Please open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 which we will read in a few minutes.
The church in Corinth in the Bible was filled with problems.
The simple act of communion had been perverted into a feast for the rich to gorge themselves in front of those who were poor and had no food.
The spiritual gift of speaking in unknown languages had been invaded and misused by those who had come out of pagan temples where “spirits” would speak through people in unintelligible utterances.
An incestuous sexual relationship between a man and his step-mother was not only being tolerated but was being bragged about in the church.
There were factions and infighting among the people.
There was bedlam and confusion and people shouting their “prophecies” over the top of one another in their gathers.
And in the middle of all of that what did Paul do? What does he say he did?
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 Corinthians 2:3 NIV
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
He preached Jesus the Christ who came and gave His life for our salvation.
When Paul said that he was ignorant of everything spiritual except for the facts that Jesus was the Messiah and that He had been crucified he was not saying he was trying to cut through the garbage and focus on what really mattered?
Paul had a laser-like focus and that focus was aimed directly at Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Promised One of the Old Testament.
And that brings us to the question, “Is Jesus enough?”
What do you mean, “Is Jesus enough?” Jesus is all sufficient. Jesus is God Himself.
How could Jesus be anything less than enough?
What if we came in here this morning and all we had was Jesus?
What if when we came in we didn’t discuss our health or our jobs or the weather or our families but only Jesus?
What if there was no piano and no keyboard and no guitar and no drums or any other musical instruments or singing but only Jesus?
What if there was no projection of the words and no hymnals and no bulletins but only our Bibles and Jesus?
What if during the offering time we just sat in silence and thought about Jesus and His kingdom?
What if instead of music there were only testimonies of praise about what Jesus had done in and through us that week for Him and for His Kingdom on earth?
What if instead of music there were only testimonies of how we had grown in the Lord and testimonies about what we had learned from the Holy Bible?
What if instead of a prayer chorus before the prayer time we confessed the ways we had failed Jesus that week and sought the prayers of brothers and sisters in Christ for strength in the coming week?
What if we spent an extended time in reading the Scriptures to find out how we could be more like Jesus?
What if the sermons always focused on what Jesus wants us to become and what Jesus wants to do in and through us?
What if we spent an extended time in prayer asking Jesus to help us to be what He wants us to be and to help us to do what He would have us to do?
Would we be satisfied with such a service? Would Jesus be enough?
Would people walk away saying, “Well, that was boring” or would we be energized and refreshed by the presence of the Lord God Almighty?
If we were to have such a service it would be a service that would be focused on the most needed thing – salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and growth into mature Christians who can contribute to the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Now we see that in Corinth great destruction came into the church when attitudes and practices from outside the church were brought into the church.
Can a Christ centered worship service remain a faithful Christ centered worship service when we add things to it?
What could we possibly add?
In the Bible music is found in worship.
They would sing songs about the great acts of God and His great deliverances.
They would sing songs of praise as they proceeded to the temple for sacrifices.
Sometimes praise choirs would even lead the army into battle!
And, of course, we see worship music in the greatest worship event of all eternity around the throne of God in heaven.
Well, we could add music.
It would have to be God centered and not just “God” but including songs about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The songs would have to be centered on the Lord and theologically correct.
They could not be “feel good” songs focused on merely stirring our emotions.
What did we sing this morning?
Christ the Lord is Risen Today – Remembering our resurrected Savior
A Shelter in the Time of Storm – A testimony song of the Lord’s protection
Hallelujah! – Recounting the birth of Jesus and His sacrifice for our sin
Refiner’s Fire – A prayer song for a sanctified life
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us – Recognizing the Father’s great gift of His Son for our salvation, recounting our guilt and remembering our undeserved salvation.
All of them point to the work of the Triune Godhead on our behalf.
Another part of the worship music is the instrumentation.
Are the instruments being played well enough to keep from being a distraction from focusing on the Lord?
Is any instrumentalist or vocalist seeking to draw attention to themselves thereby drawing focus away from the Lord?
Are the attitudes of the people leading the music focused on our Lord and Savior for His glory?
If so, then the music is seeking to glorify the Lord and that is always good.
If not then changes would have to be made.
If you want to know how far off the grid this can go just go to your computer and type in “Rock star worship leader” and you’ll find articles about the woes that some churches go through.
I am not trying to pat myself and the praise team on the back. This focus of “turning our eyes upon Jesus” is our driving force. Why? Because we believe Jesus is enough.
Now this same laser-like focus can be applied to every part of our worship service and the only part that I can think of that is not directly focused on drawing attention to Jesus is perhaps the announcement and greeting times.
So, you see, even when we add things like music to a “Jesus is enough” worship service it can still be a “Jesus is enough” worship service.
Now, let’s take this whole thing to another level; from the church to me.
Is the central focus of my life “Jesus is enough?”
Do I live completely for Him? Can I say, “Jesus is enough?”
Whatever He wants I want?
Our society outside of the church is pleasure driven.
Suzanna Wesley was the mother of John and Charles Wesley.
This is what she said in an interview.
“How would you judge the lawfulness or unlawfulness of ‘pleasure?’"
Use this rule:
Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sight of God, takes from you your thirst for spiritual things or increases the authority of your body over your mind, then that thing to you is evil.
By this test you may detect evil no matter how subtly or how plausibly temptation may be presented to you.”
? Susanna Wesley
There will always be a tension between the allurements of this world and the purity and sufficiency of Jesus in our lives but with maturity and a greater love for Jesus His sufficiency increases and the allure of sin decreases.
And on and on it goes, every decision reinforcing that “Jesus is enough” or that “no He’s not.”
The first step of having a “Jesus is enough” life is coming to salvation. (explain)
The next step is coming to the point where you can declare that your entire life is surrendered to Him and that He has the permission to go through your life and keep what He wants to keep and to throw out what He wants to throw out.
And, whatever He wants to throw out you will pick up and carry to the curb for the garbage man to take away.
“Jesus is enough” is the place where you will find all you ever really need.
Anything else is loss.
(Play video – Give Me Jesus)
Final comments and prayer
