God has many names, ranging from titles such as the King of kings, and Lord of lords, to names that signify His relationship to us on a more personal level such as Heavenly Father and even Friend.
In all of these names however, there is one which I would like to call your attention to today… The name of El Shaddai. This is a name with more than one meaning, it is generally translated as Almighty God, but it can also be translated as The All Sufficient One, and this is the name that we will be looking at today.
The Holy Spirit has kept us on a consistent theme these past few weeks, and it is the theme of God’s provision. There are those who would like it to be somehow wrong to speak of the provision and prosperity of God, but I am going to shock some of you by saying that God, like any good Father, wants His children to be prosperous, and not just a little prosperous, but very prosperous – just as He is.
Jesus up in Heaven is not poor, the Bible is very clear about this in many places. Let us first read 2nd Corinthians 8:9:
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich.”
Now some would say that this verse is talking about more than money… and that is correct, but money is included. Jesus, who owns absolutely everything both in the physical realm and spiritual realm; quite literally the richest being in the universe, chose to forfeit everything for your sakes, and became totally bankrupt as He took our place of punishment on the cross. And why? So that we through His poverty – through His taking our pace and bearing our punishment – would be rich. And that my friends, means rich in all things, physically and spiritually! Hallelujah!
Now the message today is not about money, but the Holy Spirit knows that some people here today needed to hear that message, and so there it is. It’s never a bad thing to remember and meditate on the promises of God or the finished work of Christ and all that the finished work brings us.
It is very important when we look at the sufficiency of God to remember that God is not influenced by the world, nor the current situation of it. He is not affected by the stock market, or interest rates, or the turmoil throughout the world. His supply is always more than enough, and as a good Father, He is always willing and able to supply His children with whatever they may need (and usually much more).
Again I am not just speaking of money, but money is a part of that provision, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Being poor is not holy, just as being rich is not unholy. If money itself was evil, then God would not be wealthy; and we just read that He is very wealthy. Furthermore, Proverbs 10:22 states the following:
“The blessing of the LORD makes men rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”
So we can see clearly here that riches without sorrow are a blessing from the LORD.
Now as I have been saying, this not merely financial blessing, but riches in every area of your life. Health, healing, peace, joy, whatever you need. This is true because Jesus paid for it all when He took our place on that cross. Romans 8:32-34 sums it all up quite nicely:
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not with him also freely give us all things?
Who will lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifies.
Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Because of the finished work of Christ on our behalf, we have the full riches of God at our disposal.
So why is it then that more people are not seeing these riches in their lives? Well there is a clue at the end of verse 32 which we just read… “how will he not with him also freely give us all things?”.
Most people, Christians included, are trying to get these blessings without him instead of with him.
This of course will not work because to try and obtain the blessings of God apart from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ represents a complete lack of understanding of the law, and of sin. Man by himself is never able to make atonement apart from Jesus Christ. Even Moses, the most meek of all men, when he was given the law stated that he was “exceedingly afraid”… he knew that the law would doom mankind.
How then do we obtain the blessings of God if not by our own efforts or merits? It is by the grace of God and through Jesus Christ. It is He that makes it a free gift because of what Jesus has done.
2nd Peter 1:2-4 gives us the complete key to obtaining these blessings:
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
We can see here that grace and peace is multiplied through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. The more we know about Jesus, the more we hear about Him, learn about Him and study Him, the more grace and peace we will find. In the next verse we see that all things pertaining to both life and godliness also come through the knowledge of Him, and now here is the final key… that through these promises, we become partakers of the divine nature. As our spirit grabs on to these promises and the truth of Jesus, we become transformed, in the same way that Peter did when he kept his eyes on Jesus and began to do the same miracle of walking on the water. It makes zero logical sense, but it is the very truth of God’s Word.
So my friends, rest in Jesus, rest in His Word and His promises. Trust Him without having to help Him along. Jeremiah 17:5 says the man that trusts in the strength of man is cursed.
My friends let us trust in God, and not on or own strength, let us rely on the El Shaddai, the Almighty God and the All Sufficient One for everything we need. His supply never runs out, nor does His compassion ever fail. Amen.
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