There are so many things in life vying for our attention. Every new product every new item carries with it a promise of making our lives better, easier and more fulfilling. However the excitement of that new thing is always short-lived – usurped when the next new thing comes along… electronics that were new last month are already obsolete this month. Nothing of this world ever lasts.

However there is one – one person – who can give us true fulfillment, not just a temporary satisfaction, but a permanent fulfillment that totally completes us in every way. Today we will be studying how this is so, and how to receive this provision of Jesus Christ into our lives, so that we will not be searching or be entangled by the things of this world any longer.

The Bible makes some amazing statements about Jesus. Often-times in Christian circles we are familiar with the names and titles and sayings of Jesus, but we fail to meditate on their actual meanings and implications. Yet when we truly take time to ponder the meanings of these things, the amazing majesty of Jesus is revealed to us… the awesome expansiveness of His power can be seen more clearly than just by reciting words without consideration. Let me give you an example:

In Hebrews 13:8, the following statement is made:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

You may have heard this said before, but have you ever stopped to consider the meaning or implication of it? Jesus Christ, remains eternally and forever the same. He does not wear out, grow old, or lose His power over time. He does not become stale, dull, uninteresting or lose His flavor of life, as the things of this world all do. Jesus is always new, always fresh, and always potent. When people say to me that they have lost interest in reading their Bible or praying and they say that they “just need a break for a while.” I tell them that the reason the Bible has gone stale is because they have stopped looking at Jesus when they read – they have just turned it into another regular book. When praying has become dull or rote, it is due to the same reason… Jesus is no longer the focus.

We must always guard against the things of this world, the people of this world, and even ourselves from stealing our focus and attention off of Jesus. It is when our attention is fixed on something other than Jesus that we become vulnerable to the attacks, tricks and traps of the enemy and evil forces.

I have spoken with quite a number of people over the years who have testified to me that their lives have been greatly damaged and some even ruined, when they became focused on themselves or some other thing… and this is how some of them started:

“I just need to unwind, so I’ll have a drink.”

“I can’t handle the pressure, so this pill will help me cope.”

“I can’t bear the loneliness, so I’ll find a man or a woman to complete me.”

These are the three most common issues that I hear, and in each of these three instances, where is the focus? It’s on the need. The stress, the pressure, or the emotion. When I talk with these people, I tell them that yes they have a need, but it is not what they think… The one who needs a drink, does need a drink, but it is not a drink of alcohol, it is a drink of Jesus. The one that can’t handle the pressure is correct, they can’t handle the pressure on their own, but Jesus can. The one who can’t bear the loneliness will never find satisfaction in another man or woman, it is Jesus who is the true companion and lover of our soul. (John 14:21-23)

So how exactly is it that Jesus satisfies us? How do we receive it? Turn now to Matthew 18:20:

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the middle of them.”

Midst means “center, middle, central focus”, It is interesting to note that whenever God delivered someone, Jesus was always in the midst, meaning the middle, center-focus:

In Exodus 8:22, God is stated to be in the midst of all the earth, when He proclaims deliverance from the land of Goshen. In Deuteronomy 23:14, He was in the midst of the camp when Israel was delivered again. Jesus was also in the midst of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3:25, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were delivered from the flames. As a boy, He was found in the midst of the doctors and scribes in the temple in Luke 2:46, when His wisdom amazed all who heard Him. In Mark 6:47, He was in the midst of the sea at night when He was found walking on the raging sea and the boat and it’s passengers were delivered from the storm.. And in John 19:18, the Bible records for us that when He was crucified, He was in the midst of sinners, making deliverance available to the whole world.

Now look again at our text in Matthew 18:20. When two or three are gathered together, Jesus says “there am I in the midst of them.” This means that He is the central focus, not each-other, not the problem, not the need, but Jesus is the center, He is the fixation. Now some people get hung up on those words “two or three” and think that Jesus is never with us when we are by ourselves.

Please allow me to squash that wrong belief by pointing out the reasons why Jesus said “two or three”, first, the Jewish belief was that a congregation had to be at least ten men (Hebrew: minyan: מִנְיָן). Jesus dropped that number down to the least “gathering” as possible… two or three. Today, to Jesus, even a gathering of two is just as honored as a gathering of thousands. A small church is just as loved by Jesus as a “mega-church” – even with two or three He still is in the midst, and that is worthy of honoring Him even in the most humble of settings. Secondly, the context of that verse is mostly dealing with the issue of a brother or sister in Christ who has trespassed against another. Having two or three is never a requirement for God hearing, or being in the midst.

Turn to John 14:21-23:

“He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Judas said to him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?

Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our stayed with him.”

This is personal. This is a personal relationship, a personal manifestation and a personal encounter with Jesus. And where do you think He will appear, and abide? In the center (midst) of your life!

When Jesus is the center of our lives, He is not just a divine spectator, but an active participant. He is in our midst to teach us, to guide us, to touch us, to provide for us and to heal us in every way.

He is the helper, He is the healer, yesterday today and forever. Wherever there is a willing soul, He is also willing to heal and restore. Right now He is in the midst of anyone who is willing to draw from Him.

The Bible says in Acts 10:38 that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. This is oppression of every kind, whether it an addiction, an emotion, fear, guilt, lust, idolatry, sickness, poverty, all of it brings people into bondage and Jesus came to loose every bondage.

In Luke 8:43-48, the woman with the issue of blood, went to many doctors and spent all that she had but grew worse! Now she was sick and poor because she spent all that she had. Yet one single encounter with Jesus was enough to heal and restore her.

My friends, the world is not the answer. Why? God shares this secret in Genesis 22:2:

“And he said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and get you into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”

Notice that God calls Isaac the only one of Abraham, but we know that Abraham has two sons at that time… Isaac and Ishmael. But Ishmael was born of the bond-woman, out of a mistrust of God’s promises. The word “only” used here, is the Hebrew word yachiyd (יָחִיד), which means “complete, whole, set apart for God”, the same word used of Jesus in John 3:16. God only recognizes what is born of His blessing, born of His grace. But God did not want Isaac, because Isaac’s blood has sin. God wanted to see if Abraham would obey Him. And as Abraham was about to plunge the knife into his son which he loved, God said “Stop! Now I know that you love me and would not withhold your son. God stopped Abraham’s hand, but no-one stayed the hand of God on His own Son, whom He loved, so that today we can say “Father, now I know that you love me. You did not withhold Your only Son whom You love.”

Now let’s bring all of this information together. Turn to 2^nd Corinthians 4:3-6:

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine to them.

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

I made a statement at the start of this study that if The Bible has become dull and boring, unattractive, it’s because Jesus is not being seen. The Bible is designed to show us Jesus, and to use it for any other purpose is a misuse of scripture. We see in verse 4 that it is the god of this world (the devil) who blinds the minds of them which do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine on them

If you go into a dark room and turn on the light, what happens to the darkness? It is chased away. When the light of the gospel of Christ shines on you, your darkness is chased away. This is why the enemy works so hard to hide the gospel. Notice that it is the Gospel, the good news of Christ which brings light. There are many churches today who are not anti-god, but they are anti-Christ. They speak a lot about God and His judgment and His laws, but never speak about the love of Christ and His redemption and restoration. It is this truth of Christ and His salvation that brings light and chases away the darkness of people, of you and of me.

Verses 5 tells us that true ministers will not preach themselves or their own knowledge, experience or feelings, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and they serve the people for Jesus’ sake. He is the center of all true preaching and all service in the church.

Finally verse 6, all of this is found in the face of Jesus. Not the face of any other person. Not in any thing of this world, but the face of Jesus. He is the one who gives all fulfillment, He is the one who satisfies and He is the one who heals and redeems and saves. Seek after Him alone, and you will find freedom. You can not seek after Him with one eye on Him and one eye on your need, Focus both eyes totally on His face, and His light will enter in and you will be satisfied beyond even you wildest dreams. The way He chases away every darkness in your life and gives you victory is by you focusing entirely on Him and letting His light shine in and through you. It’s so simple, it’s the Gospel of Jesus Christ.