The Lord's Guidance on Goals
The Gospel of John
John 10:10-11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - March 8, 2017
(Revised October 26, 2019)
MESSAGE:
*Tonight, we will take a closer vs. 10-11 because here God gives us some very important lessons about goals. Goals are important in life. A wise man once said, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." And that is true. On the other hand, Les Brown once said: "Shoot for the moon. -- Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (1)
*Goals are important in life, and spiritual goals are the most important of all. The Apostle Paul knew this very well. After he had been a Christian for many years Paul still strived to keep going forward for Christ.
*In Philippians 3:12-14 from the New Living Translation, Paul wrote, 12. I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14. I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
*God wants us to have wisdom about goals for our lives: What matters, and what doesn't matter, what helps, and what hurts.
1. SO FIRST: JESUS TELLS US THAT SATAN HAS GOALS FOR OUR LIVES.
*We need to know, and we better believe that Satan has some goals for our lives. The Lord tells us about Satan's goals in the first part of vs. 10, and here Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."
*Steal. -- Kill. -- Destroy: These are horrible goals for you and me. But they are Satan's greatest desires for our lives. And because we are born with a sinful nature, we are all susceptible to his goals.
*I was reminded of this truth in a story Jonathan Busch told. It was about a preacher who was trying to teach children about honoring their father and mother, and the preacher used an example with money. He started by talking about the things that money can't buy. He said, "Money can't buy laughter, and it can't buy love."
*Then to drive his point home, the preacher asked, "What would you do if I offered you a thousand dollars to not love your mother and father?" The children sat there in stunned silence. But then a small voice asked, "How much would you give me to not love my big sister?" (2)
*We are all subject to selfishness and sin, so, we need to guard our hearts and be on the lookout for Satan's goals in our lives. And what are they again? Jesus said: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."
[1] THE DEVIL'S FIRST GOAL IN OUR LIVES HAS TO DO WITH DECEPTION
*That's the main way Satan steals from us. Jesus called the devil "the father of lies." In John 8:44, Jesus spoke to the Pharisees who hated Him and wanted to kill Him. There the Lord told them, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."
*Oh, how the devil loves to lie! Revelation 12:9 speaks of him deceiving the whole world. And the devil will always try to lie to us about who we are, about what we should do, about what's good for us, and what's not good for us.
[2] SATAN'S GOALS FOR US INCLUDE DECEPTION. THEY ALSO INCLUDE DEATH.
*Death is the devil's second goal for our lives. As Jesus said in vs. 10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill." The devil wants to kill people, yes, physically, but most of all, he wants to kill people spiritually.
*Well, if we are Christians, if we have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, thank God, Satan can't kill us spiritually! But he still wants to kill our hopes, our dreams, and our potential in life.
[3] THE DEVIL'S GOALS FOR US INCLUDE DEATH. THEY ALSO INCLUDE DESTRUCTION.
*Again in vs. 10, Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." The devil wants to destroy our homes, our trust, and our happiness. He wants to destroy our children, our church and our country.
*Satan is like the innocent looking butterfly Michael Green described. It's the "Maculinea Arion." This creature lays its eggs on a plant. Then after feeding on the plant for several weeks the young caterpillars make their way to the ground. There the caterpillars meet a certain kind of ant. And the caterpillars begin to produce a sweet fluid from a special gland. The ant likes the taste, and it carries a caterpillar home to its nest. There the ants drink the sweet fluid produced by the caterpillar. And, what does the caterpillar eat? -- The baby ants. (3)
*That's how the devil likes to operate in our lives. He puts something very tempting in front of us. It's sweet and seems harmless. But just like the caterpillar, Satan always takes more than he gives! He steals, kills, and destroys.
2. JESUS TELLS US ABOUT SATAN'S GOALS FOR OUR LIVES. BUT THANK GOD! -- THE SAVIOR ALSO HAS GOALS FOR OUR LIVES.
*And Jesus tells us His goals at the end of vs. 10, where He said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
[1] THE LORD'S FIRST GOAL IS TO GIVE US LIFE, EVERLASTING LIFE!
*When Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life," He was talking about spiritual life, everlasting life, eternal life!
*Multiple verses of Scripture confirm this truth. For example, John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
*Then, in John 4:14 Jesus said this to a lost Samaritan woman, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'' And in John 5:21, Jesus said, "As the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will."
*The Lord's first goal is to give us everlasting life! But there was only one way our everlasting life could have ever been possible, and that was through the cross of Jesus Christ! The cross was Jesus' ultimate purpose in coming. And the Lord talked about this in vs. 11, where Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
*Hebrews 2:9-15, explains it to us this way:
9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
10. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12. saying: "I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to You.''
13. And again: "I will put My trust in Him.'' And again: "Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.''
14. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15. and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
*God the Son became a man, "a partaker of flesh and blood," so that through His death, He might destroy the one who had the power of death, and that's the devil. Jesus gave His life for us. He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. Then He rose again forever, and that's why Jesus is the only source for eternal life.
*David Swensen helped put this in perspective with the story of a man named Asibi. Way back in 1927, Asibi was stricken with yellow fever over in West Africa. Doctors took a blood sample from Asibi and used it to make a vaccine for the virus. All of the yellow fever vaccine manufactured since 1927 by the Rockefeller Foundation has come from the original strain of virus obtained from that one man. It has been carried down from one laboratory to another, through repeated cultures, and it has offered protection to millions of people in many countries. (4)
*Eternal life works much the same way. The eternal life shared by millions of Christians around the world all came through the shed blood of one man: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But as people have to receive the vaccine for yellow fever, so we have to receive Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior. We have to trust in Jesus to save our souls. We have to believe in Jesus, and when we do, we receive God's gift of eternal life.
[2] THE LORD'S FIRST GOAL IS TO GIVE US EVERLASTING LIFE. HIS SECOND GOAL IS TO GIVE US AN EXCELLENT LIFE.
*Again in vs. 10, Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." That word "abundantly" is talking about a superabundant, exceedingly superior life. It's talking about a remarkable life, far surpassing any other possible life. Jesus came not just to give us life, but abundant life, not just infinitely long, but infinitely better!
*You know that we live in a day of discontent. Jason Lehman put it this way:
"It was spring. But it was summer I wanted -- The warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer. But it was fall I wanted -- The colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was fall. But it was winter I wanted -- The beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter. But it was spring I wanted -- The warmth, and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child. But it was adulthood I wanted -- The freedom, and the respect.
I was 20. But it was 30 I wanted -- To be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged. But it was 20 I wanted -- The youth, and the free spirit.
I was retired. But it was middle-age I wanted -- The presence of mind, without limitations.
Then my life was over, and I never got what I wanted." (5)
*Many people today are living out that frustration. But Jesus came to give us abundant life! -- Super-abundant, superior life, abundant life made abundant by the wonderful relationship we have with God Himself and the family of God.
*In a way, the Lord's abundant life reminds me of what David said in the 23rd Psalm: "My cup runs over." But the Lord's abundant life could overflow an ocean!
*Jesus wants to give us such an abundant life that in Ephesians 3:8, the Apostle Paul could say, "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Think of the infinite riches of Christ! There is no end to God's ability to bless His people in amazing ways! Don't you know that He can give us an abundant life!
*Of course, that doesn't mean that everything will be smooth sailing all the way. Sometimes it seems like the people who have it the hardest, have the most abundant lives.
*Daniel Boone had a younger brother, and his name was Squire. Squire Boone knew hardship. He was wounded in battle 11 times. Finally, he settled near Corydon, Indiana, and there, Squire built a mill.
*Squire Boone knew hardship, but he also knew the Lord's abundant life. On the foundation of his mill, Squire carved these words: "My God my life hath much befriended. -- I'll praise Him till my days are ended." (6)
*Eternal, excellent life: These are the Savior's goals for us. But what about our goals?
3. WHAT SHOULD BE THE SUPREME GOALS FOR OUR LIVES?
*Well, again in John 10:10, Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."
[1] IN LIGHT OF THIS VERSE, ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS SHOULD BE TO RESIST SATAN ALL WE CAN.
*And thank God we can resist the devil! We know this is true because in James 4:7, God promises, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." And these great words from 1 John 4:4 are also for us, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
*We could never resist the devil in our own strength. But we have the promise of God's power and protection, and He says: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." So, we must resist Satan all we can.
[2] BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, WE MUST RUN TO THE SAVIOR AS FAST AS WE CAN.
*Again in vs. 10, Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
*How foolish we would be not to run to Jesus! In Isaiah 55:5, God the Father spoke to His Son and said, "Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.'' Many people from many nations have run to Jesus Christ, and that's what everyone needs to do!
*Run to Jesus and you will come to know Him in a close, personal way. Run to Jesus and in John 6:37, you will hear Him say, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." Hallelujah! Run to Jesus, and keep coming closer and closer to the Lord. As James 4:8 promises, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. . ."
*You see, God really does want to live in close fellowship with us! The Apostle John was thinking about Jesus and all He has done for us. And in 1 John 1:3, he said, "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."
*God Himself want to have close fellowship with us! And when we walk with the Lord, we will have fellowship that gives us abundant life in the worst of times.
*During World War II, well over a million people we murdered by the Nazis at the Auschwitz Death Camp. Most of them were Jews. Altogether, the Nazis executed 6 million Jews, and one of them was a lady named Etty Hillesum.
*Etty lived in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation in 1942. She knew that it was just a matter of time before the SS came after her and her friends. But Etty decided not to go into hiding as others did, even though she knew that the Nazis were getting closer every day.
*Etty kept a journal of those days in her life, and just before she was packed into a cattle car, she threw it to a friend. That journal was lost and forgotten until it was discovered in 1986. And then it was published as a book called "An Interrupted Life."
*At some point while waiting for capture, Etty was given a Bible, and she began to read it. Through that reading, she came to faith in Jesus Christ. Etty's journal became an on-going conversation between her and God. She gave her heart to God and then courageously walked through her troubles together with Him.
*Here is a little of what Etty Hillesum wrote in her journal: "From all sides, our destruction creeps up on us and soon the ring will be closed, -- and no one will be able to come to our aid. I don't feel that I am in anyone's clutches: I feel safe in God's arms. Once you have begun to walk with God, you need only keep walking with him, and all of life becomes one long stroll." (7)
CONCLUSION:
*Etty Hillesum found the indestructible blessing of an abundant life from Jesus Christ, and we can too. So resist the devil, and keep running to our Savior in every situation of life.
(1) http://www.quotegarden.com/index.html
(2) SermonCentral sermon "Teach Your Children Well" by Jonathan Busch - Ephesians 6:1-4
(3) ILLUSTRATIONS FOR BIBLICAL PREACHING by Michael Green, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989, p. 238. Adapted - Source: Sermonillustrations.com 10/12/2003
(4) Sources:
-SermonCentral sermon "Redemption" by David Swensen - Ephesians 1:3-10
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_fever_vaccine
(5) SermonCentral sermon "The Lord Is My Shepherd" by Melvin Newland - Psalm 23:1-6
(6) 1000 WINDOWS by Robert C. Shannon, Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997 - Source: "Bible Illustrator for Windows" - Topic: Gratitude - Index: 1450 - Date: 3/1998.1367 - Title: Gratitude
(7) Sources:
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp
-http://ww2today.com/27-january-1944-the-red-army-liberate-auschwitz
-Lewis B. Smedes, THE ART OF FORGIVING - Nashville, TN: "Moorings," a division of The Ballantine Publishing Groups, Random House, 1996 - p. 112-113 - Source: Peachtree Presbyterian Pulpit - Advent Series: "The Messiah!" - #1 - "The Promised Messiah!" by W. Frank Harrington, Isaiah 40:1-5; 9-11 - Dec. 1, 1996
