so behold your God before we jump into this I just wanted to remind everyone it's as the hearer and I remind myself as I'm hearing many sermons as well that there is a part for you to play as you hear a sermon right the preacher can prepare but it says in Proverbs 2 if you incline your heart to wisdom if you raise your voice for understanding there's something on your part raising your voice asking the Lord if you seek it as silver and search for it as for Hidden Treasures this a Pursuit an inclining of the ears seeking to hear from the Lord then you will understand the fear of the Lord and understand the knowledge of God it talks about it being sweet to your soul and so much sermons can just go over our head if us as The Listener isn't inclining our ear trying to hear from the Lord what the Lord would say asking for help just a reminder of that so we look here this verse in Isaiah says behold your God and we have a great need of this in our life a beholding of who the Lord is I know for me individually my own life just realize how much do I really think about specific attributes of God how how in my day-to-day what am I thinking about what is on the screen in front of my eyes if there was a movie screen there on a TV always before me what and it was to be my thoughts what is it that's filling up those thoughts and I know the scripture talks about and we all know behold your God think on the Lord we as something we commonly say but how much do we really specifically think about particular attributes in God's word God has revealed himself specifically right there's many things that we can glean from this so I wanted to bring a particular aspect of the Lord this morning for us to behold and that is the self-sufficiency of God I wanted to try to speak to you somewhat about that God is self-sufficient the self-sufficiency of God for us to behold some people have called it the self-existence of God the independence of God I wanted us to Incline our minds towards that today what is a self-sufficiency of God just as far as a definition goes well in English the word self-sufficient just means able to live or function without help or support from others another good definition is able to provide for oneself without the help of others that's just an English definition one person as they're seeking to define the self-sufficiency of God they called it the independence of God one brother says God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything he does not need us or the rest of creation for anything so we might say more simply what is it that God is self-sufficient what is the self-sufficiency of God it very simply it is that God has no need he has no needs one brother said he said that need is a creature word need is something attributed to the creature to the thing that has been made it is not a word that is attributed to God himself he has no need that's what it means that God is self-sufficient we find this in the scriptures in the book of Acts chapter 17 24 and 25. and as far as this message there will be a lot of different verses if you don't have to feel bound to turn there or write it all down I could always email you the verses if you wanted to just listen but whatever is best for you acts 17 24 and 25 The God Who made the world and everything in it being Lord of Heaven and Earth does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything he's not served by human hands notice it says in verse 25 as though he needed anything the implication there is God has no needs he is the creator of all mankind he he needs nothing Psalm 50 verse 10 and 12 shows us something in scripture of the self-sufficiency of God in verse 10 it says for every this is the Lord for every beast of the forest is mine the cattle on a thousand hills I know all the birds of the hills and all that moves in the field is mine if I were hungry I would not tell you for the world and all its fullness are mine it's not a verse about that God gets hungry right it's a verse that's explained to us God if he was hungry he would not ask anyone anything because he has all things everything is his he's not a God who has any needs need is not something that can be attributed to the Lord one brother put together some some sentences here that I think that as we think about defining the self-sufficiency of God may help us think more clearly about it he says all that is necessary for God's existence and perfect happiness is found in himself his existence his perfect happiness it's found within himself he is absolutely free from any need or dependence he is the only being who is truly self-existent self-sustaining self-sufficient independent and free God Has No Lack or need and is dependent on no one you get something of the idea here well how is the Lord self-sufficient there's many ways that we could speak about I wanted to bring out a few of those things the way that God is self-sufficient remember it is that we might as Isaiah said behold your God that we might Behold our God God is self-sufficient and that he has no need of being created or sustained his self-sufficiency is seen in his self-existence his existence is rooted in himself in Exodus 3 14 it says that God said to Moses I am who I am and he said say this to the people of Israel I am has sent me to you he says I am who I am and that name demonstrates that God's existence is not called many men have said there's not cause nor does it depend upon anything or anyone outside of himself God it is God's nature to exist and so he simply is without effort he simply is you know Paul would say you might help to understand this point a little better Paul would say in First Corinthians 15 10 that I am what I am by the grace of God by the grace of God I am what I am but only God can say I am who I am by virtue of my own Perfections and power I am who I am by my own self John 5 26 the Lord tells us for as the father has life in himself his existence his being is found within himself the father has life in himself so he has granted the son also to have life in himself where does the Lord's life come from it comes from himself Psalm 36 9 says for with you is the Fountain of Life and in your light do we see light the fountain what is a fountain could say it's it's a spring in other words it comes up from the ground many times a big spring or a big Fountain whole colonies would uh inhabit around it because the water source is so plentiful there it's the source it's where the the stream flows from for those for those people so what's being said here in Psalm 36 9 that for with you is the Fountain of Life that the Lord is the source of all life from him flows all things that have been made so we might say thinking about God's self-existence that he gets life from him his own self that he is his own Fountain you see who is the everything has been made flows from the Fountain of God but he is his own Fountain he is all that he needs you know a child might ask you you're teaching your children maybe about you're created by God and that and that mommy and daddy were created by God and you were created by God and a child may ask well who created God right have you ever been asked that that can happen and well no one created God he's the source of all things he's always been that's in his existence he's self-sufficient in his own existence life from himself but also in that him continuing to exist his his being sustained is rooted in himself Isaiah 40 verse 28 says have you not known have you not heard the Lord is the Everlasting God the creator of the ends of the Earth he does not faint or grow weary his understanding is unsearchable he's Everlasting forever and ever that he doesn't feign or go weary who sustains God he sustains himself even before the mountains were brought forth in the psalm of Moses Moses tells us even before the mountains were brought forth wherever you had formed the earth and the world from Everlasting to Everlasting you are God before all creation was even made God was just there and all of his fullness in full Prime and he still is that to this day and all was full who has sustained him he has sustained himself he's an everlasting God we can see this more clearly the glory of this truth if we're to put all creation right next to God being self-sufficient the creator of all things if we're to put him right by one another we might be able to see this truth more clearly contrast God's self-sufficiency and his existence and his ability to sustain himself with all the things that have been created and you will know something more of the glory of God's self-sufficiency everything depends on him what is what is an antonym of self-sufficient a synonym is what's a similar word to self-sufficient but an antonym is what is the opposite of self-sufficient what are some words we might say dependent Reliant that's an antonym so all creation is completely and entirely dependent on the Lord for its existence and it's and being sustained completely reliant on the Lord for this that is everything in all creation everything that you can see in the universe and cannot see even the very universe itself is completely dependent and Reliant upon the Lord himself think think on these things creation itself is dependent on him to exist Genesis 1 1 in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth remember as we said in the psalm he is the Fountain of Life from him all creation flowed in all the universe that he he is the source and he is the source of it being sustained as well that verse in Job chapter 34 verse 14 and 15 talks to us about God sustaining the universe and how important it is and what would happen if he didn't sustain the universe he says if he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath All Flesh would perish together and man would return to dust if God withheld if God stops sustaining the world right now everything that has been made returned to it says specifically here man return to dust everything that would be made would just disintegrate if the Lord was not upholding it right this moment the sin disintegrate I think about the self-sufficiency of God that he sustains all that but think about we've talked about all creation that he sustains that he's the one who brings life right but what about you yourself individually think about you yourself if I were to think about myself best Chancellor with this big self-sufficient God who is the source of his own existence and he is the source of his own being sustained I'm going to put myself right next to this God do that for yourself and think about these things and even yourself was created that Psalm 1 103 in the nas says know that the Lord himself is God it is he who made us and not we ourselves it is he who brought us into existence he is a Fountain of Life again we flowed from him it says that in Acts 17 25 as we already saw that he has no need of anything and that it says that since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything it's he who gave us our life but what that's our existence but what about just yourself being sustained to continue to live they're speaking physically here compared to this glorious self-sufficient God how much is dependent upon the Lord just for us to continue to exist we're dependent for every breath I think about it we know that you've heard that but how much have we really dwelled upon that every breath how many breaths have you taken this morning or in your life every breath it says there in Acts 17 25 he himself gives breath every heartbeat how dependent are we on just for the food that he gives I mean you go some you go sometime or season without eating very much and you begin to feel your body shutting down right I mean people if they don't eat they starve but especially we see how weak we are in times of that we're setting ourselves apart from food being hungry or maybe even go a good season of that we just see how dependent we are on on food how dependent are we on the water that he gives I mean you go some days without water you're going to go to the hospital I mean your organs are going to shut down how dependent are we on that how dependent are we on just sleep to be sustained I mean miss a night of sleep and you feel it right if you only get if you miss a couple hours of sleep and at night a lot of times you'll feel it or a long season of that will go on if just even if you get enough sleep just going throughout the day by the time you hit your pillow at night it's because you need to hit the pillow at night right how how weak we are in ourselves and don't we know the Lord did it on purpose to show us something about his sufficiency how how frail are our bodies how easy are we broken how easy are they broken or scratched or cut or how easy it is it for you know one little microscopic virus will take down a six foot eight bodybuilder easy he's laid up for days it could kill him how dependent are we for the Lord just to sustain our life how dependent are we just to go about our day-to-day and to move to be able to dress ourselves in the morning and for me to even stand before you this day with the strength of my legs and to be able to even speak anything to move my tongue and say anything I have any kind of real thought how dependent are we have you ever thought about it I can't even get ready in the morning without the Lord's help I can't even take a shower or anything now put think about those things now put it right next to the god yourself with all your needs right next to the God who has absolutely no need whatsoever doesn't grow faint or weary his life sources within himself think think about it and we we haven't even talked about spiritual weakness right we've only been speaking about the physical you know how foolish how Foolish Pride is it is so foolish the Lord is self-sufficient he's self-sufficient in his existence and him being sustained but also we see this in scripture moving on now he's self-sufficient and that he has no need he has no need of fulfilling relationship outside of himself he has no need of that the Lord we know from the scripture that he is a trinity one God three persons the father is God the son is God the spirit is God and we see from scripture that there is this relationship within the Trinity there isn't a there's a fulfillment there there is a there is a joy there to where that the Lord has no need of any outside relationship to be content to be satisfied we see glimpses of this Triune relationship in the scriptures we see that there is an intimacy in this relationship that every person of the godhead in John 10 15. that says just says the father knows me and I know the father to the son knows the Father the father knows the son there's a picture there of intimacy relationship talks about in John 14 23 when the promise is I'm going to come and manifest myself to you if you walk with me and keep my Commandments that he talks about that we will the father will love him and we will come and make our home with him we will come and make our home with him the whole the promise here is a fellowship with the Trinity Fellowship with with all of who God God is and in that we say that if there's going to be fellowship with us it assumes that there is fellowship within himself you may say where's the spirit in all this in second Corinthians chapter 13 I believe it talks about the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit and we have that we know but it assumes that if the if there's Fellowship in the holy spirit that is there's Fellowship within every member with him cooperating with the other members of the trinity in this trying relationship This trinitarian Love This intimacy there is also a delight in this relationship there also is a joy Proverbs 8 30 says then I was beside him like speaking about Christ then I was besides him like a master Workman I was daily his Delight rejoicing before him always and I realize that not everyone takes that to be about Christ but even if you don't take that verse to be about Christ we can still say there is the Delight in this relationship in the Trinity there's a joy within himself First Timothy 1 11 says in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the Blessed God the Blessed God what does that word blessed mean if you look it up the happy God you might say there's a joy of God within himself he is a Triune God there's a satisfaction there there's a Unity within himself every person of the Trinity there's a film and he has no need of any outside relationship there's a unity in himself that it says in John 17 21 Christ says that they may be one he's praying for us just as you father are in me and I in you that they also may be in US so the world may believe that you sent me father are in as you father are in me and I in you there's a connection there right something a a glimpse within this relationship but also he says in verse 11 the last part of verse 11 and chapter 17 that they may be one even as We Are One there's a Unity there is a love there there's a love within himself he talks about in John 17 24 father I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory that you have given me Because You Loved Me you loved me before the foundation of the world before the world was created there was a love between the father and the son there's a glimpse into this Triune relationship he has no need of any outside relationship and there is a glory in this relationship verse 5 of chapter 17 and now father glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed before the world resisted there was a glory in this relationship we get glimpses of it here the Lord has no need of any outside relationship he's completely fulfilled and content and happy and joyful within himself now doesn't this somebody said to even suggest that God made man because he was lonely or incomplete is absurd and even blasphemy some people say that God created us because he was lonely he did not create us because he was lonely he's completely content within himself he did not create the brother said because he had a need but because he desired to make known the super abundance of his Perfections his glory and goodness so what it privilege is ours that we actually know the Lord think about this how this attribute relates to our own lives God is self-sufficient in his relationship but yet we know from the scripture that he desires that he would be known why it's not a need in him it's not an inadequacy that he needs to add us to himself for him to be complete that's not true he overflows and he just simply desires it that we would be wrapped up in this trying relationship with him that we would know the Father the Son and the spirit it speak there ought to be a great sense of privilege if you know the Lord to know him now throughout the endless ages to be able to know the Lord in eternity forever and ever and be thankful that he would desire us to know him when he doesn't need us and be thankful that he even he even would receive pleasure from us he needs no pleasure from us but yet he desires it right we can actually literally be pleasing to the God who is self-sufficient and completely pleased within himself that he made it that way that we could actually bring Delight to his heart we see that in the Song of Solomon we see in many other places first Thessalonians 4 it encourages us to please the Lord what a thing this is another way that God is self-sufficient he has no need is that he has no need of anyone to fulfill his purposes and to accomplish his will he has no need absolutely of anyone or anything to accomplish his purposes and his will we've we've already heard the verse in Acts 17 25 as though he needed anything he's not served by human hands he doesn't need human hands to to do his will he has chosen that he has chosen to use us we are ambassadors for Christ but he doesn't do it because he needs us Psalms 1 15 3 our God is in the heaven he does all he pleases he can he does all he pleases right that he can he's sufficient within himself to do everything in Daniel 4 35 it talks about he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and no and none can stay his hand or say to him what have you done none can stay the Lord's hand from fulfilling his purposes and his will and his heart none none can stop him here he's self-sufficient in that he can accomplish it you see how the other attributes kind of overlap with one another right you could think about his sovereignty there and not as well this being the case that the Lord has no need of us to accomplish his purposes or his will what a privilege we ought to feel to be able to be used from the Lord used by the Lord what a privilege ought to be in our own Souls that the Lord who is all sufficient he is self-sufficient he does not need us but yet he is desired to use us he has invited us in in this great work of spreading the gospel to the ends of the Earth the Lord doesn't need us in India the Lord doesn't need us in Mexico he doesn't need us in the Middle East he doesn't need us here in San Antonio he doesn't need this church but yet he is he is delighted and desired to bring in about he is delighted to put us in those different places he doesn't need the preachers in this pulpit he doesn't need the different diversity of gifts in the body but yet he has done that and is good pleasure when it was not in need of his he has chosen to use people to accomplish his purposes ought to be a great sense of privilege as we think about these things we've been thinking about the self-sufficiency of the Lord Behold Him in this but also wanted to bring out this truth as we think about self-sufficiency of the Lord that he has no need whatsoever we we should speak about self-sufficiency in his people right self-sufficiency in the Lord's people it seems it wouldn't even be an issue right I mean to get into the kingdom Jesus said in Mark 10 15 that you need to become like a child unless you become like a child you will not enter the kingdom what is it to be like a child completely dependent how is it to enter the kingdom you're completely dependent on the finished work of Christ and his death and Resurrection for your justification it seems like that being the case a True Believer has been stripped of a lot of pride has been stripped of those things to see that I have no righteousness in myself I'm putting all my trust my sufficiency of going to heaven is going to be on the Lord Jesus Christ I'm completely dependent on what he's done to know the Lord but well how is it that his people knowing that's the case knowing how bad we are hell deserving would even struggle with self-sufficiency that ought to Humble us right there but we we know that it really we realize that that is a reality in our lives and different measure what is it to be self-sufficient in a bad way in a sinful way well we are to live upon the Lord prayerfully trustingly doing things in his strength doing everything in his strength just like the Lord Jesus did our example in this lived by the spirit of God completely dependent on his father what is self-sufficiency the opposite of that living upon yourself relying on yourself being dependent on yourself trusting in yourself another another word we might say for self-sufficiency is pride we could maybe Define them separately and say how they may be different but there is there is pride there wrapped up in self-sufficiency it says in Psalm 118 8 it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man self-sufficiency in God's people is trusting in man it's trusting in yourself Psalm 146 3 put not your trust in princes and a son of man in whom there is no salvation but not self-sufficiency is trusting in princes it's trusting in and it's trusting in yourself let me ask you this do you struggle with self-sufficiency I would answer it for us more than more than we know more more than you know what are some indications of it self-sufficiency is something that can be very subtle in our lives but there are some indications of self-sufficiency I have a few things here anxiety and feeling overwhelmed and fretful and I realize that anxiety you could say it's unbelief it's Pride but is there not some self-sufficiency wrapped up in anxiety how am I going to pull this all off I got this many things to do today all these things are pressing in upon me how's this going to work out how am I how am I going to accomplish it you see there can anxiety is a indication of self-sufficiency prayerlessness is an indication of self-sufficiency making big decisions in your life without even really praying much about it to the Lord just kind of here's the here's the decision before you you just make it and go on about your thing I mean the Lord Jesus I mean it seems that his might spent in prayer was for the purpose of right before he chose his disciples it appears that way at least that big decision he spent a whole night in prayer self-sufficiency in God's people just make big decisions without much prayer what about prayerlessness about day-to-day things you know you pretty much go throughout your day you got this and you kind of you're going on without much praying for the Lord Lord bless bless my labors here bless my work be with me Lord I want intimacy with you I need you Lord in this here's this decision Lord what do I do I have all these things to do today Lord how can I best pull this all off it's too much for me to do I'm praying self-sufficiency would just be you just run you just go on without much prayer at all not just talking about set times of prayer but praying throughout the day as well an indication of self-sufficiency be relying on past victories and not presently upon the Lord past victories maybe God gave you a lot of victory over some sin God gave you a lot of growth in this area or whatever and it's and you kind of begin to take that for yourself that you know you're the person who's kind of gotten victory over this present this thing instead of presently trusting the Lord relying on past victories and that's right involved with this relying on your this is indication of self-sufficiency relying on your reputation or your giftedness and your maturity rather than the Lord you all think that can be some self-sufficiency in that relying on your reputation maybe some the reality is every Christian has Grace in their life that is commendable every Christian God has done something there God has given gifts God is Health God has given different levels of maturity but you can begin to rely on that reputation right maybe somebody thinks well you wanted the Brethren some of the Brethren or whatever you begin to well maybe you know yeah you are the mature one yeah among even people come to you for counts right and then people see you people make comments and that lets people know that they see you as one of the mature people in the body there can be a real self-sufficient sufficiency in that and that you begin to rely on those things reputation your own giftedness I'm gifted in this area God's been with me before I don't really need to pray much about it I don't need to depend upon the Lord as I do it self-sufficiency there and so much of these things these are just a couple points that I brought up but I would just encourage you pray about this in your life where Lord where am I self-sufficient because the Lord really knows how it is you remember I wonder how we are as a church collectively as a church are we a self-sufficient church I don't I don't think so completely I think there probably is areas that we definitely need to grow and self-sufficiency I talked to an older man in the Lord and he basically said the Lord's always stripping us of self-sufficiency and that's many years old in the Lord that this something as a church that we can grow in we don't want to rest in any kind of reputation any kind of giftedness any kind of so-called maturity remember Peter in all of his love for the Lord but yet the foolish confidence that he had in himself when he said though they all fall away because of you I will never fall away I think there's a lot of love in the Lord for that right but there was a lot of pride in that as well right a lot of self-sufficiency and the Lord told him basically Peter you're going to fall he says even if I must die with you I will not deny you we know what happened with Peter he he did fall self-sufficiency and this is a big Point here and I think this is maybe a very important point out of all the ones that I've said yet that here this is an indication of self-sufficiency a big one that can be real in your life in my life when you see your weaknesses you draw back in discouragement and instead of pressing on hard after the Lord and pouring yourself out you see your weaknesses you see what the Lord is doing in our lives and does do in the believer's life as he shows us that we don't have sufficiency in ourself right I mean he shows us many times you know you've been a Believer for a while you probably realize you know you're more you should you see more sin in your life than you used to see maybe now there's great Victory and there's maturity you see that as well but then you just see how weak you are you you begin to grow and say yeah you know what I used to be really proud about that back then and I'm sure as you continue to grow you may say in this present season wow you know there's a lot of self-sufficiency there but what can happen when God begins to show you that you're sufficient not in yourself whatsoever you can misunderstand that and you can shrink back in discouragement how many people how many people how many of us are discouraged about weaknesses in your life some of us have more sensitive consciousness that we're very well aware of our weaknesses and our Temptations and our struggles and our sins and if that makes you shrink back in discouragement from falling hard after the Lord and pressing on and pouring yourself out is there not some self-sufficiency there maybe it's not all self-sufficient there's unbelief there yes is there not some self-sufficiency there what I mean by well I'm I'm not sufficient for anything and so you don't so you don't do anything you don't follow heart after the Lord but if you're doing well you may if you you're feeling pretty good well I'm getting victory in this area all right let's go is there not some self-sufficiency in that isn't there self-sufficiency and discouragement the Apostle Paul was a man that was convinced that he was not sufficient for absolutely anything but yet he was really encouraged about it that's how we ought to be if we're really understand it rightly second Corinthians chapter three four and five this is where I get this he says such as the confidence that we have through Christ towards God not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything that's coming from us but our sufficiency is from god notice he says such is the confidence the boldness there there's a trust in the Lord there's I'm confident in the Lord about this but what does he say not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything is coming from us what's another way to say that there is nothing in me that I'm sufficient who is sufficient for these things but yet he's encouraged about it he's confident why because our sufficiency is from God his sufficiency is from the self-sufficient God and therefore he realized that he realized it's all Grace and therefore he's encouraged about it he's confident in the Lord about that's how we ought to be you know the Lord took issue with Moses when he was looking at himself and didn't see a whole lot of sufficiency there in Exodus chapter 4 verse 10. but Moses said to the Lord oh my Lord when he's calling him to go to Pharaoh oh my Lord I'm not eloquent either in my past or since you have spoken to your servant but I but I am slow of speech and no tongue Lord I'm not eloquent I don't have sufficiency in myself for this and right in the next verse the Lord said then the Lord said to him who has made man's mouth who makes him mute or deaf or seen or blind is it not I the Lord why does the Lord take issue with them because him law looking at him the Lord doesn't come along and say no Moses you're really a great guy you really have a lot you're you're a good speaker no you're this is this is your gift don't worry about it what did he say no did I I'm the one who made I'm the one who made man's mouth when we're all discouraged in those things it's like we're not looking to the Lord and it's like the Lord is just saying the fact that you're weak it's supposed to be that way it's supposed we have this treasure in Jars of Clay I can prove it from scripture we're Jars of Clay to show that they're surpassing power belongs to God and not to us it's supposed to be that way Moses should have been like yeah I'm sufficient I'm not sufficient to speak but Lord you're calling me and you made man's mouth therefore I'm going and you're going to be with me trusting the Lord the self-sufficient God no need whatsoever think about that verse there in Isaiah Isaiah Isaiah 41 10 be not dismayed we could probably quote the verse but why does it say be not dismayed for I am your God what is behind that statement how much attributes of God who is God we're talking about is self-sufficient God this morning be not dismayed why because I am your God there's no place for those things and I know and I'm just a personal testimony I'm just the more my eyes are on the Lord I just realize I really wasted a lot of time and discouragement and a lot of times and and it's so much it was wrong and things and the more that my eyes are on the Lord and think about the attributes of God who God is what he said and his promises that there's never really been a great man of God but just poor pitiful men of a great God it's all about the Lord's Grace how much encouragement there is in that and how much bondage there is in the other in the other way but the Lord's the Lord can help you if that's you though we are to live upon the Lord completely dependent upon him that antonym of self-sufficiency is to Define Our Lives dependent Reliant upon the Lord and what we need to realize about God and His self-sufficiency is that he's not selfish in the fact that he has no needs in that he doesn't flow out of that to help his people we need to realize that it is God in his self-sufficiency that he freely gives his people Grace and help he freely gives just think I mean you can prove this a thousand different ways in the scripture God gave us a verse it says call upon me in the day of trouble I'll deliver you I'll glorify and you will glorify me God's so freely to give a very clear verse Second Corinthians 9 8 and God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound in every good work God is able to make all grace abound to you how much grace is there for us in the Lord him being self-sufficient and just all that who he is how many storehouses of help to meet our needs what are the needs in your life call upon the one who has no needs see how the self-sufficiency thinking about that what it can do to your prayer life if we're to come to a prayer meeting and think about the self-sufficient God that we're praying to right now who has no need whatsoever and therefore is able to supply every single need that we bring before him and also wanting and desirous to fill those needs are you what does the Lord called you to do as at a job or as a husband or a wife or a single is there not much grace and help from the one who has no needs that you can glean from are you in hard trials are you under spiritual attack are you pressed by so many responsibilities that are pressed upon you and the time limit is there look upon the self-sufficiency of the Lord God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times you may abound and every good work that work that he's called you to do we sing that song that hymn he giveth more grace says fear and it says it illustrates what I'm saying to you this morning fear not that thy need shall exceed his provision Our God ever yearns his resources to share lean hard on the arm Everlasting availing the father both thee and thy load shall not bear lean hard upon the self-sufficient God when we have exhausted our store of endurance and our strength has failed air the day is half done it's like you look at this race making it to the end it's like I might have 60 more years of this thing I don't know if I'm going to make it sometimes you can feel like that or just in the day-to-day I'm through half the day I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of the day that's what it's saying here when we reach the end of our hoarded resources our father's full giving is only begun see when the Lord gives out that he has no need and he gives out and flows out in helping Grace to his people there's not a subtraction in God that he has to go and fill back up again he's completely full in his fullness and that he just gives freely out of that and overflows his love has no limit his grace has no measure his power has no boundary known unto men for out of his infinite riches and Jesus he giveth and giveth and give it giveth again so are so are you weak oh yes more than we know right all of us you know we talk about the needy people and I understand what we mean when we say that but we're talking earlier about our physical weakness how how spiritually weak are we are we weak yes well behold your God behold the Lord and his self-sufficiency there's some verses here in closing I just want to encourage Us in this about this God who is self-sufficient what ought to be our response and what ought to be our heart attitude even in the midst of great feelings of weakness in need Joel 3 10 says in the last part let the weak say I am a warrior you're weak With God all sufficient self-sufficient you're you're a warrior believe it through God's power Psalm 108 13 with God we shall do valiantly it is he who will tread down our foes with this self-sufficient God you can put any many attributes in this saying right with God we shall do violent with this self-sufficient God we shall be due Valley it is he who will tread down our foes in the Old King James in Daniel 11 32 but the people that know their God shall be strong the more you meditate on the self-sufficiency of God the more you will see faith building in your heart encouragement you will be more strong in the Lord and it says and they and you and do exploits many exploits for the Lord just in your own life not just among the Nations or the needs just in your family how many exploits can be done Psalm 18 29 this ought to be our attitude as we look at the self-sufficiency of God for by you by the Lord for by you I can run against a troop and by my God I can leap over a wall what obstacle needs to be leaped over imagine run against a troop of thousands one man running against a troop with the confidence of the Lord in his heart that's how it ought to be and you don't have to become something to be be that you just need to believe that God all sufficient is is who he says he is if God before us who can be against us this I know that the Lord is is for me so let's behold the Lord more in his self-sufficiency think on him behold the self-sufficient God father I just pray that you would help us more in these things you'd open up our eyes to see your glory in Jesus name amen