Jesus is All You Need

Tonight, we're looking at point number 10 in our outline, and it's this, Jesus is all you need. Now this sermon, like every sermon I preach, although the topic is marriage and family and looking at those practical precepts that help us understand what a biblical marriage looks like, the reality of this is that everything that I teach on and preach on is relevant to everybody's life, no matter if you're two or 102. Why? Because they're biblical principles, and biblical principles apply across the board.

We are just applying them specifically to your marriage and to your family, and so we want you to be able to understand those things as we look at them.

And tonight, to realize that Jesus is all you really need is absolutely crucial for you as an individual and for your marriage. For instance, there are many years that I was a college pastor, and I would teach and preach on the college campus, and there were always those young ladies and young men who would say to me, boy, you know, I just need to find the right one. I just need to be able to get out of here and get married. And I would always say to them, no, you don't need to get married. You might want to get married, but you don't need to get married, because what you really need is Jesus Christ.

And they would say, well, yeah, I know that, but I need to get married too. I said, no, you don't need to get married. And then I talked to married couples, and they say, you know, I just need my husband to step up. I need my husband to lead. I need my husband to be sensitive to my needs. I need my husband to get a better job to provide for my family. And I would always say, no, that might be nice to have. You want him to be sensitive to your needs. You would like him to have a better job to provide for you.

You would like him to provide better leadership in your home. Those are all nice wants, but you don't need that. You need Jesus Christ. And the husband would say, well, you know, I wish my wife would step it up, and I wish she would do this or do that. I really need her to do this, and I would say the same thing to him. No, you don't need that. You want that. It's a legitimate desire. You want those things to happen, but you don't need that to happen. You really need Jesus Christ, and that's it. Now, we can sit back and say, well, yeah, that sounds good.

But the reality of that is so important because, you know, we get really restless. We get really anxious. We get really ambitious when things don't go our way and look for ways to settle things. And that restlessness seems to be all-consuming for a lot of us simply because I don't have what I think I need. And so there's this constant pursuit of the things that I believe I need to make my life better or to make my life full or to make my life fulfilled. I love the words of Augustine when he said these words.

He says, Thou hast formed us for thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee. And those words ring true over and over again. You see, because Augustine knew, he knew that it's Jesus Christ that settles the restlessness of man's soul. He knew that that desire to be filled and fulfilled would direct your heart to seek after the true and living God. For only Jesus saves, and only Jesus sanctifies, and only Jesus can ultimately satisfy. And so we can think about those things, and we can talk about that.

But the reality of it is this, that Jesus is all you need. The problem with that is that Jesus is never all you need until Jesus is all you got. And we have so many other things. And if you don't have those things, we are in constant pursuit of those things. We always are looking for more, more things to satisfy, more things to gratify, more things to fill up the void or the emptiness of my soul, not realizing that Jesus Christ is your everything. Let me give you an example.

Turn with me in your Bible to Mark's Gospel, the 10th chapter. Let me talk to you about a man who had everything, but he was still empty, and he recognized his emptiness.

Now, you know the story. It's the story of the rich young ruler. Now, remember, three things. He's rich, he's young, he's in charge. So, he's not an old guy who spent his whole life accumulating wealth. It is now at the age of retirement, right, and is looking to settle on some beach in Tahiti that they might be able to sit back and soak up the sun for the rest of his life. Now, this is a young guy. He's ambitious. He's entrepreneurial. He's the kind of guy that is self-confident, right? And so, the Bible says in Mark 10, verse number 17, as he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to him and knelt before him.

So, this man, this rich young ruler, would run up to Jesus. He is pursuing something, and he bows before Jesus. We know he's rich because Matthew's account tells us that he owned much property, and Luke 18 tells us that he was extremely rich. So, he had property, he had possessions, and he was young. He was looking for something still. He had everything that you and I might think is satisfying, but he noticed that there was an emptiness in his life. There was something missing. And so, he went to the one person, the right person.

He asked the right question at the right time. Christ is the right person. The question talks about eternal life, and it's the right time because he's still young. He's got his whole life ahead of him. So, he runs up to Jesus, and he asks, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? There's got to be something I can do. When I was lacking for property, I knew what to do. When I was lacking money, I knew what to do. When I lacked possessions, I knew what to do. But there's something about eternal life that I don't have.

I need to do something to obtain it. Just tell me what it is because whatever it is, I can do it. I'm successful. I'm confident. I'm ambitious. I'm rich. I know exactly what to do and how to do it. All you need to do is tell me what I need to do to inherit eternal life. Now, he wasn't necessarily thinking about the longevity of life because everybody lives forever. He was thinking about the quality of life. He was thinking about the eternal life that God himself grants to people. But he knew that even though he had everything this world offered, there was something missing.

He was still empty. There was a void in his heart. So Jesus says, why do you call me good? For only God is good. He answers the question with a question. That's what makes Jesus' teaching so magnificent. He always asks a question when someone asks him a question because, you see, he's going to get them to think about their situation. He's going to get them to think about their condition. Do you know what you're asking and do you know who you're asking? You're not just asking any Tom, Dick, and Harry off the side of the street.

You're coming to me and saying, good teacher, and only God is good. So if you're calling me good, you must recognize that I'm God. If you recognize that I'm God, then whatever I say, you will do. If you really recognize me as God, that no matter what I tell you, that's exactly what you will do. And so Christ challenges him to keep the latter half of the Decalogue, or the Ten Commandments. So he says, you know the commandments. Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.

And he said to him, teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up. I've done that. I've accomplished that. I've already achieved that. Remember, you're talking to a guy who majors in achievements, right? So he says, I've already achieved all that. I've been there. And if that's what it takes, I got to let you know, I've done that, and I'm still empty. I am still lacking something. So Christ says this, looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him.

Why did Jesus feel love for him? Because he came to him with a felt need, but he did not come to him with a fallen need. There's a big difference. He had a felt need. He felt empty. He felt lost. He felt dissatisfied. He felt a certain way. And I somehow had to fill that void. And Christ felt love for him because Christ knew his heart. So Christ says this, one thing you lack.

Now, think about this. Here's this guy. He runs up to Jesus. He falls down on his knees and says, Lord, what must I do to inherit eternal life? You're the good teacher. What do I have to do? And Christ says to him, one thing you lack.

You can see the wheel spinning in his head. Only one thing? There's only one thing I'm lacking? If it's only one, I can do this. I can make it happen. What is the one thing I'm lacking? It's not that he's lacking two or three. Just one. Christ says to him, go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come follow me.

That's it. That's it. Sell all you possess, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. You mean salvation is all about giving things away? No. That's not what Jesus said. It's not about giving things away. It's about following God all the way. You see, the Lord hit at his idolatrous heart. He didn't go back and quote the first half of the Decalogue.

He didn't go back and tell him about the first four commandments in the book of Exodus chapter 20. Instead, he makes the man think about what is the true God in his life, and that was materialism, money, possessions. Remember Christ in the parable of the sower and the soil talks about the deceitfulness of riches and desires for this world. They choke out the seed, right? They destroy the opportunity and the ability to respond to Christ. He had another God, and the Lord knows that, see? Remember, he calls him good teacher.

Only God is good. Psalm 119.68, God is good, he does good. And all throughout the Scriptures, it talks about the goodness of God. God is a good God. Well, if you call me good, you must recognize I'm God. If you recognize I'm God, you will respond to everything I say. But when God questioned his loyalty to the true God, he realized he had another God, the God of his heart, possessions, materialism, all those things he aspired to. That was the true God he worshipped, see? And that meant he was an idolater.

And you can't have any other God before me. See, what is the profit of man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Because man's life does not consist in the abundance of things to which he possesses. So here's a guy who has everything yet still empty. Why? Because Jesus is all you need. It wasn't about adding Jesus to his present lifestyle. It was about relinquishing the God in his life in order to have the true God who gives eternal life as your Lord and Savior. That's the issue. And that's one thing he was unwilling to do.

Was he remorseful? Yeah, it says, And at these words, he was saddened and he went away grieving for he was one who owned much property. He was remorseful, but he was not repentant. He was sad, but he wasn't saved. He was loved, but he was still lost because he would not respond to what the Lord God said. Christ made it very clear in Matthew 6.24, No man can serve two masters. You either serve me or you don't serve me. But no man serves two masters. That's why Christ said these words, If any man love father, mother more than me, son or daughter more than me, any man love his own self more than me, he is not worthy of me.

See, Christ demands loyalty. He demands 100% commitment. He demands everything. And we want to come along and say, Well, yeah, Lord, I understand that. But, and Christ says, There's no buts.

It's just me or nothing. Because Jesus is all you need. That's very important to realize this. So you have this guy who's, let me, let me show you another guy who is rich, very wealthy.

Okay. His name is, is King David. Okay. So this man was a rich young ruler. David was a rich young king. Okay. He had a kingdom. He ruled on Mount Zion, the holy city of God. Right? He had horses. He had soldiers. He had an army. He had silver. He had gold. He had a city that was populated with God's chosen people. He had everything. Anything you could dream of, King David had. And yet he says in Psalm 23, verse number one, The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. Now the question is, when did he write that? Somebody, sometimes we, we think that he wrote that when he was young, a young little shepherd boy out in the field, looking up at the stars and begins to write, The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. But no, no, most commentators would tell you that he writes it during his son's Absalom's rebellion. That's when he writes Psalm 23. He writes Psalm 23 even though he had everything and his family was falling apart because he really was a very bad father.

Great king, bad father. Right? And although he had all kinds of money and all kinds of possessions and all kinds of soldiers and horses and he was a king and was rich, he realized that the shepherding ministry of God gave him everything he needed. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. I lack zero. I have exactly what I need because God is my protector. God is my provider. God watches over me. God takes care of me. I have everything I could possibly need because God is my shepherd. He doesn't say I'm the king of Israel, I shall not want.

He doesn't say I'm the ruler of nations, I shall not want. He's in the line of the Messiah. Right? The Messiah will be called the son of David. He doesn't say because I'm in the line of the Messiah, I shall not want. He says the Lord is my shepherd. Therefore, I lack nothing. Nothing. David realized that Jesus was all he needed. He recognized that the Lord God of Israel was his personal shepherd. He was the one who made him lie down in green pastures. He's the one who led him aside quiet waters and restored his soul and guided him in the path of righteousness for his name sake.

This shepherd would guide him, restore him and give him peace. This shepherd would be the one that when he walked through the valley of shadow of death, he would fear no evil. Why? Because the presence of the shepherd was always with him. The rod of the shepherd, the staff of the shepherd, that's where he received his comfort. He says, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed my head with oil. In other words, no matter where the enemies are, no matter how many enemies there are, I am still provided for because you prepare the table for me.

Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life and I would dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David says, the Lord God of Israel is all I need. I lack nothing because he's my shepherd. We like to read this psalm at funerals, right? It's not a funeral psalm. Why? It's a daily psalm because the goodness of the Lord will follow me all the days of my life, not just at funerals, not just when I'm dead, right? This is not a funeral psalm. It's a daily psalm and David recognized that.

You see, Jesus is all you need. Christ is seldom a necessity until he first of all becomes a reality.

And because Christ is not a reality in most people's lives, they don't see him as a necessity. But he is, absolutely is. I was thinking about that today and I realized, you know, we sing a lot of songs in church that really make us hypocrites. We forget that. We sing songs like, Jesus is all the world to me. You know that song? Jesus is all the world to me. My life, my joy, my all. He is my strength from day to day. Without him, I would fall. When I am sad, I go to him. No other one can cheer me so.

When I am sad, he makes me glad. He's my friend. Really? Jesus is all the world to me. My friend in trial soar. I go to him for blessings and he gives them o'er and o'er. He sends the sunshine and the rain. He sends the harvest golden grain. Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain. He's my friend. Jesus is all the world to me. And true to him I'll be. Oh, how could I, this friend, deny when he's so true to me. Following him, I know I'm right. He watches over me day and night. Following him by day and night, he is my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me. I want no better friend. I trust him now. I'll trust him when life's fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend. Beautiful life that has no end. Eternal life, eternal joy. He's my friend. The psalmist or the songwriter says, I don't need any other friend because he's my friend. We all say, I got to have a friend. Really? Do you? Is Jesus really all the world to you? So we sing that song. We'll sing the song. We sing it quite often. I think we sang it Sunday last night.

Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. Take the world, but give me Jesus. All its joys are but a name. But his love abideth ever through eternal years the same. Oh, the height and depth of mercy. Oh, the length and breadth of love. Oh, the fullness of redemption, pledge of endless life and love. Take the world, but give me Jesus. Sweetest comfort of my soul. With my Savior watching o'er me, I can sing though billows roll. Take the world, but give me Jesus. Let me view his constant smile.

Then throughout my pilgrim journey, light will cheer me all the while. Take the world, but give me Jesus. In his cross my trust shall be. Till with clearer, brighter vision, face to face, my Lord I see. Take the world, but give me Jesus. I don't need the world. I just need Jesus. We sing that song, but in our soul we are restless. In our soul we find emptiness. Or we sing this song, one of my favorites, out of Psalm 84, verse number 10. And you know it well, and it goes this way. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand places elsewhere.

That's just not true for most people. They're in church, but they'd rather be a thousand places elsewhere. How do we know that? Because they're not here all the time. That's how you know that. Because if that was really true, you'd never miss. You'd always be here. I'd rather be in the courts of God, in the house of God, than a thousand other places. That means I'd rather be here than on vacation. I'd rather be here than playing travel ball. I'd rather be here than with my boyfriend or girlfriend.

I'd rather be here than going out to dinner. I'd rather be here than this or that or that, because I love being with the Lord. You see, we're a people like Israel. We honor the Lord with our lips, but our hearts are far from him. I hate to say it that way, but that really is true. We sing songs that we really don't believe. And we sing them with smiles on our faces, all dressed up really nice, smelling good on Sunday morning. But in all reality, we'd rather be a thousand other places than where we are on Sunday morning.

And there's really only 52 of them anyway, right? I thought there was a lot of them to be at, right? There's 52. And if you come every Sunday, or Wednesday, and we don't meet on Sundays, that means you come to a hundred times you come to the place to worship the Lord. A hundred out of 365 days. So it's not that many if you come every Sunday and every Wednesday. But we'd rather be elsewhere than in the house of God with the people of God. If the truth was really known, because we sit there thinking, boy, I wish he'd hurry up and get done because I got to go here or got to go there.

But Christ is seldom a reality until he first of all becomes a necessity. Let me tell you about another rich man.

Okay, rich young ruler, very wealthy, had it all. King David had everything. But he knew that no matter what he had, the shepherd of Israel caused him not to lack anything. The man's name is Abraham. Go back to Genesis chapter 15. Genesis chapter 15. Abraham was a very rich man. He had lots of livestock, lots of servants. Very wealthy man. In Genesis 15 verse number one, it says, After these things, what things?

The things of chapter 14, when he went to retrieve his nephew Lot and fight the kings in the northern part of the land of Canaan and defeat them. After these things, because there was a lot of things happening in Abraham's life. And what was there? There was the fear of retaliation. The fear of the armies gathering together and coming against him again. There was also the fact that the promise of the sun was 10 years ago. Not 10 days, not 10 weeks, not 10 months, 10 years. It had not been fulfilled yet.

So after these things, the Bible says, The word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision, in a dream. Why is that important? Because it's the first time that phrase is used in the Bible.

The word of the Lord came to Abraham. Why? It sets the tone for what the word of the Lord does. So, remember the book of Genesis is the book of beginnings. And when things happen in the very first time they happen, the context and all that happens in that verse or passage tells you a lot about the meaning of what happens throughout your life.

When the word of the Lord comes, great things happen. And God was going to speak to Abraham. And the solid foundation of Abraham's life would be built on what God himself said. Remember, Abraham couldn't read the Bible. There wasn't a Bible to read. He had to wait for God to speak. And so, the word of the Lord comes to Abraham. And what does he tell him? He says, Do not fear. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of the kings coming back against you. Don't be afraid of the fact that you don't have a son.

Okay? Don't be afraid. You think waiting 10 years is long? Just think, you're going to be waiting another 15 years. He didn't tell him that, but that's how long it's going to be. Okay? He says, So don't be afraid. Fear not. You see, only the word of the Lord can cause you not to be afraid. Remember Proverbs 12, 25? Anxiety in the heart of the man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad. What's the good word? It's the word of the Lord. Psalm 94, verse number 19. When my anxious thoughts overwhelm me, that consolation is the light in my soul.

Right? So, it's only the word of God that can bring comfort. It's only the word of God that can then cause you to cease striving and know that the Lord is God. It's only the word of God that can bring consolation to your troubled soul, to your restless soul, to your dissatisfied soul, to your empty soul, to your lonely soul. Only God's word can do this. No other person can. No other individual can. We think that we can solve our loneliness issue if we just get married. But most married couples are the loneliest people I've ever met.

Simply because their spouse does not do what they thought they were going to do. And they become very, very lonely. Even though they're surrounded with husband and children and even animals in their homes, they're still lonely. They're isolated. And so, the word of the Lord comes to Abram and says, Do not fear. That was the great theme of the Christmas story, right? To Zacharias, the angel said, Do not fear. To Mary, the angel said, Do not fear. To Joseph, the angel said, Do not fear. To the shepherds in the fields, the angel said, Do not fear.

The theme of the Christmas story is, Do not be afraid. Why? Because everything you've longed for and everything you've hoped for is now here. See? Because Jesus is all you need. That's it. To come to grips with that revolutionizes the way you see life, the way you live life, the way you handle pressure in life, the way you deal with all the disappointments in life. It's all about Jesus Christ. And so, the Lord says, as the word of the Lord comes to Abram, he says, Do not fear, Abraham. Why? I am your shield.

I'm your protector. I'm going to watch over you. I'm going to care for you. Okay? You can gather your servants and you can go to war. But the bottom line is, I'm your protector. I'm your shield. You need protection and I'm the one who's going to give it to you. I love what the psalmist says. Psalm 3. This is so good. I'm the one who lifts my head. The psalmist says in Psalm 5. Psalm 18, verse 35. Chapter 28, verse number 7. And I am helped. Therefore, my heart exalts. And with my song, I shall thank him.

The Lord is their strength and he is a saving defense to his anointed. Save your people and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also and carry them forever. You see, the psalmist, and there are so many verses in the Psalms that speak of the fact that God is our shield. Psalm 91 is that great one. He's our refuge. He's our rampart. He's our bulwark. He is everything for us. And God says to Abraham, listen, I want you to know that I am your defender.

But listen to this, Abraham. Not only am I your defender, I am your delight. Do not fear, Abraham, because I am your shield and I am your very great reward. I'm your reward. I'm your delight. I'm your everything. Because even if you never had a son, and never if you even stepped foot on the soil I promised, and even if you never were able to have a multitude of descendants, I am enough. Because I am your delight. I am your reward, Abraham. It's me. You're going to have a son, but you don't need a son.

You're going to have a land, but you don't need a land. You're going to have a multitude of descendants, but you don't need a multitude of descendants. What you need is me. And I'm giving you me. I'm your everything, Abraham. And God was. God was everything to Abraham. He says, you're going to possess me. You possess me. I am your shepherd. I am your savior. In fact, in Genesis chapter 14, with his encounter with Melchizedek, it was all about the discussion of El Elyon, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth.

And so if God is the most high God, he possesses all of heaven and all of earth, and you have him as your reward, that means you possess all of heaven and all of earth. What more could you possibly want? What more could you possibly need? Because I am everything to you. And that was God's word to Abraham. In first Peter two, verse number six.

Peter quotes Isaiah 28, verse number 16. He says, he who believes in me will never be disappointed. Isaiah 28 says, he who believes in me will never be disturbed or be in a hurry. In other words, when you believe in Christ, there's no inner disturbance. When you believe in Christ, there's no need to be in a hurry to run away. When you believe in Christ, he is your delight. He who believes in me will never, ever lack the satisfaction. That's why Christ says in the Sermon on the Mount, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they and they only are the ones who are satisfied.

No one else is. Only the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Everybody else will be dissatisfied. But those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they are the ones who will be satisfied. That's why Haggai 2.7 says that the Messiah is the desire of the nations. That's why Malachi says in Malachi 3.1, the Messiah is the delight of the people. Why? Because he is the very great reward. He is the only thing you need. The rich young ruler knew he had an emptiness, a void, a restlessness. There was something he did not have.

He wanted to find a way to get it, to obtain it. When push came to shove, he wasn't willing to relinquish anything to obtain it. He wasn't willing to give his life away to obtain the one true God. He would rather worship the false god of materialism, the idolatrous god of his life, his money, his possessions. He'd rather have that than have Jesus. And then there's David. He was rich, a king. He had it all. Nothing he lacked. But what made him full was not his kingship. What made him full was the shepherd of Israel who protected and provided him all the days of his life.

And for Abraham, he longed for a son, the promise of God. But God says, you know what, Abraham? It's me who is your reward. You need to get that straight before the son is born, before the descendants come, before you step foot on the land. You need to know that I am your very great reward. I am your delight, your defender. I'm your delight, so trust me and believe in me. The Bible says in Psalm 103, again, familiar words to us.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits, who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things. He satisfies your years with good things. Only a good God satisfies your years with good things. Psalm 34 says this, verse number 9, O fear the Lord, you as saints, for to those who fear Him there is no want.

There's nothing lacking. The young lions you lack and suffer hunger, but they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing. Psalm 37, Psalm 37, verse number 9 says, or better yet, it says these words in verse number 23, the steps of a man are established by the Lord, and he delights in His way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or His descendants ever begging bread.

Why? Because when the Lord is your shepherd, you don't want anything. When the Lord is your God, you don't need anything because He's all that you need. He is everything that you need. So the Bible says in the book of Colossians, the second chapter to the 10th verse, in Him we are made complete.

We are complete in Christ. Everything that we need is completed in Christ. He dwells in us. We dwell in Him. We are partakers of the divine nature, and everything that pertains to life and godliness is taken care of. Everything that pertains to life and godliness is taken care of because of God. Jesus is all you need. But Jesus is never all you need until Jesus is all you got. And as long as you're hanging on to everything else, you're not going to see that Jesus is really the one you need. I don't know if you ever read the book Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret.

Great book about his missionary endeavors in the land of China. Great man of God. There was a young woman who on the mission field in China was a poet. And she wrote many, many songs of poetry. And when she was 35, she wrote this particular poet, poetry, poem. And she died at age 37. Her brother was a missionary in China along with Hudson Taylor. And so he put the song or the poem to music. And it became a song. It became Hudson Taylor's favorite song. In fact, it was such a favorite song of his that he would sing it or hum it all the time.

In fact, when his wife died, they could hear him at 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning singing the song. And what was the song? Jesus, I am resting, resting. This is how it goes. Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart. Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and Thy beauty fills my soul. For by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole. Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art. And Thy love so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart, satisfies its deepest longings, meets supplies its every need, compasseth me round with blessings.

Thine is love indeed. Ever lift Thy face upon me as I work and wait for Thee. Resting neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth's dark shadows flee. Brightness of my Father's glory, sunshine of my Father's face, keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace. Of course, that great chorus, Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art. I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart. Amidst the Boxer Rebellion in China, and some of the missionaries were being killed, Hudson Taylor began to sing that song.

And one of his cohorts became so angry with him. How can you sing that song when friends of ours are dying? His response was, do you expect me to be anxious? You expect me to worry? When we have a God who's in charge of everything, and we are compelled by Him to rest only in His sovereignty. And he did. That's how he lived his life. And I wonder how you live your life. Do you live your life with restlessness and anxiousness and all kinds of worries about not having this or not having that or wishing this upon my family and wishing that upon my family?

Or do you realize that Jesus truly is everything that you need, everything that you need? We can want all kinds of things. And you know what? A lot of things that we want, they're not sinful. We want our husbands to love us. We want our wives to support us. We want our children to obey. We want to get a good job. We want our kids to walk with the Lord. Those are all good things. Nothing wrong with that. But what you need is only Jesus. So Paul would say in Philippians 121, For to be to live is Christ.

To die is gain. The premise for a great life is to live for Christ. The promise of a great life is that when you die, it's nothing but gain because you gain everything that God promises. So my prayer for you and for me is that we realize that Jesus Christ is enough. He's truly all that we need. And we trust Him. We rest in Him. We believe in Him. We follow Him unconditionally, unwaveringly, because we are loyal and committed to our Christ. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for today. The things that You teach us, the things that You work in us.

Lord, help us to truly, truly believe in You. Help us truly, Lord, to love only You and to follow only You. May we realize what Abraham realized, that You are his very great reward. That David realized that You were his shepherd. You lack nothing, or he lacked nothing. Help us not to be like the rich young ruler who realized that when there was one thing he needed to do, he didn't. He went away sad simply because he would not exchange his God for the one true God. That's why you would say, what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Are we willing to give away those temporary idols that we have that mean nothing for the one true God that gives us everything? I pray that that would be the case. In Jesus' name, amen.