Live with Abandon
Luke 9:23-24, Luke 14:26-27
August 25, 2013
Morning Service
What does it mean to live with abandon?
Living with abandon means that we are giving our whole life over to the service of Christ. It means that we drop everything that we hold onto and give it over to Jesus for His glory. Living with abandon means that we answer His call on our life and we hold our commitment to Him above everything else in our lives. Nothing is held back and everything is surrendered to the person of Jesus. It means that we live each day with the attitude of No reserves, no retreat and no regrets.
If you’re not doing something with your life, it doesn’t matter how long it is – Peace Corps Commercial
What does it take to live with abandon?
Following Jesus is not for the timid, it is not for the faint of heart. Following Jesus will be the greatest challenge we could ever embrace. Being a disciple means nothing less than giving over your whole life, your whole heart, over to the control of Christ. Living ith abandon means that your all is given to the Lordship of Jesus. The call of Jesus is to live a life that has died to the world. It means living a life that is focused on the things of eternal nature instead of things of earth.
The Apostle Paul is an excellent example of living with abandon. Paul understood what it meant to live a radical life for Christ. Paul gave every part of his life to Christ and His service. He gave his incredible mind, his body, his heart and eventually his life to the cause of Christ. Paul turned the world upside down because he lived an abandoned life. Let me give a few examples:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, Christ lives in me Galatians 2:20
To live is Christ, to die is gain
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:1-2
There is nothing that the world can do to a person who is lives fully abandoned to Jesus. There is no stopping them, there is no keeping them from their pursuit of Jesus. When we live an abandoned life, we find genuine freedom. Living with abandon means that we hold nothing back, we leave nothing undone that we are called to do, we go where we are called to go and we pursue the purpose of Jesus with great passion.
Jesus taught on the radical nature of living with abandon. Open your Bibles with me to Luke 9:23-25
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:23-25
Jesus expects us to answer His call
Jesus called into the lives of people long ago and gave them the opportunity to follow Him. Jesus is still calling people to come and follow Him. Jesus is still seeking those who would answer His call and follow Him. We must decide if we are going to stand up and answer the call when it comes.
We are called to follow
The call of Jesus is rather simple – come follow me. The implications are anything but simple. The call to follow is a call to a transformed life. We cannot accept the call of Christ and remain the same. Following Jesus means that we give up everything else and make Him the priority of our lives. We are called to give our absolute best to the service of Christ.
We are called to be faithful
The call to follow Jesus is not a part time option. There is not a point of turning back. There will never be a point of retirement. Jesus expects faithfulness. If we are going to live with abandon, we have to give every moment and every breath to the service of the savior. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.
We are called to live in fullness
Jesus makes a radical promise, if we give our lives over to Him, he will give us a better life than we could have on our own. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. To gain this full life, we have to give over everything we think gives us a full life now. We trade our emptiness for the fullness of Christ. We trade things of earth for things eternal. We give up the things that leave us empty for things that bring us a fullness we cannot contain.
Jesus expects us to take up the cross
To deny oneself means that we have the willingness to let go of our selfish desires and our worldly security. It is giving over of the self and allowing God to have control. Denying ourselves is the first step to living with abandon. We will never embrace the life of abandon until we deny ourselves, until we give full control over to Christ.
Jesus makes it clear that following Him is going to demand a price. There is going to be a cost to the calling. The cost is a cross. To identify so closely with Christ that not even death will pull us away. The issue comes down to value. How much do you value what Christ has done for you?
There is a dual meaning in take up your cross daily. First, it means that we abandon our self-preservation and follow Jesus to the cross. Second, it means that we die to our self-centeredness and our sinful nature. We die to our own personal desires to pursue the desires of Christ.
Following means not that we walk behind Christ but rather that we walk the same path He took. We walk the road of submission, service and sacrifice. We cannot make a one-time decision to follow Christ. Instead, we decide daily to deny ourselves and take up the cross. We decide to follow Jesus and walk in His ways on a daily basis.
Jesus leads the way, He gives guidance in how we should live. He brings us fulfillment and a freedom that we could find in no other way.
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” CS Lewis – Mere Christianity
Jesus expects us to give a full commitment
Jesus is speaking to large crowds and calling for a full commitment. Jesus calls to live with abandon. Jesus wants more than a half-hearted commitment, He will not settle to be anything but at the top priority list. Jesus wants a full commitment from us.
Jesus is looking for people who will give their whole hearts to Him. He is looking for people who will live for Him and hold nothing back. He is searching for people who will live their lives with a sense of abandon.
To be a disciple of Jesus means that we give ourselves to Jesus completely. It means that we give a full commitment.
Who or what holds your true devotion?
Who or what holds your loyalty?
Who or what is your first priority?
26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26
Does Jesus advocate hatred? Absolutely not! Jesus is using a Hebrew exaggeration when he describes our relationships with family as hatred. The issue is that Jesus is comparing the level of commitment we have with Him and the level we have with our family. In comparison, our level of love for Jesus should be so vast that it makes our love for family members look like hate. The matter is simple: Jesus wants to be the first priority in our lives. Nothing, not even our family should come between us and Christ.
Live with Abandon
Chasing after this world makes me tired Praisin' my own name leaves me dry
There's gotta be so much more to life than this A higher calling that I missed
I want my life to count, every breath
I wanna live with abandon Give You all that I am
Every part of my heart Jesus I place in Your hands
I wanna live with abandon
Closing Questions:
What higher calling have you missed?
What part of your heart have you held onto?
What area of your life have you refused to surrender?
What is keeping you from giving 100% to following Jesus?
The time has come to hand it over; stop holding back and live with a sense of abandon.
