Who is Adequate? (4-25-13)

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 - "For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?"

I've been thinking a lot lately about the call of the believer and the work that the Lord gives each individual believer to do, and the question that Paul poses at the end of these verses is a question that keeps coming to the forefront of my mind, "who is adequate for these things?" There are things that God calls us to do that we know we are inadequate to handle. But the truth is that the Lord enables us to do all that He has called us to do. The Lord Jesus Himself said in John 15:5 - "apart from Me you can do nothing." In our own flesh and by our efforts we cannot do the work that God calls us to. But at the same time, nothing that God calls us to do is impossible as long as He is the one working in and through us. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And a couple chapters earlier we read in Philippians 2:13 - "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." So we can do nothing apart from Christ, we can do all things through Christ, and it has to be Him working in us first to will, that is to make us want the right thing, and to do of His good pleasure. When I feel inadequate for any given work it's because, whether I realize it or not, I am relying on my own strength and ability to carry out the Lords work rather than depending on Him to work through me. I need to get my focus off of myself and fix my eyes on Him. Paul recognized this, and after asking the question "who is adequate for these things?" he goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 - "Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." We can do the Lords work confidently, knowing that He is the one who enables us to do it. Our adequacy comes, not from ourselves, but from Him. He is the one who enables us, and He will never call you to do something that He will not also enable you to do.

In considering this topic Exodus chapters 3 and 4 come to mind. That's where we read the account of God calling Moses from the burning bush. When God told Moses that He wanted to use him to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt, Moses made several excuses all showing that his focus was on himself rather than on God. God told Moses that He was going to use him, and Moses said in Exodus 3:11 - "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" His focus was on himself, "who am I?" So the Lord responded in verse 12 by saying - "Certainly I will be with you." Moses was focusing on himself, but God basically said "It doesn't matter who you are, what matters is who I am." I'm a lot like Moses sometimes. I'll think, "Lord, I can't do this." But He wants me to get my eyes off of myself and focus on Him. "Certainly I will be with you."
So Moses asks another question in verse 13 - "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?" Moses is basically asking "Who are You?" And God responds in verse 14 - "“I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”" By revealing to us that He is the "I AM" God is teaching us about His own self-existence and self-sufficiency. God has always been. And He has never been dependent on anyone for anything. Think about where the Lord made this statement from. He was in the midst of a bush that was burning with fire and yet was not consumed. Every fire in the world needs tended by somebody. If it's not fed it will eventually burn out, but not this fire. This bush was burning but it was never consumed. It wasn't started by man, and it didn't need anyone to tend it to keep it going. It was always burning and yet never burned up. This is a picture of what the Lord was talking about when He told Moses "I AM." Our God is a consuming fire. He is the self-existent One. Not dependent on anyone or anything. This is the one who has called us to serve Him, and He will certainly enable us.
Moses went on to give a third excuse in Exodus 4:1 - "Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”" Again, this sounds a lot like me. I'm very good at coming up with excuses as to why I can't do what I know God wants me to do based on the fear of what other people might say or think. Does it really matter what people think or say about you? If you are sharing the gospel with someone and they don't believe you what have you lost? You can't change other people, all you can do is be obedient to what God has called you to do. Proverbs 29:25 says - "The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted." The Lord responded to Moses by telling Him that He would perform a series of signs through Moses to prove that He had sent him. But Moses had one final excuse as to why the Lord couldn't use him. In Exodus 4:10 we read - "Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”" Once again, Moses' eyes are on himself. He is basically saying to God "I cannot speak well." So the Lord responds in verses 11-12 by saying - "Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say." I love this answer. The God who spoke the universe into existence, the One who formed man out of the dust of the ground, God who made mans tongue, can He not use that tongue for His own glory? How can we be so foolish sometimes to doubt Gods abilities? If He calls you to speak for Him you can count on Him to put the words in your mouth.

This is very similar to the calling of Jeremiah the prophet. God told Jeremiah that He had appointed him as a prophet to the nations, and we read in Jeremiah 1:6 - "Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.”" Here Jeremiah gives two excuses. Not only does he say "I do not know how to speak" but he also give the reason "because I am a youth." But the Lord answered him in verses 7-9 - "Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth." Jeremiah was focused on His own inexperience and inability, but guess what, God can even use young people to do His work and He can put His word in the mouths of youths. Age isn't an issue to God. He can use you no matter how young or how old you are. I often find myself using these same excuses that Jeremiah used. "I'm too young to speak for God, there are so many people who have been walking with the Lord far longer than I have, what business do I have speaking for the Lord?" But God told Jeremiah not to use his age as an excuse because He would use him for His glory. And Paul re-emphasized this when talking to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 4 where he told him - "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." In spite of our age, in spite of our own inability and weakness, in spite of lack of knowledge or our own inexperience, in spite of our inadequacy God will use us. We need to turn our eyes away from ourselves and fix our eyes on Jesus. Without Him there is nothing we can do. With Him there is nothing we can't do.

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,
Oh, to be lost in Thee;
Oh, that it may be no more I,
But Christ that lives in me.

2 Corinthians 2:16,3:4-6 - "And who is adequate for these things? Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant."