Living The Abundant Life

John 10:10

Many times the Lord Jesus used the expression "I am," which is one of the titles of deity. The word am is the present singular of be. It means something that is happening at this present moment. Jesus is saying here, "I am,". Not will be, not maybe, not might be, but I am. When we search the scriptures we find that Jesus said; "I am the father of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, Before Abraham was, I am." "I am the living bread which came down from heaven", "I am the bread of life he that commeth to me shall never hunger", "I am the light of the world", I am the resurrection and the life", "I am the way, the truth and the life", "I am the true vine ye are the branches". Then in our text today he says, I am the door, I am the good shepherd, I am come that that ye might have life and have it more abundantly. Each time Jesus said I am, he was making a claim to be equal with God the Father. Here he presented himself as the good shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Ordinarily, the sheep were called upon to lay down their lives for the shepherd. But the Lord Jesus died for the flock.

The enemy will always try to rob God’s children. The text today says that the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. But Jesus came that we might enjoy abundant life and victory. One song writer wrote the words "Victory, Victory, shall be mine, If I hold my peace and let the Lord fight my battle, victory, victory, shall be mine.

Television commercials claim that the abundant life goes along with drinking beer, wearing a certain kind of tennis shoes, or driving a certain type of car. You can’t find abundant living in a can or in a bottle or a pair of tennis shoes or a car. You can’t find abundant life in a capsule or a pill or in cocaine or marijuana or any kind of drug. John 10:10 says that abundant living is only found in Jesus.

John 10:10 says the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. Through the devil’s empty pictures of fame, money, and drugs, he steals from, kills, and destroys people. But God’s idea is different. Jesus says I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly.

There are some keys to living the abundant life. One of the secrets to abundant living is service- service to God and to others. A lot of folk don’t want to serve nobody. They won’t do anything for anybody but themselves. But if we serve Christ, we will want to serve others. In serving others, we learn how to live the abundant life.

Abundant living is a total surrender to Jesus Christ. It is a lifetime commitment to serve him. If a man is in good health, obtain wealth, a good family, and a fancy home, yet never experiences the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, he isn’t living. He is merely existing. I hate to say that some of us today are not really living, we are just existing. We are like dead dried up bones in the valley. That’s why some of us can’t praise the Lord. Somebody said, "Anything dead ought to be buried, "I’m mighty afraid that some of us need to be buried today.

Abundant living does not exist until we have completely committed ourselves to Jesus Christ. Our commitment must compel us to say "no" to temptation, and "no" to everything that is contrary to the Word of God.

I’m not talking about just paying lip service. A lot of us say for God we will live and for God we will surely die, but it is only lip service. When it comes time to face the challenges of this life, when it comes time to find us at our post of duty, when it comes time to be fully committed, we are no where to be found. We either have to commit to the things of the world, or commit to God. There is no in-between. Jesus told the church at Laodicea, "I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. But because you are lukewarm,” I will spew thee out of my mouth." The problem with us today is that there are too many churches that are deceiving folk into thinking that they are the church of God and they are so lukewarm that God doesn’t have any part in it. The church has too many halfhearted Christians in it. These Christens think they are getting away with their lack of commitment to God and His Word. But the bible says that halfhearted Christians are lukewarm. No man can serve two masters, he has to hate the one and love the other or either he has to love the one and hate the other. It’s sad to say that there are too many folk who think they are right with God, but they are lukewarm and don’t even know it.