Abounding in All Things at All Times

Last week we learned of abounding in, staying in, and giving GRACE.

It’s been hard. You roll up to Hope and the place is littered every day.

Today we continue in our abound series…

We schedule our sermon series a year out, in fact with our leadership team we have all of sermon series planned for 2023, and its gonna be great.  We know that the Lord will move. And so I love series like “Spring Cleaning” and “Supernatural” or our Christmas series “Home Alone” avoiding the traps of the enemy it makes sense, its things that I have heard of and then we get to November and its Abound.

Really just meditating on one verse the whole month…and while the word sounds good. 

What does that mean in the life of the believer?

It’s interesting, Paul writes letters to people but also the churches and in this case we see him writing to the church at Corinth (established in Acts 18), and this is a church that needs some help while this is one of his longest letters its also the second (where the first 7 chapters he fussing because they didn’t accept his first letter and were be led by culture instead of Jesus in this upside down kingdom where to serve is to be the greatest), and there is mention that he actually wrote a lot more to them.  He writes this letter from anguish and tears as many have walked away and didn’t even listen to the first letter.

And Paul is encouraging them to excel in this “Act of Grace” This idea that we have been given grace and then we are to share grace freely.  I was talking to an individual in my family who is struggling with forgiving someone, and I said what did you think about your Dad’s sermon?  And where we talk about bitterness and unforgiveness…I’m not ready yet mom and yet Jesus was…He EXCELED in GRACE!!

And in this particular area starting in verse 6 it says…

2 Corinthians 9:6-14

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully^[d] will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency^[e] in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 

Can we say verse 8 together

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency (In Him) in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

I love how it says it in the Amplified version…

And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.

In the same way that his grace abounds…and when it does

You would have complete sufficiency in everything at all times

There is the story of the Christian faith is reduced to one sentence. It’s more encompassing then John 3:16 which tells of the grace, but this verse includes the sufficiency of Christ for salvation, yes, but also for living in Christ daily as well.

Having all Sufficiency in Him

In All Things

At All Times

All of our lives we have been taught to be self-sufficient. How many times did I hear my parents say “I’m not taking care of you forever.” In grade school we hear teachers say one day you are gonna have to grow up and do it yourself in High school.  Careers come and the sufficient are those that don’t depend on any one else. It’s sort of the American way.  That we can do it, we got this.  We are capable of providing for one’s needs.  

Self Sufficient - Needing no outside help in satisfying one's basic needs.

And yet Paul is screaming to the Corinthian church “No You are NOT!!”

You are not to be self-sufficient, you are to be Jesus sufficient!!

In this upside-down kingdom as we excel in grace, all of our sufficiency is completely in Him.

So when meditating on this verse throughout the week and thinking of it over and over again…

I found myself asking these questions?

Where do you find your sufficiency, where do you find all that you need?

In your status, in your reputation, appearances, in what others think of you, in what is being said of you, how much you achieved, how much money you have, how many toys you have, if you slayed the day, you did everything right, if things are going well, if your kids are acting well, if people generally like you…

All that we need is not found in those things, not a one of them.

My status and reputation doesn’t make me sufficient,

Appearance and what others think doesn’t complete me.

What is being said (good or bad) how much I have or don’t have doesn’t give me worth.

If I slayed the day, got everything right, my kids are all star everything, angels, with a perfect GPA, and we have a fabulous family picture this Holiday season that is HallMark Worthy!!

IT STILL DOES NOT COMPARE TO BEING SUFFICIENT IN HIM!!

Stop the madness, and be sufficient in Jesus.

Someone needs to hear that this morning.  You are gonna go nuts…

This world is setting you up…

That is what Paul is reminding the church at Corinth.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency (In Him) in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”

But look at the end of that, well the end of the middle…

In all things, at all times…

Where do you find you sufficiency at all times?

Where do you find your sufficiency in all things?

So I think like this, I don’t know about you..

Ok God I am going to find my complete sufficiency in Jesus, (I’m convicted and realize the error of my ways) not anything else, it’s an ultimate daily surrender, and by day two I’m itching, a week into finding my sufficiency in Christ alone,

“So this thing is going to change right?  “This time and season is going to be different right?” 

I know you say in Ecclesiastes there is time and season for everything,

A time to be born, but that time to die thing well…

A time to be torn down, and a time to build up…

A time to cry and a time to laugh…

A time to grieve and a time to dance…

A time to scatter and a time to gather…

A time to embrace and a time to turn..

A time to keep and a time to through away…

But just wait God, I thought if I was sufficient in you, you would change the season/this thing, but this time and season sucks, and secretly the reason why I wanted to become sufficient in you was so that you would change this thing, so that you would change this time in my life.

But the essence of this verse and the Christian life is that no matter what time or season that I’m in my sufficiency will always be found in Christ.

Ex.  I don’t know if you know this, but the Saints are not winning, that would be a big understatement and recently listened to Demario Davis on this subject, and he in the middle of this losing season in his life reflect “My life is one that’s not only surrendered to God,” Davis begins, but God is the mover in my life. That’s the battle every day, to stay surrendered.”  -Demario Davis

And you sort of thought things were gonna change around they delivered a shut out!!

Its like yeah Demario is surrendered, Gods turning it around.

And then last Monday night happened and we lost again and we are 3 and 6

Where do you find your sufficiency Demario Davis…In Him!!

Sometime the things doesn’t change

Sometimes the time or season doesn’t change

But in all we can find our sufficiency in Christ.

No matter what season you are going through, no matter what thing is on your mind, he is sufficient.  Whatever the pressures, there will be adequate strength to meet it.

There is no limit to his sufficiency.

"Always," he says, I am enough.

No matter whether you are old or young or middle-aged, no matter what season you are in whether it is day or night or in between in you life, always. No matter what the demand is, no matter how great the pressure is, you shall have enough of grace,

and He is always sufficient in all things, and at all times.