Enough

Introduction

Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be with you once again. If you take out your Bible, please turn to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. That’s where we’re going to focus our study this evening, Genesis chapter 3. And before we get there, I want to tell you what the devil wants you to think. There’s a thought that the devil wants to plant in your mind. A thought he wants to plant in my mind. There’s an idea, a seed of thought that is spiritually corrosive. That he wants me to hear and believe with all my heart. And when I do believe this thought that he wants me to think, it poisons everything in my life. It poisons my happiness. It makes me miserable. It poisons my relationship.

It makes the people around me miserable. It poisons my relationship with God. It ruins what I have with him. If I believe what the devil wants me to think.

Are you ready? This thought right here.

That’s what he wants you to think. And if he can get you to think that, if he can get you to hold on to that and believe that and know that and really believe it, he can wreak all kinds of havoc in all kinds of ways in your life. I know he wants you to think that. It’s not because I’ve been given some kind of special insight into the spiritual realm. I don’t have that, you don’t have that, nobody has that. You know how I know the devil wants you to think you don’t have enough? Because when I read my Bible and I read about good spiritual, godly grounded people that fail, a lot of them believed exactly that. I don’t have enough. Isn’t that how the devil got Judas?

Thirty pieces of silver. Isn’t that how the devil got Solomon? I don’t have enough. And that’s how the devil got Adam and Eve in the garden in the very beginning, by convincing Eve that without the tree, without the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she didn’t have enough. Let’s read that for a second. Genesis chapter 3, Genesis chapter 3. And while we’re reading these first six verses of Genesis, I want you to see if you can see where the devil tries to plant that thought in Eve’s mind. You don’t have enough, Eve. See if you can find where he plants that thought. Genesis 3 and verse 1, the Bible says this. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman, Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden? The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. The serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate.

She gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Did you hear him plant that thought in Eve’s mind? And did you see what happened to Eve when she actually believed that she didn’t have enough? That’s what the devil wants you to think. That’s what the devil wants me to think. He wants me to think that I don’t have enough. And he wants me to think that in all kinds of aspects of my life, right? He wants me to look at my job and how happy I am there and what my responsibilities are. And he wants me to think, not enough. And he wants me to go home and look at the paycheck that I get from that job. And he wants me to say, not enough. He wants me to look at the church where I attend.

Look at the people I worship with and say, it’s not enough. Not encouraging enough. Not uplifting enough. Not enough people. He wants me to look at the preacher. Which honestly may be the only thing that isn’t enough here. Is this recorded? He wants me to look at the elders, deacons. He wants me to say, it’s not enough. He wants me to look at my spouse. Say, they’re not enough. The devil has launched a full assault on contentment. He wants you to think that you don’t have enough in this world to be happy, safe, and satisfied. You don’t have enough stuff. You don’t have enough to be, to have joy or peace. You don’t have enough to serve the Lord. You don’t have enough to be content.

In this world, you don’t have enough. The word enough comes from an old English word genog, which actually means sufficient for the purpose. In other words, I can do what I have to do with what I’ve got. Does that make sense? That’s what it means to have enough. I can do what I need to do with what I’ve got. If I say I have enough gas to get home, what’s that mean? That there’s enough gas in my tank to take me all the way back to pearland. If I say I don’t have enough gas, that means if I don’t stop and get more, I’m in trouble, right? That’s what it means to have enough. That I can do what I need to do with what I have.

And that’s exactly what the devil doesn’t want you to think you can do. You don’t have enough to live this life. You don’t have enough to be happy. You don’t have enough to serve God. You can’t do what you need to do with what you’ve got. He’s launched a full-scale attack on contentment. And tonight I’d like to show you exactly how he does that. I’d like to show you what he did from Adam and Eve, because what he did to Adam and Eve is he took them from happy and content to discontent and miserable. And he can do it to you and me if he can convince us of one thing that we don’t have enough. He has a three step process that he uses here in Genesis 3, and I want to show that to you so that we can avoid falling into the same trap.

1. Stop Thinking About What You Have

Three step process to get us from content and happy to discontent and miserable. And this is the first thing he does. The first thing the devil’s going to do is he wants you to stop thinking about what you have. Stop thinking about what you have. Look at what the Bible says in Genesis 3 and verse 1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, indeed, has God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden? The first thing that the devil wants to do with Eve is he wants to take her mind off of all the wonderful things she’s already been given. Indeed, has God said you shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

I want you to think about that question for a second. That question that the devil asks Eve. You know that it’s a deceptive question on its very face. If for no other reason, it’s a deceptive question because, well, the devil already knows the answer to that question, doesn’t he? And so it’s not really a pursuit of knowledge, isn’t it? He asked that question not because he wants to know the laws of the garden. He probably knows God’s laws better than Adam and Eve. He probably knows God’s laws better than you or me. The reason he wants, he asked this question is not because he’s looking for an answer, but because he wants. He wants to get Eve to start thinking about what she doesn’t have instead of thinking about what she does have.

Eve, let’s not talk about what you have in this garden. Let’s not talk about the trees that you can eat from. Let’s talk about the one you can’t eat from. And there’s a reason Satan does that. He knows that God has been so good to Adam and Eve. He has been so good to Adam and Eve when he put them in the garden. Honestly, aren’t we all just a little bit jealous that Adam and Eve got to live in the Garden of Eden? Aren’t we a little bit jealous of just how wonderful that place was?

Perfect health. No sickness, no death, no dying. Who would like that? Okay, no one wants perfect health. Great. Great. They didn’t have to worry about their health or losing their hair. They didn’t have to worry about their next paycheck. They didn’t have to worry about what their kids were doing while they were out in the evening. They didn’t have to worry about finding, you know, the right spouse. They didn’t have to worry about, you know, maybe I marry the wrong person, right? There’s only one person to marry. More than that, we talked this morning about how if I want to be with Jesus, you know, I have to have to give up all these things. I have to do all these things in this life to be with Jesus.

They already were with Jesus, right? They already had that perfect union with God that we strive so much for in this world to get. They already had it. And such a wonderful existence in the Garden of Eden. And Satan can’t have Eve thinking about that. He can’t have her counting all the trees that have been made available. He can’t have her looking at all the beautiful creatures that God has created. He can’t have her thinking about how great it is that she has Adam. He can’t have her thinking about how great it is that she is in union, perfect union with God. Because if she thinks about everything that she has, he can’t do what he wants to do. What do you think about that for a minute?

If Eve thinks about everything she has, she can’t keep the devil can’t do what he wants to do with Eve. And that’s true of you and me, too. Only when I stop thinking about what I have can the devil do to me what he wants to do. Only when I stop being grateful and thankful for the blessings in my life. Only when I start looking at somebody else’s stuff can the devil take me from happy and content to discontent and miserable. You’ll never be discontent if you keep your eyes on your own stuff. But if Satan can get us to forget what we have or take what we have for granted, then he can sow discontent in our souls. And discontent men and women do some of the most ridiculous and most irrational and most unspiritual things in the world.

Discontentment is how the Son of God gets betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. How’s that happen? Someone’s convinced that they don’t have enough. Judas forgets to be thankful for all the wonderful things that he has.

I don’t think we always think about it that way. Thankfulness, being thankful for what we have, being grateful for the wonderful things that are in our life. That’s not just a suggestion. That’s not just God saying, you know, it’d be great if you were thankful. It’d be great if you had some gratitude. He commands it. There’s a reason for that. 1 Thessalonians 5.18, and everything, give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. It’s not a suggestion to be grateful or thankful. It’s a command. Because once we stop being thankful and grateful, once we stop being thankful for our stuff, once we start looking at other people’s stuff, that’s when the devil can get us to be discontent. I need to take inventory of my life, and I need to realize that in my life, the things I have, no matter where I am, no matter where I live, no matter what I make, no matter what I do.

I have enough to live this life. I have enough to be happy. I have enough to have joy. I have enough to serve God.

2. Exaggerate the Value of the Things You Don't Have

Step number one is to get us to stop thinking about the wonderful things that we have. And if I keep my eyes on my stuff, I will never be discontent. But sometimes you and me both know. We do look at other people’s stuff. We do start to believe that we don’t have enough because we stop looking at our stuff. And if we have neglected that thankfulness, then the devil’s ready to take us to step number two. We read about step number two in Genesis 3 and verses 4 through 5. Step number one, stop focusing on what everything that God has given you. Step number two is to exaggerate the value of the things you don’t have. Genesis 3 4. The serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die.

For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. Knowing good and evil. In almost an instant, Eve’s opinion of the tree changed. You know, before the devil came slithering along, the tree was just another tree. It was just the tree I couldn’t eat from. I had all these other trees I could eat from, but I can’t eat from that tree. But as soon as she has this conversation with the devil, she doesn’t see the tree the same way. No, it’s different now. No longer is it the one tree I can’t eat from. No, now it’s the best tree in the garden. Without a doubt, the one tree that anybody would want. The tree that you would want more than anything else, the most valuable tree in the world.

It wasn’t, it was the only tree that mattered. And it was the tree she couldn’t have. Honestly, I think we fall for the same trap when we read this story. The devil lied about that tree. And I think today, even we still believe the devil’s lie. We think to ourselves, yeah, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was the best tree in the garden. And Adam and Eve, they should have kept their distance. They shouldn’t have eaten of that fruit. But without a doubt, it was the best tree. Anyone ever thought that? You know, the only person who ever said it was a good tree was Satan. And can I ask you something? How much did Eve enjoy the knowledge of good and evil?

Was that really great? Did that go well for her? You see, I think even today we still believe that the tree of knowledge and evil was the best tree in the garden. I think it was the worst tree in the garden. But what did Satan do? He convinced her that it was the best tree. He convinced her that it was better than anything else. And that’s what the devil does. He takes something that you and I don’t have, and he exaggerates the value. He makes it look like it is the best thing in the entire world. The devil is a master of making the grass look greener. He’s a master at making the things we don’t have look like the most valuable, the most important, the most vital necessities of life when truly they aren’t even close.

You want a biblical example of that? How about David and Bathsheba? On that rooftop in Jerusalem. The devil convinced David that Bathsheba was the most valuable thing in his entire kingdom. She was more valuable than all of the riches he already had. She was more valuable than all the wives he already had. She was more valuable than his relationship with God. If he didn’t think that, why would he have done what he did? She was the most valuable thing in his kingdom. And thousands of years later, removed from that situation, sitting inside this church building, you and I both know what? That was an exaggeration, wasn’t it? She wasn’t more valuable than everything else David had. She wasn’t more valuable than David’s relationship with God. And David got that eventually, but you see what the devil did.

He convinced him that she was. And that’s not limited to pure sin. The devil can do that with anything that I don’t currently possess. He can make me think that anything in the world that I don’t have right now is so much more valuable than it really is. Remember, he wants me to think I don’t have enough. And so he makes all these things I don’t have look so good. So that when I look at them, I think that I can’t I can’t live this life without that. I can’t I can’t go on if I don’t have that one thing. I’m not gonna make it. I can’t serve God if I don’t have this. He exaggerates the value of what we lack. He might make you covet a woman’s body.

He might make you covet your neighbor’s car or house or money. He might make you covet, and he’s really good at this these days, the lives of someone else. When you see them plastered on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If I can’t live the life that they’re living and go to Hawaii and take all kinds of wonderful pictures, well then I don’t have enough. Anyone ever felt that way?

And he’ll make it bigger and grander than it really is. He’ll make me feel like my life isn’t worth living if I can’t have that one thing that I don’t have. And you know that’s the amazing thing about discontentment. It’s amazing that in America, in one of the most riches, richest areas in America, we have to preach sermons about discontentment. Isn’t that amazing? That’s the amazing thing about the devil and his tricks and discontentment, that no matter what you have, no matter what you have, the devil’s going to try to make him feel like you don’t have enough. Joe loves his job, but he doesn’t have enough because he doesn’t have a great wife. Steve has a great wife, but he doesn’t have enough because he lives in a small house.

Gary lives in a big house and has a great wife, but he doesn’t have enough wife. Well, because he doesn’t like his job as much as Joe does. You see what he does? It’s an infinite continuum of seeking what I currently don’t possess. It’s a carnival game. You can’t win. He exaggerates the value of the things we don’t have. And the worst part is, the worst part is, and some of you know this from experience. I know this from experience. Once I finally get that thing that I’ve coveted, once I get that thing, once I have it in my grasp, that thing that I’ve convinced myself I can’t live without. This is the most important thing. Once I finally get it, what happens? It isn’t anything it was cracked up to be.

How much did she enjoy the knowledge of good and evil? I have to remember that Satan exaggerates. What you don’t have is never as good as he makes it seem. Will you do an exercise with me right now? I want you all to close your eyes. Can you do that? I’m going to keep my eyes open so I can, you know, check all of you guys. Close your eyes, and right now I want you to think about this. What’s the thing you want more than anything else in this world? The one thing that you don’t have that you want more than anything else. You got it. You have enough even if you don’t have it. Okay, open your eyes. Sorry. I didn’t plan to tell you to open your eyes.

Think about that thing.

And tell yourself this every day. It’s not as great as I think it will be. And it certainly isn’t worth sinning to get it. And no matter what, no matter what it is, I have enough without it.

3. Blame God: It's God's Fault You Don't Have Enough

Remember that Satan exaggerates. Remember that what you don’t have, those material things you don’t have, it’s never as great, never as important, never as vital, never as necessary as the devil makes it seem. But if I forget that, and I believe the exaggeration, the devil has one more step before he takes me from happy and content to discontent and miserable. Once he’s taken my eyes off of the wonderful things I’ve been given, and he’s exaggerated the value of the things I don’t have, then he does this, exactly what he did to Eve. He says, blame God. It’s God’s fault that you don’t have enough. Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 5. What’s the devil say? For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

You don’t have enough, Eve. Your life isn’t as great as it should be, Eve. And whose fault is that? That’s God’s fault. You see, because God knows about the tree. He knows how great the tree is. He knows how wonderful the tree is. And he told you were going to die. You aren’t going to die, Eve. You’ll be like him. And the only reason he told you not to touch it is because he knows that when you eat from it, you’ll be like him.

He challenges the character of God and Eve. He causes her to question God’s real motives. He tries to get Eve to think that God is not above her, but God is like her, and that the only thing separating God from Eve was the fact that what? God knew the secret of the tree, and Eve did not. Eve, you don’t have enough. And that’s God’s fault. You don’t have enough. Because God isn’t going to be good to you. God hasn’t been good to you. God isn’t taking care of you, Eve. And he tells you and me the same thing. You don’t have enough. And that’s God’s fault. Now I doubt that the devil is actually going to convince anyone here that God is actually a bad guy.

No one’s going to, you know, undergo temptation from Satan and come away thinking, man, God’s a really terrible person. Really terrible entity. None of us are ever going to think that. But it doesn’t mean that we can’t end up blaming him for the things that we lack. He tells us that God should have done more to prevent my suffering. He tells us that God didn’t have to put a restriction on this kind of behavior. And I’d be happier if I could engage in it. He tells us God isn’t doing enough in my life. He says, God’s going to let us fall through the cracks. He doesn’t see, he doesn’t care.

You don’t have enough. And that’s God’s fault. And that’s how discontentment leads to sin. I don’t have enough. And God isn’t going to help me. So I must do whatever it takes to get what I need. Even if that means sin. It’s not wrong to pursue things. It’s not wrong to want things. You know what I want? I want an in ground pool in my backyard. It was hot today. I want an in ground pool in my backyard. I really want that. I told my wife the other day, I said, one day I really hope we can get one of those because I think our family could have so much fun. We could get so much use out of that. I could just come in from a run and just jump straight in the pool, which is what I’ve always wanted to do.

It’s not wrong to want things. What’s wrong is when the devil tells me to make spiritual compromises so I can get them. What’s wrong is when the devil takes me to an extreme, when he causes me to transgress so that I can finally get what I’ve been wanting for so long. That’s how discontentment leads me to sin. When the devil has taken me away from being content when I’m no longer happy, when I’m discontent, and when I’m miserable because I feel like I’m missing out, and then the devil gives me a way to get what I’ve been wanting. And the only price I have to pay is to sin a little bit against God. That’s how discontentment leads to sin. It’s not wrong to want more money.

What’s wrong is when I neglect my family to get it. It’s not wrong to want to do fun things with my family. What’s wrong is when I neglect the assembly to get it. It’s not wrong to want passionate love. What’s wrong is when I get it from someone I have no right to get it from, whether in person or on the internet. It’s all the same trick. The devil makes something look so amazing and tells you can’t live without it, and then he makes you fall all over yourself trying to chase it. And the only way it works is if I believe what the devil tells me when he says you don’t have enough. The only way he gets me with this contentment is when I truly believe that I don’t have enough.

It’s when I forget that in Christ I have plenty. That’s why contentment is such an important part of godliness. That’s why contentment is necessary for the Christian. Turn to 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 6. If you’re going to serve God, you’re going to have to get good at saying this. I really want that. I really want that thing. But I am okay if I never get it. If I’m going to live good as a Christian, if I’m going to serve God in this world, I have to understand how to say, I want it, but I don’t need it. I have enough with what I’ve got. 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 6, the Bible says this, but godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering with these, we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare. And many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. Hear him now. And some, by longing for it, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

That’s how discontentment leads to sin. Paul tells us godliness with contentment is great gain, which is kind of a funny, kind of a funny saying. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Which seems kind of weird because contentment is what it’s it’s me being happy if I don’t get anything else. So how could that be gain? Well, because when I’m content and I’m godly, I realize that contentment brings peace. Contentment generates joy. Contentment strengthens my relationship with God. Contentment keeps me from sin. And contentment reminds me that in Christ, not only do I have enough, but I have everything. I have an abundance of everything that’s really precious in this world. James 1 and verse 16. Do not be deceived. My beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above.

Coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. Discontentment is not the result of not having enough. Discontentment is what happens when I lose sight of the fact that in Christ I have an abundance of the best stuff this world has to offer. That’s the funny thing about Eve’s story. You know there were two trees in the garden. There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and what was the other tree? The tree of life. The tree of life.

You want the knowledge of good and evil. That’s going to make you like God. That’s going to make your life better. This is the most valuable tree. This is where it’s at. You know what God says? God says the tree of life is where it’s at. After Adam and Eve were dispelled from the garden. The Bible says that they were cut off their access from the tree of life. But in Revelation we learn that in heaven, we’re going to have access to one of those trees. We will have access to the tree of life. That’s the funny thing. The entire time Adam and Eve were in the garden, they had access. Unlimited and unfettered access to the best thing that God provided man.

And the devil convinced Eve to give all of that up so she could have access to the worst thing she possibly could have had. And that’s our lives too. That in Christ, as a Christian, I have access to the most wonderful things I can possibly have. I have access to prayer. I have access to you guys, the church. All the encouragement that comes from that. I have God and I have a relationship with Him. I have freedom from my sins. I have an abundance of the best stuff I can possibly get. And the devil tells me, well, you don’t have enough because you don’t have a nice car. So give all that up so you can get a better car.

We possess true wealth. But the devil has told us we’re homeless. How silly and short-sighted we can be when we don’t realize that we have not only enough, but in Christ, we have an abundance of the best stuff this world has to offer.

Conclusion

For those who do serve God in this earth, those who do make it to heaven, they’ll have access to the best thing God has ever provided. The tree of life, once again, when they go to heaven. But if you’ve never been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, you won’t make it to heaven, and you will not have access to the best kind of stuff, and you don’t have access to the best kind of stuff right now. You don’t have God. You don’t have remission of your sins. You don’t have a hope of heaven. But luckily, thankfully, graciously, mercifully, through Jesus Christ, right now at this very moment, you can have access to heaven. You can have a hope of heaven, you can have the remission of your sins.

If you’ll believe in Jesus, repent of those sins and confess that belief before men. You can be baptized in water and have those sins washed away. Have a hope of heaven. Have an abundance of the best kind of stuff. Give up whatever it takes to get that. Do it right now. Come to the front while we stand, while we sing.