Running Over, Abundant Life, And Warm Hearts are God’s Desire
Psalm 23:5,John 10:10, Luke 24:32
Psalm 23:5b…….My cup runneth over
John 10:10 the thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Luke 24: 32: And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scripture.
Have you ever been to a restaurant that had a buffet but no plates on the buffet. When you ordered the buffet the waitress brought you your plate. The only signs you see around the place just say Buffet so many $. Well you go and fix your plate and sit down, say your blessing. You begin to eat and the food is really good and you are really hungry so the plated goes pretty fast. Now the question has been in the back of your mind all the time , “Is this all you can eat or one trip only?”. Your plate is empty, you are still hungry, and you are not sure what to do. Then out of nowhere, but right on time, here comes your waitress with new plates and she says. “ The Buffet is all you can eat so eat all that you want”.
God intends for life to be that way. He has prepared the buffet of the blood of Jesus so that you and I can experience life instead of just living it. God knew that man would fall so he sent His only Son, Jesus, to be the sacrificial lamb for us. That redemption was for all men. God’s desire is for all to be saved in Rev 3:20 Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me.” We also read in John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world the He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. These scriptures along with many others tell us God’s heart toward man. He is the creator and He loves his creation. Speaking of creation let me break it down a little. Do you know you are special? YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND!!! Man is learning more in science every day and as they explore the human body they are finding some amazing things out, something that believers have known for years. God did not create any two humans alike. They say that everyone has a double. That is not true, there may be someone who looks like you but they are not your double for there is only one you. We have known for years that our fingerprints are different from anyone else’s now we are told that our specific DNA is different. Folks God’s word has told us many years ago that we are all different and what’s more it tells us that God knows every hair on our head(Matt 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.) With some of us there is less to know than others. Ha Ha! What I am trying to tell you while the blood of Christ was shed for all men, God had YOU and Me in mind when he set the plan of salvation in motion.
God’s desire is that all are saved and that all are filled with His Spirit. This is important, being filled with the spirit of God, for you see God’s Spirit is one of victory. His Spirit overcomes the world that man has created and brings new life to the person who believes in Him. I believe the scriptures that say when we accept Christ in our life we become “new Creatures” or as Jesus says, we are “born again”. This new creature we become is the result of he Holy Spirit living within us. It is our sacrificing self and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us through this life. I believe that God’s blessing is a continuous thing. In his book The Calvary Road Roy Hession pictures it as, “that of the human heart as a cup, which we hold out to Jesus, longing that He might fill it with the Water of Life. Jesus is pictured as bearing the golden water pot with the Water of Life. As He passes by he looked into our cup, and if it is clean, he fills it to overflowing with the Water of Life. And as Jesus is always passing by, the cup can always be overflowing with the Water of Life.” There are those whose cup is not filled in this picture it shows that the person whose cup is dirty is passed by. You are special to God and he wants you not only to have the promise of paradise when you finish this journey but he wants you to experience life to it’s fullest as you travel. To have this kind of life we must remove self from the cup so that there is room for God’s Spirit, we must cleanse our cups, and we must. bring our cups to Jesus
Daily.
I. We must bring our cups to Jesus
a. Notice in our illustration we are holding out the human heart to Jesus.
b. We must first receive Christ as our Lord and Savior
c. We must continuously come to Him for that abundant life
II. We must cleanse our cups
a. We must wash our cups in the blood of Jesus ( Romans 5:9 ..being now justified by His blood)
b. As we are told in I John chapter 1 confession, submitting the sin in our life is not just a one time thing but should be done constantly (8. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. And if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.)
c. a clean cup can be used. Illustrate sending cup back at a restaurant because it is dirty.)
III. We must remove self from the cup.
a. Before a vessel can be filled it must be clean and also it must be empty. (Illustrate: The purging of a propane tank)
b. Andrew Murray says, “Just as water ever seeks and fills the lowest place, so the moment God finds you abased and empty, His Glory and Power flow in.”
c. II. Corinthians 4:11 “ For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, and the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal life.
Lord, bend that proud and stiffnecked I,
Help me to bow the head and die;
Beholding Him on Calvary.
Who bowed His head for me
--From The Calvary Road---
By Roy Hession
IV.
Conclusion
The process of living is a daily thing, therefore coming to the fountain of life, needs to be a daily thing. I am not saying that you have to get saved everyday for that is impossible, salvation is a one-time thing, what I am saying to have the victorious, abundant life that God wants for you, you must spend time with Him on a continuous basis. Today will you commit as Joshua did, “ as for me,….I will serve the Lord. God loves you and as any father would for his child, God wants you to have the best. Will you come to the front this morning and commit yourself to follow Him?
