SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST 7 THE EXTENT OF THE PROMISE IN PARTICULAR, Part II (ODELL)

TEXT: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19

“They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners unto repentance,” Matt. 9:12-13 in part.   In Lesson-5, we discovered the PARTICULAR NEED of the “saints in Christ Jesus” to be BROUGHT to an experiential knowledge of their own spiritual death and their NEED of the life-giving touch of the Great Physician. This experiential knowledge is purely gracious, an unconditional gift of God bestowed upon the Eternal child of God. See Ezekiel 36:31 and II Cor. 5:1-5. 

At this time, quickened saints SEE and FEEL their desperate NEED of Christ Himself and nothing BELOW Him will ever meet that need.   To enlarge this particular need of the saints and how it is answered by Christ Himself, let us go to our Master Teacher and “learn what that meaneth” in Matt. 9:12-13, where He describes those who heard Him in two distinctly separate ways. In these two verses, He sets forth a stark contrast between some who are in “NEED” from those who obviously “NEED NOT.”   Those in “NEED” of the Great Physician’s healing touch are identified as “publicans and sinners” (extremely wicked) in verse 10. These are the ones “that are sick” in verse 12, and the very sinners that He had “come to call to repentance” in verse 13. In contrast with these extremely wicked ones are those who “NEED NOT.” 

These are identified as “Pharisees” in verse 11, and as being “they that are whole” in verse 12. Also described as “the (self) righteous” in verse 13! Both types of persons were present when he commanded “Go ye and learn what that meaneth” in verse 13. Christ would have every sin-sick sinner know that He would “have mercy.” And, at the same moment and to the same extent, He would have every self-righteous “Pharisee” know that He “will not have sacrifice” to appease His Justice. In short, He would have every sin-sick soul understand, that He has “come…to call…sinners to repentance,” and had “NOT COME to call the (self) righteous” ones at all! Christ describes this type of person as being “whole” in their own way of seeing themselves!   Our text reads: “But my God shall supply all your NEED,” and relates to “all the saints in Christ Jesus” in the same way that Christ’s words in Matt. 9:10-13 relates to all sin-sick “publicans and sinners.” 

All “saints in Christ Jesus” are brought by grace to SEE and FEEL themselves as sin-sick “Publicans and (extremely wicked) sinners,” by their very nature. Considered in themselves, they are in desperate NEED of the healing life-giving touch of the Great Physician. Both BEFORE regeneration and continuously there AFTER!   Please consider this: The Savior of sin-sick “saints” confirmed this very fact in John 6:29, when he declared: “THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, that ye believe on Him Whom He has sent.” This is why Paul reminded the Philippian saints (1:29), “Unto you, IT IS GIVEN…to believe on Him.” This is stated more precisely in Eph. 2:8-10: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: not of works lest any man should boast. For we are His WORKMANSHIP created IN CHRIST JESUS unto good works, which GOD HATH BEFORE ORDAINED that we should walk in them.” Saving faith is a “gift of God,” identified as one of the fruits of the Spirit of God in Gal. 5:22 and that, “not of yourselves” and certainly “not of works, lest any man should boast.”   Here is the greater lesson: Christ gives his elect “saints” the eyes to SEE and the sense to FEEL, their desperate NEED of the Great Physician Himself and nothing BELOW Him. They are brought to feel their guiltiness having been shown their sinfulness in the light of Christ’s Holiness. Further, they are brought up to recognize their personal inability and spiritual impotency to perform spiritual acts of any kind. 

They are inwardly led to “loathe” themselves in their own sight because of their abundance of “abominations” as promised in Ezk. 36:31, thereby seeing themselves as “Publicans and (extremely wicked) sinners” in their natural STATE unless and until they are “quickened,” thereby being made alive by Christ Himself.   During the course of this gracious operation upon and within their needy soul, they are made to feel, try as they might, they can not possibly cure themselves of their own natural spiritual “death.” The more they try, the sicker they become! Hence their increased NEED of Him, Who can do for them what they cannot do for themselves.  In His time, He shows them, that “all (their) NEED” can be supplied by Christ Jesus ALONE, and nothing BELOW Him will suffice.   Considered in themselves, the saints are poor and needy before and after regeneration. They often want fresh discoveries of the Love of God to them, and fresh supplies of “grace for grace” from their Redeemer. 

They often need more light to walk by and tokens of his constantly renewed operations of grace within them, along with fresh strength answerable to the services they are called upon to render. They need renewed comforts from their sweet Jesus during trials and afflictions. And fresh manifestations of pardoning grace and justifying love wherein they STAND POSITIONALY as “saints in Christ Jesus,” especially when they do not FEEL this truth amid their ever-changing STATES of conditions! They desperately and constantly NEED food for their souls as well as their bodies.   So it is, the Apostle, having learned well what that means in his own EXPERIENCE, wrote: “My God shall supply all your need” withholding no good thing which is needful to the saint. In fact, his God would SUPPLY ALL THE NEED OF ALL THE SAINTS OF ALL TIMES, INCLUDING THAT WHICH HE WOULD REQUIRE OF THEM!   Lord willing, next lesson we will examine THE SOURCE OF THE SUPPLY.   

Dan O’Dell, Heb. 13:20-21