Sufficient to do the work
12th S. after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4
God has made us sufficient and competent to do His work. " Our sufficiency is of God", the Apostle says. " All morning an instructor had been explaining leadership to a class of police recruits. Calling a man to the front of the class he handed him a piece of paper on which was written, ' You are in charge. Get everyone out of the room without causing a panic.' The recruit was at a loss for words and returned to his seat. The second man summoned tried, ' Everybody outside. Go!' No one moved. A third man glanced at the insructions, smiled and said, ' All right , men. Break for lunch.' The room emptied in seconds." sermonillustrations.com
As Christians we are equipped to do God's work because we have His Spirit. Our confidence and competency comes from Christ . I Timothy 1:15 says it this way ," And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me....and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love..." We do not rely on ourselves but our " sufficiency is of God " 2 Cor. 3:4 It may not happen in our time or in our plan.
This day we continued to hear of Joseph in Genesis 41 who we began in our Old Testament lesson...sold into slavery by his brothers he undergoes more trial in the house of Potiphar. He is put into jail falsely accused by his wife. " But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy....and the LORD made it to prosper." ch. 39 He sits in prison for two years until he is called to help Pharaoh with his dream. What was the secret of Joseph' success? Pharaoh asks, " Can we find such a one this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" ch. 41:38
The key to our leaders is that they must have the Spirit of God. " The trust or confidence that Paul felt in this commendation of his ministry supplied by the Holy Spirit was totally different from the self-confidence of the natural man. It was based neither upon a consciousness of his own innate ability nor upon the good reputation he might have acquired with his fellow men, but was solely due to the activity of the risen Christ. Through Christ alone he possessed it; and he knew in consequence that it would stand the scrutiny of God Himself." 2 Corinthians, Tasker
It is true we get bogged down in our own efforts and in our plans. If we are to be servants ( " God has made us competent servants of the new covenant") , we must allow ourselves to have His eyes and ears on what is happening in our world , nation, and our town. Being a servant goes against our natural nature. That is why the Spirit must lead us to His still waters of obedience and love. In the qualities of a presbyter in I Timothy we are told that patience is a part of that list. I Timothy 3:3. Patient with God, ourselves and others in our servanthood under Christ .
Discouragement and monotony in doing God's work are possible because we are human. The glass may be half empty. Then as I mentioned last week,fill it! All of God's saints in the old and new testaments went thru difficulties and trials. Just read Hebrews 11. But the difference is they knew as the apostle mentions in this letter that despite the trials, thorns , yes even a messenger of Satan ( 2 Cor 12:9) this: , " I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.' And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' "
Lastly as servants of the new covenant we are not only sufficient and capable because God is our competency and sufficiency we go thru this world of tribulation and testing but on the way to GLORY! " For if the ministration of condemnation be glory , much more the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious." Joseph was elevated to the next in line right after Pharaoh even though he had some very hard times to have gone through in his life. He would even be reunited with his family, forgive them and see his father again too.
We dear Christian friends are on the same path. We go through trials but like Joseph if God is with us we can overcome the trials through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. We will enter the promised land one day because of our faithfulness to Christ and reign with Him as kings and priests. Should we not endure such sufffering and lowliness now that we may enter into our final glory? WE must take the things we have here and invest them in eternal spiritual things because these are the things that last, not the things we can never take with us.
We are all leaders in some fashion . But what kind of leaders are we? Servants, fellow sufferers with Christ and competent to share the good news of the eternal kingdom with all those who need it now. Let nothing get in the way of that.
God has made us sufficient and competent to do His work. " Our sufficiency is of God", the Apostle says. " All morning an instructor had been explaining leadership to a class of police recruits. Calling a man to the front of the class he handed him a piece of paper on which was written, ' You are in charge. Get everyone out of the room without causing a panic.' The recruit was at a loss for words and returned to his seat. The second man summoned tried, ' Everybody outside. Go!' No one moved. A third man glanced at the insructions, smiled and said, ' All right , men. Break for lunch.' The room emptied in seconds." sermonillustrations.com
As Christians we are equipped to do God's work because we have His Spirit. Our confidence and competency comes from Christ . I Timothy 1:15 says it this way ," And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me....and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love..." We do not rely on ourselves but our " sufficiency is of God " 2 Cor. 3:4 It may not happen in our time or in our plan.
This day we continued to hear of Joseph in Genesis 41 who we began in our Old Testament lesson...sold into slavery by his brothers he undergoes more trial in the house of Potiphar. He is put into jail falsely accused by his wife. " But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy....and the LORD made it to prosper." ch. 39 He sits in prison for two years until he is called to help Pharaoh with his dream. What was the secret of Joseph' success? Pharaoh asks, " Can we find such a one this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" ch. 41:38
The key to our leaders is that they must have the Spirit of God. " The trust or confidence that Paul felt in this commendation of his ministry supplied by the Holy Spirit was totally different from the self-confidence of the natural man. It was based neither upon a consciousness of his own innate ability nor upon the good reputation he might have acquired with his fellow men, but was solely due to the activity of the risen Christ. Through Christ alone he possessed it; and he knew in consequence that it would stand the scrutiny of God Himself." 2 Corinthians, Tasker
It is true we get bogged down in our own efforts and in our plans. If we are to be servants ( " God has made us competent servants of the new covenant") , we must allow ourselves to have His eyes and ears on what is happening in our world , nation, and our town. Being a servant goes against our natural nature. That is why the Spirit must lead us to His still waters of obedience and love. In the qualities of a presbyter in I Timothy we are told that patience is a part of that list. I Timothy 3:3. Patient with God, ourselves and others in our servanthood under Christ .
Discouragement and monotony in doing God's work are possible because we are human. The glass may be half empty. Then as I mentioned last week,fill it! All of God's saints in the old and new testaments went thru difficulties and trials. Just read Hebrews 11. But the difference is they knew as the apostle mentions in this letter that despite the trials, thorns , yes even a messenger of Satan ( 2 Cor 12:9) this: , " I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.' And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' "
Lastly as servants of the new covenant we are not only sufficient and capable because God is our competency and sufficiency we go thru this world of tribulation and testing but on the way to GLORY! " For if the ministration of condemnation be glory , much more the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious." Joseph was elevated to the next in line right after Pharaoh even though he had some very hard times to have gone through in his life. He would even be reunited with his family, forgive them and see his father again too.
We dear Christian friends are on the same path. We go through trials but like Joseph if God is with us we can overcome the trials through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit. We will enter the promised land one day because of our faithfulness to Christ and reign with Him as kings and priests. Should we not endure such sufffering and lowliness now that we may enter into our final glory? WE must take the things we have here and invest them in eternal spiritual things because these are the things that last, not the things we can never take with us.
We are all leaders in some fashion . But what kind of leaders are we? Servants, fellow sufferers with Christ and competent to share the good news of the eternal kingdom with all those who need it now. Let nothing get in the way of that.
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