? You know why? They don't really believe they're weak. Hey, the world's been telling me for 30 years how adequate I am. Why? They're jealous of me, many of them.

Well, they don't know any better. Overlook that. Let God tell you before you stand with Him.

Remember 2 Corinthians 3.5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves. That sounds pretty weak. It's only the weak that He gives power to.

Those who think they're mighty, you know what they have to draw on? Their own supposed might. You want to qualify for the power of God at work? Just agree with Him that you're weak. In the world, it's the last thing you're supposed to do.

In a worldly church world, it's the last thing you're encouraged to do. But in the Word of God, we're told the truth. He gives power to the weak.

Here we are, Lord. I mean right on the brink of helplessness. And to those who have no might, that's us, Lord.

He increases strength. Oh, that builds hope. That builds faith.

That builds expectation. That builds peace and rest in the Lord. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.

My wife and I, we've been married 31 plus years. We have some kids pressing 30, 25, 26, and 28. They're still pretty youthful.

I marvel at their stamina sometimes. Our two sons and the oldest one, our daughter, Heidi. I marvel at their stamina.

Heidi's now having our fourth grandchild. God bless her. And carrying this little baby, she wears me out, you know.

But I tell you this, that strength runs out. Our oldest grandchild, Heidi's oldest, is eight. Heidi and Joe, her husband, work with us in our ministry, praise the Lord.

And we see little Carissa a lot. And we were just up at family camp for Calvary Chapel Vista last week, where I was teaching a lot and have for about 10 years at that camp. And Carissa's doing everything, you know.

Swimming all afternoon and Bible studies and special hikes, you know. And then wants to do puzzles and games and go on and on. I'm like, oh, does this ever end? Fun, but wears you down.

I noticed toward the end of the camp, she was starting to slow down, you know. Even that youthful resource of humanity has its limitations. But, verse 31, those who wait on the Lord.

Those who, let me paraphrase that, hope in the Lord. We hear wait on the Lord and we're looking for our hammock. Yeah, kick back.

Little thumbs time, you know. What are you doing? Oh, I'm just waiting on the Lord. Are you sure? Are you just kicking back and letting time pass? Waiting on the Lord is all about expecting in the Lord while time passes.

We can let a lot of time go by and kid ourselves and others that we're waiting on the Lord. And we're just waiting. There are more Christians waiting on the lottery than waiting on the Lord sometimes.

That's not right. But those who wait on the Lord, that is as time passes, they just put their hope in the Lord. Notice the four promises that burst out of that one issue.

Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk and not faint. All of that from just hoping in the Lord? Exactly. As we put our hope in the Lord, by faith we're drawing upon, we're opening up to, we're receiving the sufficient resources of our true and living God.

Living by them, not by what we can muster up. New strength from God. Wings like eagles, getting us up above circumstances, looking down with God's perspective.

Running without weariness, wiping us out and walking step after step after step without just keeling over and fainting in this difficult world in which we live. Isaiah, proclaiming God's power for the weak. He's a great example.

Great example of living by the sufficiency of God. One more, then we must stop. Jeremiah 17 shows Jeremiah giving God's contrasting options on trust.

Jeremiah giving God's contrasting options on trust. Brothers, sisters, here are the only two options for us to place our trust in. Jeremiah 17 verse 5, Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in man.

There's the first option. Put your dependence, your trust, your reliance upon man. Yourself or others.

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, human resource his adequacy. Whose heart departs from the Lord, hope turns from the Lord to man. Here's what that life will be like.

Verse 6, For he shall be like a shrub in the desert. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? Just a barely existing, hardly having life shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes. There won't be good days spiritually.

But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness. Deadness of life. In a salt land which is not inhabited.

No spiritual abundance there. Why? Because the sufficiency is of man there. Not of God.

That's backwards. But here's the other option God gives us through Jeremiah as the Spirit inspired him to write. Verse 7, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord.

Those who depend on the Lord. Those who put their expectations in the Lord. Here's what their life becomes more and more.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters which spreads out its roots by the river. In other words, draws that life-giving resource of water. Here, a real picture of the Holy Spirit flowing into the trusting heart.

Bringing life abundant. And will not fear when heat comes. When times are hot and the pressure is on, the leaf of that tree, of that life, will be green.

And will not be anxious in the year of drought. Why? Because there's that water supply there from the river. Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

The two options offered to man in which to put their trust. One brings a cursing. The other brings a blessing.

One is trusting in man. The other is trusting in the Lord. One produces lives like shrubs in the desert in a parched wilderness.

The other, trusting in the Lord, produces lives like a tree planted right into the bank of a river. Constant flow of life coming to that life. What a tremendous statement of how to live by the sufficiency of God.

And warning about trying to live by the sufficiency of man. In conclusion, you can read the Micah 7, 7-9 verses yourself. Micah acknowledging his hope in God.

In conclusion, 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 5 and 6 are theme verses for these six studies. All that we have read are examples of what you and I have abundantly available to us in the new covenant of grace. That is God's sufficiency.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves. But our sufficiency is from God. Who also made us sufficient as servants of the new covenant.

The new arrangement for living. Not of the letter, that is not rules to keep. But of the Spirit, that is the Holy Spirit providing life.

For the letter kills. But the Spirit gives life. Abundant life.

The abundant sufficient resources of life that is found in Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Lord we see what you have for us here.

It is a life of dependency and trust and hope toward you. Lord forgive us for the self-sufficient ways we often think and function. Convict and convince our hearts even now of the futility of that path.

We want to be those who draw upon God's sufficiency for the godly living we are called to grow in. And we just trust you and ask you by your Holy Spirit to lead us in this path so beautifully exemplified by these saints of old. We ask in Jesus' holy name.

Amen.