1. There are 6,000,000,000 people on the planet in 237, countries speaking 6,528 languages. Half have never heard the truth about Jesus. Source: Missions – unhindered.org
2. 67% of all humans from AD30 to the present day have never heard of Jesus’ name. Source: Wolrd Christian Trends; Pasadena: William Carey Library.
3. A minimum of 69,000 people are being born again every day in the Pacific Rim, South America and Africa. Source: Leadership Now! Magazine, pg 8, Winter 2003
4. The country with the fastest Christian expansion ever is China, now at 10,000 new converts every day. Source: World Christian Trends; Pasadena: William Carey Library.
INTRO AND QUESTIONS
When last did you get that feeling that you just don’t have all that much to give. There is just so much to do in live but you just can’t ever get on top of the things you need to get up on top of.
That scheduled life you are always trying to attain. That organized business or job you are always trying to square away and get running smoothly. That gym and exercise program you are constantly trying to get off the ground. Regular holidays with the family, maybe its getting yourself financially independent. I find that expression hilaurious. Financial Independence rates right up there in the X Files with Elvis Still Being alive and the loch ness monster.
But I think what I am trying to get at is that you probably feel pretty much like on somethings, no matter how much you want them, no matter how much you try and get them, they just seem to allude you ever attaining them. In fact I know that striving after these things and never quite getting there is often down right frustrating and most times even depressing.
SOLOMON – STRIVING AFTER THE WIND
Solomon got like that too. He says that trying to get some things done seemed like it was “striving after the wind”. It was just vanity. Eccl 1:14. Chasing after the wind. Ever watched your puppy chasing its tail. We laugh at the poor dog when he cant quite get at his tail. But I know that like me many of you have that feeling. That feeling of inadequateness. You just are not good enough. You just cant get at that tail.
SITUATION WITH CHRIST
I am not talking about manic depression or near suicidal tendancies. And I am not joking because let me tell you, that it is this feeling of inadequacy that leads many people into depression. What I am saying is that if you do sometimes just simply feel like you are just are not good enough to get things done, then listen up this morning.
When I look amongst the friends here today, I see many folk I know. Many people who I know who personally walk with the Lord. And despite you that I know loving Jesus Christ, and I want to hear an amen when we get to the end of this, despite many of you loving Jesus, having accepted him into you life, you have those feelings don’t you.You probably have them even more because we stand alongside a man who was willing to die for us and yet we are so small in comparison. I am so glad that was a good amen because I just might start having those feeling of inadequateness up here myself.
When I look across the room, there are also some folk that I don’t know. Hopefully we can change that, but some of you may not have truly accepted Christ into you life just yet. And I know that you also have those feelings. Those feelings like you just weren’t supposed to achieve anything with your life.
ITS HIS LOVE
No matter what your standing is with Christ, this morning I want you to know that being wtih Christ removes that gap. It removes that hunger for completion. It completes you. What is it that completes you? – His love.
LOVE FOR WHO?
For God so loved the world. It does not say for God so loved the ……(rich, whites, blacks, famous, successful, seemingly content) For God so loved the world.
HE LOVES SO WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH
He loved the world. Are you included in the world? Then you are included. Is there a limit. How wide is that love? Jesus tells us. For at one point he stretched one hand out and then the other and was nailed to a cross to show how wide it is. It includes you. Now I want you to stop and think about this for a moment. If we are good enough to be loved by the most high God surely we are good enough for him to use us and care for us and need us despite all our feelings of inadequacies? If we are struggling with feelings of inadequacies today know that if you can say that God loves me, then you have to logically accept that he sees past your failings and your sometimes very frustrating tail chasing.
WHAT ELSE – LEADING TO HOLY SPIRIT
But what makes the difference. Ok so Christ plays a huge role in making me whole. But didn’t we just agree that even those with Christ have the same issues of inadequacies?
When Jesus chose his disciples, believe you me they felt inadequate. He spoke about things they had no clue about, he was raising people from the dead and they couldn’t even keep from squabbling. Peter lied, Matthew cheated, they all argued.
PETER EG
Well lets look at Peter just for a moment. He went from hero to zero in a couple of hours didn’t he? Never betray you – cock a doodle do. When Christ reconciled with him, look carefully at what Christ mentions. Peter son of Simon do you LOVE me, but the story goes further. There is one huge event that changed peters life from a life of inadequacies to a life of momentous proportion.
OLD PETER
John 13:36-38
John 18:27
Matthew 14:28-31
NEW PETER
Acts 2:14
Acts 2:41
This was a man who had put aside his inadequacies, this was now a man who saw to it that all new of Christ. Do you think Peter lay in bed at night with morbid fears of uselessness and inadequacies? He felt fulfilled, he felt used by God. He know of that love, for he had seen a man who had died for him, I man who had forgiven him for betrayal, a man who had such love that he washed feet, blessed prostitutes, but above all laid down his life. Peter knew that love. But there was more to it for Peter. One event had changed his life. From bumbling inadequate to man of God.
Acts 2:4
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Peter was only inadequate because he had not stepped up to the plate and allowed the HS to introduce him to the things that God wanted for him.
You name an obedient person in scripture that God has not given the finest, the most adequate to. You see we cant. When we are open to receiving that which God has planned for us, then we are given the adequate It will over flow you. Luke 6:38.
ACCEPT HOLY SPIRIT
But we have to have that event. We have to have that moment when we say OK Holy Spirit show me. But once we have that moment, we have to allow it to do things in our lives that we may feel are impossible, like over throw the Roman Empire, and LET IT JUST DO IT in our lives.
CHALLENGE
Today, stand up and say I feel inadequate because I am human and humans manage their lives inadequately.If I give it to God, and surrender FULLY to the Holy Spirit, then a will have a life more abundant than anything I could ever dream of.
Abundantly – not inadequatey. - John 10:10
