The Abundant Life of Jesus:
Part VI: The Power of How?
John 10:10 Are we living an Abundant Life? Or are we barely
getting by, hoping to make it throught the day? Jesus wanted
us to live this life. so let’s really try.
Questions can help. I’ve shared that God "wired" our brains such
that if we ask, or hear a question, we HAVE TO ANSWER IT.
We can’t NOT ANSWER. Our brains, won’t let us. So, asking
negative questions, yields negative answers, "Why CAN’T I Lose
weight?" "Well," your brain will respond EVEN IF IT DOESN’T
KNOW THE ANSWER, "Because, uh, you’re big boned, a slob,
Italian, something, but it’s probably not your fault!"
We’ve been using questions, good positive questions to think
aboutand remove obstacles to this Abundant Life, the following are
really helpful:
Who does What, When, Why, Where, How, and How Long?
(Check out previous sermons in these areas)
The power of Who, the power of What, the power of When, the
power of Why, the power of Where, and today, the power of How!
INTRO: A famous story is told about Albert Einstein, how he
used to travel around lecturing. He didn’t like to do a lot of work, so
he prepared a single lecture, a "canned" lecture he used everywhere.
His chauffeur, after 20 or 30 times, told Mr. Einstein, he thought he
could give it. So Albert decided to have some fun and let him. The
chauffeur did pretty well, nearly perfect, until they came to
questions. One question was particularly difficult, to which the
man said, "Why that is so easy, even my chauffeur can answer it!"
And he let Mr. Einsein answer.
When it comes to this Abundant Life, many of us may think that
only a "rocket scientist" can do this thing.
Not! Everything you really need to know to live this life, you
already know, and everything you really need to do, you already
know how to do, to live the Abundant Life of Jesus.
Eph. 2:10, "You were created in Christ Jesus for a life of good
works which God has already prepared for you to do, that we should
walk in them."
God is saying, He’s already put it in us, we have to figure out HOW
to let it out.
Peter didn’t have to learn how to fish, or walk, he knew how to do
both; the miracle was how many fish he caught, and where he
walked (on water).
You probably ALREADY know everything YOU NEED to know,
and ALREADY know how to do everything you need to do in
order to live this life!
Anyone ever fish with a net. A round net. My uncle taught me how
to throw a round net; bite it in the center, hold it at 2 and 8 O’Clock
and kind of fling it out there. I can do that, if I went fishing, I
wouldn’t have to relearn that, I already know how.
Peter didn’t go to "fishing school, or walking school."
Peter already knew how to fish, Jesus didn’t teach him how to throw
the net, or pull it in. The miracle was how many fish wound up in
the net.
Neither did he learn how to walk, when he walked on water.
Walking was something he already knew and he was good at it, the
miracle was where he walked and not sinking.
Jehosaphat didn’t have to learn how to sing and praise the Lord, it
was something he was already good at; but, when in 2 Chr. 20, he
applies it TO THE HOPELESS SITUATION in which he is
confronted by 3 armies, it was the 3 armies who were defeated by
something Jehosaphat did, probably every day!
God takes ordinary things and makes them extraordinary and that’s
H O W God makes miracles happen.
So, we already know and can do everything we need to live this
abundant life!
Let’s dramatize the story of Jehosaphat for a minute. I need some
people to knock, Knocking, let me hear someone knock. (Rap, rap)
Is that the best you can do? You really don’t want to come in do
you (Bang, bang, bang!) In 2 Chr. 20, a knock comes, a servant
rushes in telling of an army coming and how we have no hope.
Another knock, another knock, 3 kings, 3 armies
(let the audience participate by knocking). the Amorites, Meunites,
and "Termites?"
Well, good king Jehosaphat knows what to do, he prays and
fasted, skipped the salad bar that night.
A prophet came in and said, "You’re not in trouble, THEY ARE!"
"You won’t even have to fight." "You do something you already
know how to do: Sing, praise the Lord and go for a walk!"
And the song was not: "No body knows the trouble I’ve seen."
No, it was joyul singing, IN THE FACE OF HOPELSSNESS,
they had to sing a JOYFUL SONG! And, the enemy fought
among themselves and when they were done, they were all dead.
That’s hard to do, how is it there wasn’t a man left? Amazing!
They all did what they knew how to do.
Let’s transfer this to the Fruit of the Spirit (GL. 5:22-23): Love, Joy,
Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Meekness and
Self-control.
God is the Sovereign God of Eternity and He was working in my
live, A L L of my life, putting into me the things I would need to
live the Abundant Life. He didn’t just show up in 1966 when I
asked Jesus to come into my heart, HE WAS ALWAYS THERE,
WORKING IN ME THAT WHICH IS WELL-PLEASING IN
HIS SIGHT!
Do you know how to be Loving? Joyful? Peaceful? Etc. Of course
you do, you learned it a long time ago. You also know how to be
Mean, Sad, Fearful, you learned that a long time ago.
Illus. A little girl just loved one of her elderly aunts. She told her
mom how much she loved her and, especially the wonderful smile
and pleasant lines she had in her face for everyone, she asked her
mother how she got to look so nice at her age. Her mother said,
pointing to the little girl, "Well, she started when she was YOUR
age."
If you’ve done any of the "Fruit of the Spirit, ever, even once, then
you know how; you just need to do it more consistently.
I met a pastor from Illinois, near Chicago, started a church and set
as his "thing," the MINISTRY OF JOY. Every service was a
joyful service and, he said, "We don’t sing any, ANY sad songs at
this church!" The whole church bought into it and they were
famous for NOT SINGING any sad songs. Now, they had
tragedies, deaths, losses and everything that happens to us,
happened to them. But, when they came to church, they made
themselves take the "Joyful Posure of God." Some days it was with
tears, but they did it.
One day, a baby died, a 2 year old girl. The parents wanted to
meet with the pastor to talk about the funeral. He figured and
thought, "Well one exception to the rule, I guess there’s no way
around singing sad songs in this situation."
But when the parents came, THEY requested that the service be
conducted in a Joyful manner. "I mean," the mother said, "our little
girl wasn’t supposed to even be born, then they said she’d die in a
few days, then weeks, and every day we had her was a gift and we
hjad over 700 gifts of days with her and WE DON’T WANT
ANY SAD SONGS! We actually have a request, a song you sing
in church sometimes about heaven, please sing, ’We will dance on
the streets that are golden!’"
Wow! I can do that, I already know how!
