NOT ENOUGH, JUST ENOUGH, or MORE THAN ENOUGH
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Lacking a Little
1. A man went on a ski trip and was knocked unconscious by the chairlift. He called his insurance company from the hospital, but they refused to cover his injury.
2. He asked them, "Why is the injury not covered?" They answered, "Because it is a pre-existing condition." He said, "That’s impossible! Being hit with a chair lift is not a pre-existing condition!"
3. "No, but no one but an idiot would get hit in the head by a chairlift. That makes you an idiot, and we consider that a pre-existing condition."
B. THESIS Spiritual Poverty: an imperfect analogy
1. If you put money into the bank, time after time, then when you need something, you can go to the bank and take out some of what you’ve put into it.
2. The same happens in the spiritual realm. When you get built up in the Spirit & the Word, and you suddenly need something from God – like an answer to prayer, a healing, a new infilling, someone needs deliverance, you’re resisting a satanic attack – then you can turn toward God and make a withdrawal from your spiritual surplus. But if you haven’t been putting something in, then there’s nothing in your spiritual account to draw out.
3. We’re supposed to store up anointing or spiritual fullness to be used in time of need. Remember the 10 Virgins who waited for the Bridegroom. They had to have oil enough for the moment but also EXTRA OIL to sustain them through the period beyond what they thought they needed. Five of them did not have enough.
4. THE POINT: We don’t need to get just enough of God for the moment, but we need to have an abundance of His presence, extra-excess-anointing to take care of bigger-than-normal needs.
5. There are 3 conditions the people of God find themselves in when they meet a crisis: Not Enough, Just Enough, and More Than Enough. This is a message about spiritual poverty or spiritual abundance.
I. NOT ENOUGH ANOINTING
People who have “just enough,” often fail in their Christian life, because they didn’t know the extent (strength) of the enemies’ bondage or the extent to which they would be put to the test. Examples:
A. THE NINE DISCIPLES
1. The 9 disciples who couldn’t cast out the spirit (Mt. 17:19-20) are a good example. When tested, they did not have enough anointing/ power of the Spirit, in their lives, to cast it out. Jesus told them, “This kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting.” Jesus meant that the disciples were supposed to have prayed and fasted enough, beforehand, to gain extra power before they got to the test.
2. Jesus often spent evenings, mornings, and sometimes whole nights in prayer, so that when He faced implacable demons or severe healing needs or resurrections, He was sufficient for the need.
3. Some wrongly assume that Jesus automatically had power because He was the Son of God. Paul revealed that Jesus relinquished His automatic right to His power when He became man (kenosis, Phip. 2:7, “he emptied himself, taking the very nature of a servant”). Jesus made Himself like us and began deriving His power from the Spirit (as our example), the same way we’re supposed to – by prayer, fasting, and spending time communing with God, & being filled with His Spirit.
4. But this requires the seeker to have a spiritual appetite. You have to “hunger & thirst after righteousness” or you will not be filled. A. W. Tozer said, "Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want.”
B. THE ROCKY SOIL THE SEED FELL ON
Another example of a Christian who didn’t have enough was in the parable of the seed which fell on rocky soil (Mt. 13:20-21; Mk. 4:16-17; Lk. 8:13). This is the believer who is superficial, who doesn’t have depth in the Word & the Holy Spirit, Jesus said they’re more likely to fall away in times of testing. Because of their shallow experience they don’t have enough spiritual reserves to survive difficult times.
C. THE FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS, Matt. 25:1-13
A third example of not having enough anointing is the parable of the 5 foolish Virgins. They did NOT have enough of the oil to keep their lamps burning through the night until the fourth watch and the coming of the Bridegroom – Christ.
1. Here is the mistake of the five foolish virgins: they didn't realize the toll that darkness would take on their resources/fuel; it went on longer & stronger than they anticipated. Christians make this mistake today.
2. We can't coast in our Christianity. Many Christians have settled for minimum Christianity. Then when fiery trials come, like sickness, war, financial collapse, persecution, death, spiritual attack – we find we lack the strength to go on. You must maintain the flame of fervent faith! We must have the extra anointing that comes from intimacy with Christ.
3. You must get alone with Jesus to have intimacy with him. The enemy wars against your prayer closet. You won't make it if you’re depending on a shallow prayer time during your shower. Spiritual readiness doesn’t just happen. It comes as a result of intentional habits built into one’s life:
4. Time in prayer; being alone with God; reading God’s Word; waiting & communing with God; acts of service to others; moral faithfulness and loving obedience.
II. JUST ENOUGH ANOINTING
An example of “Just Enough” anointing is when Samson fought the 1,000 men. Afterward, he was so dehydrated that without a drink of miraculous water, he would have died. Samson hadn’t been prayed up for the battle. He only had just enough spiritual power to survive the enemy’s attack, but not enough to keep alive afterward. There’s a great parallel between many true Christians and Samson.
A. SAMSON NEVER INTENDED TO LOSE TOUCH WITH GOD
1. Samson had a miraculous beginning. Samson’s parents were old and childless, so Samson’s birth was the result of a miracle, similar to us being born again. Samson, like the Christian, was consecrated from birth.
2. From an early age Samson was filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit began to manifest great strength in him (we don’t realize what we’re capable of). He had a passion for God – a sense of mission. He allowed the Holy Spirit to move in his life.
3. But over time he got cold and hard-hearted. He was distracted from God and began to toy with sin. He thought he could sin without repercussions, but he was deceived. Satan has many tactics to “cut off” the Christian’s relationship with God.
a. He keeps our PRAYERS SUPERFICIAL.
b. He STEALS THE WORD away from our hearts.
c. He SUFFOCATES our SPIRITUAL LIFE.
d. He gets us to FAIL IN SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES.
e. He puts us in A HURTFUL TRIAL.
f. He GETS US ADDICTED to some sin.
4. The problem with having "just enough" of God is that it’s just one drop more than “not enough.” Having "just enough of God" is a statement of complacency. It’s like saying you’re in love with someone but you really don’t want to spend time with them. Our complacency speaks louder than our words; we say that we love Jesus but our hearts show otherwise.
B. ILLUSTRATION
1. National Geographic ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon, are broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs.
2. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately end up having weaker antlers and less bulk.
3. There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await us; Satan will choose the season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? It depends on how we take in the Word, draw near to God, pray & worship and witness. We must be preemptive!
III. MORE THAN ENOUGH ANOINTING
What we need is MORE THAN ENOUGH! There are several examples of this.
A. THE WIDOW WITH MANY VESSELS
1. 2 Kgs. 4:1-7 tells about the widow who owed a large debt (and was going to have her sons seized) but she was told by Elisha to borrow many vessels and then pour her little oil into them until they were all filled by miraculous multiplication. When she had filled all the vessels, she asked Elisha what to do next. Elisha replied, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons CAN LIVE ON WHAT IS LEFT.” (2 Kgs. 4:7). Her anointing was more than sufficient to meet her need!
2. Elisha said, “BORROW MANY VESSELS – NOT A FEW!” Few vessels = little oil; many vessels = much oil. WE DECIDE how much we will get. You and I can increase or stifle the flow of God’s anointing in our lives. We decide for little, if we only seek God a little.
3. The widow’s oil flowed until every vessel she had borrowed was filled. If she’d borrowed a petroleum truck, she could’ve filled it! The Holy Spirit says, “Bring your vessels, NOT A FEW!” This is God’s instruction to seek MORE than we presently need!
B. JESUS & THE LITTLE BOY’S LUNCH Jn. 6:1-13
1. Then there was the boy’s lunch that Jesus multiplied to feed the 5,000+. Jesus didn’t make it JUST ENOUGH, He made it MORE THAN ENOUGH! His bread & fish not only fed the multitude, but produced 12 basketfuls beyond the present need. They were extras.
2. When we put our abilities into Christ’s hands – OUR RESOURCES ARE PLACED IN A GRAND POSITION. There, we come into CONTACT WITH OMNIPOTENCE, & NOTHING SHALL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR US! GET IN THE MIRACLE ZONE! “Bring them (your abilities) here to Me!” Mt. 14:18.
C. THE FIVE WISE VIRGINS
1. TEXT: 6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived....And the door was shut. 11 Later [they] also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” 12“But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'” Matt. 25:6-12.
2. When Jesus described the success of the 5 Wise Virgins, it was that they had gone AHEAD OF TIME to the ‘sellers of oil’ and gotten extra stores of anointing. Our main sources of “oil” are the Word of God, the infilling of the Spirit, pressing through to God in prayer & worship.
3. God says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near” Isa. 55:6. David said, “O God, You are my God; EARLY will I seek You.” God says in Prov. 8:17, “I love them that love Me; and those that SEEK ME EARLY shall find Me.” BE PROACTIVE; let’s seek God early!
CONCLUSION
A. IS THERE A SENSE OF URGENCY?
1. The widow with two sons realized how critical it was to do whatever it took to save her sons. Are we that concerned about our family’s salvation? Do our prayers reflect that kind of urgency?
2. Elisha told her to ask, not for a FEW JARS, BUT MANY; the Virgins were responsible to get extra oil. So WE are responsible to have MORE THAN ENOUGH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! Will you have not enough, just enough, or more than enough?
B. ILLUSTRATION: Ling Wei's Answer to Prayer
1. God called a Chinese young man to serve Him. In his heart there was a burning love for God and a desire for the salvation of his people.
2. But his mother wasn’t a Christian and persecuted him. One night she met him at the door and told him he could no longer go to church and threatened him with severe punishments.
3. Ling Wei was in trouble. In China young people are expected to obey their parents. "What shall I do?" he told his friend, Cheng. "My mother has hidden my clothes so I can’t go to church tomorrow.”
4. Cheng said, “Let’s pray & ask Jesus to help us. Let’s pray!" The two friends threw themselves on their faces and prayed to God all night. In the early morning, they were still weeping and calling on God to save Ling Wei’s mother.
5. Suddenly the door opened. It was Ling Wei's mother. "Oh, my dream! My dream!" she cried. "The True God -- you talk to -- told me in a dream to let you alone or He would punish me. Here are your clothes. Dress and go to church. I won’t hinder you any more!"
6. They went to church, rejoicing in the God who hears & answers prayer! [Selected]
C. ALTAR CALL
1. How many of you have a need this morning? You need God to come through for you? Do some of you need healing? Are being persecuted? Have a major trial too big for you?
2. How many of you have decided you’d like MORE OF GOD in your life? Let’s all come to the front and spend time in intercession. PRAYER.
