QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Part 4: Now What?
- John 10:7-10
In the past three weeks we have covered 3 related topics. First, we looked at evidence for the existence of God. 2nd, we looked at evidence showing that we are worshipping the right God. That’s important. Last week, we looked at what the Bible says is evidence of your salvation. Now, if you get all that right; if you’re convinced there is God, if you worshipping the right god and if He is the Lord of your life, now what? What next?
According to verse 10, in the passage we just read, you and I are supposed to be enjoying abundant living. Not just life, not just eternal life in the sweet by-and-by, but abundant, joyful living right here and right now.
Let me ask you this morning, does that describe your life? Can you, in all honesty, say that you are living an abundant, joy-filled life? Why not?
** Ask - How many of you are not originally from Florida?
** Ask - How many of you ever took a Florida vacation before you finally moved here?
Picture this. The Florida advertising council times things just right. In the middle of a northern snowstorm, when the skies have been overcast for months, the kids have been home for days because of snow days, and the streets are covered with ice; you see an advertisement on TV showing the Florida beaches. People are walking around in bathing suits in February. You see palm trees and people walking through Disney World under bright, sun lit skies. You and your spouse look at each other and in an instant you both decide; next year, we’re going to Disney.
You tell your kids and they are excited. For a whole year you save your vacation time and your money. You get Disney brochures for the park. You work overtime whenever you can and set that money aside for the trip. You don’t have a lot of money, but your children are big Disney fans, you’ve heard all about the park from people who’ve been there before, and you can hardly wait. You’re going to enjoy yourself.
Finally, the day comes. You and your family head to the airport. Your plane is delayed, but you don’t care, as long as you get to Disney. You fly to Orlando. You rent a car and drive to the least expensive motel you could find. You don’t have a whole bunch of money and you want to enjoy everything you can in the park, so you’re frugal.
Finally, the morning arrives. You drive your rental car from the motel to Disney, where you pay to park it. You ride a tram from the parking lot to the ticket windows and purchase your tickets. For a moment you stand around and argue about whether to take monorail or the paddle boat but finally decide on the monorail, because you can see more.
You get on the monorail, and ride through the motel. You see the shrubs pruned to look like animals. You see the boats crossing the lake. In the distance, you see Cinderella’s castle. Finally, you get to the other side pass through the gates you’ve dreamed of entering, and sit down on a bench.
All day long you sit on that bench, never passing through Cinderella’s castle. You never ride a ride. You never watch a parade. From time-to-time you hear some music from inside. From time-to-time, as people pass, you hear them talking about how great the park is and how much they enjoyed the rides and the show, but you continue to sit on your bench. You’re disappointed. Disney didn’t turn out to be all you thought it would be.
Let me tell you my friend, some of you are sitting on a bench this morning. Some of you have been sitting there for a long time. Your background was cloudy. You heard from your Christian friends, about how great it was to be a Christian and about the joy they experienced. Every once in a while you might even hear some music in the background, but this Christianity stuff just isn’t everything you thought it was going to be. You feel that God has let you down and this coming every week, and putting money in the offering plate, and then working in the church or VBS or something on top of it all? Well, this Christianity stuff costs too much for what you’re getting out of it.
Now, this morning, the preacher says you’re supposed to be living abundantly. That’s certainly not what you’ve experienced and you can’t understand why.
Let me tell you my friend, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior; the Creator of the Universe, the One Who left heaven & came and died for you and me; He said He came to give you and me abundant life and if that’s not what you’re experiencing this morning, then something’s wrong.
And just like the people who went to Disney and were disappointed, I believe there are several reasons you might be missing abundant living.
I. LOW EXPECTATIONS
Think of our family at Disney. After all of their planning, after their journey south, they finally make it to the magic kingdom, and as they finally walk in the gate, they encounter a lot of other tourists who are sitting on benches just inside the gate. Those tourists tell them, “Yeah, we’ve heard about all the rides and stuff here, but the castle is all we’ve seen. My parents came here right after the place opened in the 70’s. That’s them over there. They’re convinced that this is all there is to the kingdom as well. A little music during the day and some fireworks at night, that’s about it.”
Some of you are like that. When you accepted Christ, you had high hopes, and great expectations, but somehow, perhaps because of some luke-warm, half-hearted, powerless Christians you met after you became a Christian, you’ve lowered your expectations as well. This Christianity stuff, I hope it’s good in heaven, but I don’t think it’s much help here.
- John 14:12-14
- Galatians 5:22-23
My friend, does that sound like wimpy, 1/2 defeated, luke-warm living to you?
You’ve got to raise your expectations. Spend time in your Bible and read the many promises there, for the person who knows and loves God. Don’t lower your expectations, raise them.
II. EARTHLY ATTACHMENTS
Some people are missing out on abundant living, because of their earthly attachments. Think of our family at Disney again. They’ve made the trip, done everything, and finally gotten into the park; but, they stop before passing Cinderella’s castle because they’re worried about the car in the parking lot. They really like that car and they’re afraid someone will steal it, or that they’ll lose it in some way, so they spend the day riding from one side of the lake to the other, looking over the wall at the car.
Is that stupid or what? If you remember, they rented that car when the got to Orlando. It’s not theirs and they won’t be able to take it with them when they go home, but they continue to worry about it.
Let me tell you my friends, some of you, I believe, are missing out on abundant living because you’re so worried about the stuff in the parking lot that you can’t enjoy the kingdom. You spend so much time worrying about stuff, a bigger this and a newer that, and one of these and one of those, that you never get to enjoy the kingdom. You never get to enjoy abundant living. And sadly, the stuff you worry about, just like that car in the parking lot, doesn’t really belong to you anyway. You can’t take it with you. But, you waste the day, you waste your life, running back to the parking lot, checking on your stuff, or even at the gift shops as you enter the park, buying more stuff, so you’re carrying so much stuff you can’t enjoy the park.
Listen to what Jesus says,
- Matthew 6:19-21
Don’t let a rental car, don’t let toys and souvenirs ruin your trip. Jesus says, Seek God first & then He’ll take care of all the other things.
III. PLAIN DISBELIEF
Some people miss out on abundant living because of their low expectations. Some miss out on abundant living because of earthly attachments. Sadly, some people miss out on abundant living because of Plain Disbelief.
Return to our family again. They’ve made the trip, they’re in the park, but as they enter the gates they look at the map and the brochure they were given when they entered and say, “It can’t be. There can not be all of this stuff here. There can not be all of the rides they show on here,” so they sit down in front of the castle because they don’t believe what they read. “I know they want us to pass through the castle so we’ll miss hearing the occasional music, and so we’ll miss seeing the fireworks tonight.” So, they sit and stay.
I am afraid that some of you are missing out on abundant living for the same reason. Plain disbelief. God says, “Don’t commit adultery. Run from it. It will ruin your life,” but you think, “He’s just trying to keep me from enjoying myself.” God says, “Bring your tithe into the store house and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that you won’t be able to believe it,” but you think, “He’s just after my money.” God says through the Bible, His Brochure on Abundant Living, “Turn the other cheek, forgive those who hurt you,” and you think, “I know better than that.” So you miss out on the abundant life.
It amazes me, the number of people who will follow the directions in the brochure in order to get to the kingdom, but who don’t believe it when they get there.
My friend, don’t let your disbelief and disobedience rob you of a life better than any you’ve ever imagined.
> 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Some miss the abundant life because of low expectations, some miss it because of earthly attachments and others because of Plain Disbelief. Lastly, some miss the abundant life because of simple laziness.
IV. SIMPLE LAZINESS
Go back to our family again. They’ve made the trip, they’ve made it inside the gates, and now, they sit down before even passing through Cinderella’s castle because they want someone to come and carry them through the park. They want someone to give them a lift from ride to ride. “We’ve made it this far, and now you want us to walk too? That’s too much. You ought to give us a lift from ride to ride.”
My friends, you don’t enter the magic kingdom and get a lift from ride to ride and you don’t enter God’s Kingdom and automatically set into abundant living. Listen to Jesus:
> Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it”.
My friends, abundant living requires work. There are things to learn, things to run from, and things to embrace. Abundant living doesn’t come through osmosis, it comes through obedient and consistent living.
Jesus says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added unto you.” And you know the scariest part of the whole thing? Often, what the parents experience limits what the children experience as well. If the parents decide to sit down inside the gate, that often ruins the trip for their children as well. ...
