More Than Enough; John 10:10
A little girl went to visit her grandmother for the weekend. Her grandmother went to an old fashioned Church that kept the Sabbath by forbidding all work, fun, laughing and playing. The little girl woke up Sunday and started right off playing and laughing, as little girls do. Her grandmother rebuked her for breaking the Sabbath. She quieted down, went to Church and later went for a walk out by the barn. She went over to an old mule, a droopy eyed, sad faced, long-eared mule. She looked at the mule for a while, and then said, “Mr. Mule, you look like you go to my grandmother’s Church!”
I believe there are some Christians like that; they always seem downcast because they have never experienced abundant life. They are like the children of Israel that wondered through the wilderness, they were freed from bondage, but they had not possessed all that God had for them.
The reason so many Christians are not experiencing abundant life is because they have become satisfied with the idea eternal life or because they are focusing on the things of this world. But there’s so much more. More than we could ever imagine. An abundance of love, joy, peace, hope…
That word abundant – means more than enough… How can you have more than enough life? How can you have more than enough love, joy, hope, and a peace that passes all understanding? That’s what I hope to make clear this morning.
I. The Promise of Abundant Life
John 10:10… I want you to remember how He came? Remember the virgin birth, the lowly manger; remember the knowledge & wisdom He possessed even as a boy. Remember the love & compassion he showed, the demonstration of power over the winds and the waves, over blindness & sickness, over disease & death.
Remember the pain as nails were driven into His flesh, as thorns were pounded into His skull until his face was painted red by His blood. Remember how his back was ripped to the bone, by the soldiers whip. Remember the spear that was thrust into His side. Remember the pain, agony, the ridicule and death. But most of all remember His resurrection, for without the resurrection of Jesus Christ there is no life.
All this was done to give US LIFE, and life MORE ABUNDANTLY! As sure as He walked the earth, as sure as He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead, ministered to the poor & needy, died on a Roman cross, as sure as He rose from the grave, He came to bring abundant life.
Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory…” Because He came to give us abundant life He deserves to be glorified? How do we glorify Him? By living the abundant life He came to give to us.
Could you imagine someone being invited to supper with the president, and the president says order whatever you want – steak, lobster, crab legs, caviar, etc. would you settle with P.B.&.J. Could you imagine if someone said they would give you an all expense paid vacation anywhere you wanted to go, would you settle going to Phoenix. Christ came to give us abundant life – peace, joy, hope; don’t settle with just living.
II. The Picture of Abundant Life
Luke 5:4-8, Psalm 23:5-6, and Gal. 5:22-23 make a wonderful picture of Abundant Life. Luke 5:4-8 – How many fish did they catch? More than enough… So much that they needed their friends to come over and take some. Psalm 23:5-6 His cup ran over, he received so much that it filled him and he had more to share with others. He blesses us with so much that we are able to be a blessing to others, not to save for later.
What does He bless us with? The fruit of the Spirit... Gal. 5:22-23… SELF-CONTROL??? Are we really supposed to have self-control? Absolutely! Yet, don’t we all think, we can’t! I don’t have it, and can’t stop this, and can’t overcome that! That brings me to the next point…
III. The Problem with Abundant Life
The Problem is, we can’t do it on our own. We can’t overcome every temptation on our own. We can’t be filled with joy all the time; we can’t have a peace that passes all understanding all the time --- when we are walking in our own strength.
But, Paul said, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” And so can we. But, we sometimes think of Paul and the other apostles as super saints. They were closer to Christ than we are. But we can all have an intimate relationship with Jesus, just like they had.
But they were filled with more of the Spirit. Every person comes to Christ are filled with the same Spirit and with equal dosage – when you filled your filled. But what about… Listen Jesus promised abundant life, He brought it, He gave it, now we can live it in Him.
If we can’t then it makes Jesus is a liar. But, He is not a liar He is Lord, and through Him we can do all things. Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” 1 John 4:4, “Greater than he who is in the world.” We can’t have abundant life on our own, but we can have abundant life in Christ.
IV. The Plan for Abundant Life
Now, are you still sitting there thinking, “I still don’t see how this is possible.” Part of the reason is that many don’t understand the Plan.
Let me show you WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT WHO YOU REALLY ARE, and why, you can and should expect to live an Abundant Life. 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”
Think about creation. Let’s look at Genesis 1:26 and see another tremendous aspect of who we are. God says, “Let us make man in Our Image.” All the other creatures were created after their kind - But, when we come to man, God does NOT say, “After their kind,” because now, He’s doing something infinitely greater. He is making man after “HIS” kind.
Don’t get big headed your not divine, but you are special. After creation – man sinned and “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ.” That is salvation and it comes by grace through faith. Now faith is not merely believing in God, it’s believing to the extent that we do what He says… (Niagara falls tightrope walker).
Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:” Who enjoys abundant life? The man who build his house upon the rock.
God does not save us and then say, “Well now that your saved just live however you please. After all your ways always led to happiness, satisfaction, & hope.” NO, our ways brought sadness, depression, darkness, & hopelessness. If we are to live the abundant life we must live according to God’s word and we can only do that in Christ.
Conclusion: Are you experiencing abundant life?
