The Abundant life in the Shepherd
John 10:7-21
Good Morning… Glad that you have joined us today.
I have titled the message today … The Abundant life in the Shepherd. The life we can have when we are in a right relationship in Jesus.
Please turn to John 10
Think about this for a moment… we are in the Lenten season, the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.
What are we as believers to do in this time frame? These 40 days.
We are to reflect and prepare ourselves for the gospel truth of the resurrection of Jesus and allow Him to change how you and I think and how you and I act.
If it only becomes information it is at best educational.
If it is only a tradition, it is only something you do mechanically.
If we reflect by hearing the word only but don’t apply and respond to the Word, it cannot change our lives.
Tomorrow night we start a revival service with Dr. Manley from Nashville Tn. Our church will be full with multiple churches coming from all over to hear him speak.
My prayer is that the Lord will change your life and my life.
That you and I because I will be here for the same reason is to be changed and motivated more to the things of God.
How we respond to the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ will make the difference in our lives.
Prayer-
John 10:1-6 Red letter writing- Jesus speaking
Jesus begins telling the crowd and the Pharisees about Him being the Good Shepherd and his qualities as a shepherd.
He says that there is a narrow gate and he is that gate and all that enter any other way are thieves and robbers.
(6) “Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.”
They don’t get it, they often didn’t understand his parables and had to have Jesus interpret the meaning…Starting at verse 7 He does that…
John 10:7-21 Read from Bible
Jesus in this passage of scripture paints a picture for each of us this morning.
I (Jesus) have the words of life… There may be many gates in the world but I am the only way to heaven.
He shows us that there is only one way to Christ. Me.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through
You cannot take a short cut, you cannot earn it.
He shows us that he is the real deal-
If we are going to be the sheep of his pasture, we will listen for His voice.
We will distinguish his voice from the many voices calling today.
He uses the analogy of being the gate.
All roads don’t lead to God
Any other ways suggested are suggested by thieves and robbers who rob us of our souls.
I know in this day and age of tolerance, that is being narrow minded, that is what it is....narrow but truthful.
One of the key verses (10) is that the devil wants to kill, steal, and destroy your life
... But that God wants to give us abundant life. Not only for us to experience heaven but in our everyday living with Jesus as Lord.
I have said this before- we are on a journey.
From the first breath until the last, the life we live between them determines eternity for us.
Down inside each of us, weather we want to admit it or not is a sense that there has to be more to life than just existing.
How many know what I mean?
Millions of people everyday live this life- they go to work, they come home, eat dinner, watch T.V., go to bed…that is their life and then eventually die.
They never really experience what they would call abundant life- they have just existed.
Jesus tells us:
As a child of God, we can live a life of abundance “or a life of full”
The definition of abundance is full, complete.
Jesus says that it is possible to live full and complete lives.
Rick Warren- “This idea that God wants everybody to be wealthy?
Bologna. It’s creating a false idol. You don’t measure your self worth by your net worth.”
God invites us to have abundant life- it‘s not for everyone, He invites those where Jesus is Lord, the shepherd of their lives- to experience life in its fullness, WITH HIS POWER, HIS SPIRIT, HIS BLESSINGS, AND HIS GUIDANCE!
Our world is full of dissatisfied people.
They are looking for answers for why they are feeling empty. (Anything without Jesus is emptiness and a void in their life)
They try everything and listen to no one.
They think one more possession.
One more relationship, one more way of making money...this is how they will achieve.
The results they find for themselves is: divorce, drug dependency, alcohol abuse, depression, sexual impurity, loneliness, and emotional problems.
We are messed up! We are messed up without Jesus. We are broken
Abundant life in ourselves is not the answer,
We are in a day and age that says more is better,
Being a loner is okay,
You deserve more,
Just do it.
Abundant life does exist!
Christians have discovered, or at least should have discover that it is not all about them, it is about Jesus Christ, it is not about living for yourself, it is living for Jesus Christ.
Not the abundance of things, but the abundance of him.
Abundance is to stop seeing God as an enemy or an inconvenience, but seeing him as a friend and savior.
There is no magic saying, no magic potion. It is allowing God’s grace to work in your life and take God at his word.
Matthew 7:7-9-
“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open to you. for everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and him who knocks, the door will be opened “
That is a promise!
Jesus said-
“I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
That is a promise!
I am the gate- the way to the full life
I am the shepherd- my sheep know my voice in a world of crying and deceiving voices.
I have the authority to do that for each one of my people.
Notice I did not say easy-
He does not tell us we will be free of trouble
Nowhere in the bible does God say we will all get the same things- some have more- some less’
Some in our abundance have health- some don’t
Some have money- some don’t
The abundance is the fullness we have in Christ-
We know this life is not the end of the story
We must realize this as we look at some non Christians that seem like they have the world by the tail- that it is only temporary and they will end up with nothing.
For the believer, who is seeking God and his fullness, it is in Jesus Christ. We will have some hard times, it too will be temporary, but in the end we will have what the lord promises us.
Jesus says-
John 16:33- “in this world you will have troubles, but take heart! I have overcome the world”
Listen to me:
All roads do not lead to God
All religions do not have a personal relationship with God
Some believe in one god- some 1000's of god’s
Some believe God cares for us- some say that he cannot be found
Some believe in life after death- some do not
Some believe that God is love - some say that he is judgmental
They cannot all be right!
God is not hiding from us- he wants to have a relationship and he wants us to live life to the fullest.
You cannot change the past- it is exactly that - in the past, but God can help us change the future.
No matter what your life has been- God wants to put you on a new path and journey
Birth to the grave- that is our appointed time
Some short, some long, we do not know how long
What we do between the lines, affects eternity and our quality of life.
Architect draw plans for a building, it still has to be built.
A singer create a new song, it still has to be sung.
A chef creates a new recipe - ingredients have to be put together.
No matter where you are in the journey- beginning, middle, or end. Today if you became a Christian, or if you have been for a long time, today can be a new starting point and you can finish strong.
Time stops for no one- I can remember being 12 like it was yesterday. That was a day or two ago.
140 billion galaxies, 11 billion light years away, containing as many as 700 billion stars
I cannot imagine that distance
I cannot imagine that number
I cannot comprehend that each one of the 300 plus million people on this planet have different DNA’s and finger prints.
That the Lord knows each one of us personally.
That blows my mind
Closing
It is possible to live an abundant life, but it will not be in yourself- it is in Jesus Christ
It is not the abundance of things - it is abundance of Him
There is not many ways to get it- there is only one way- He is the only way.
In Jesus- you realize that success doesn’t make you and failure doesn’t break you.
The Pharisees had great intelligence but they were too proud to have their intelligence challenged- We live in that day and age too. It is of great danger that the gospel of Christ is preached all over the world and many have turned a deaf ear to Him.
We see here a Good Shepherd who will protect his sheep
One who goes after the ones that have strayed.
He will carry those who have been injured and carry them on his shoulders.
He comes against pride and comparing ourselves to one another-
I am a good person
I don’t hurt anyone
I am not as bad as that person.
1 Corinthians 1:18-
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Jesus gives us hope in abundance.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. – Psalm 147:10¬-11
The film Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, the Olympic distance runner who survived on a life raft for 47 days and endured a harsh imprisonment. But Zamperini’s struggles continued even after World War II ended.
In May 1943, after their plane crashed in the Pacific, Zamperini and two other United States soldiers survived in a life raft. One died after 33 days. Fourteen days later, Zamperini and the other soldier, clinging to life, were captured by the Japanese.
Zamperini was shuttled from one prison to another and, for a time, was in the brutal hands of Mutsuhiro Watanabe, later classified as a war criminal, who subjected Zamperini and others to relentless physical and emotional torment.
Zamperini was liberated at war’s end, but his battles were not over. Recurring nightmares of war and memories of torture tormented him. Angry and bitter, he turned to alcohol.
Considering divorce, his wife, Cynthia, attended a multi-week Billy Graham rally in Los Angeles, where she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Returning home, she begged Louis to attend the rally. He finally agreed, but he got angry at Graham’s words and stormed out.
A few days later, he returned. When Graham gave the invitation, Louis recalled that, in the life raft, he had promised God, “If you will save me, I will serve you forever.” He finally made good on his promise.
He became a Christian. His nightmares ended. He gave up alcohol and opened Victory Boys Camp to help troubled boys, many of whom were renewed and reformed, enabling them to live productive lives.
Zamperini’s abundant life began when he found hope in the steadfast love of Jesus.
Jesus left the 99 and rescued me and I will never forget!
We need to stop playing church, we all need to sit at the feet of Jesus....He is our abundance and fullness of life.
