Sermon: "The Abundant Life"
How do you determine if something is alive or not? For instance, have you ever come across something lying on the ground…an insect, an reptile, maybe a bird and asked yourself: “Is this thing alive?” How do you determine if something is alive or not?
Back in the late 80’s I was working in a mall down in Manassas Virginia. Karen and I were married less than a year, and one afternoon she was in the mall and stopped by the store to say “Hi”.
She was sitting on one side of the counter and I was sitting on the opposite side when all of the sudden a bat flew into the store and landed out of my line of vision, but I knew it landed somewhere down near Karen’s feet.
I had to think fast, and so I said to Karen, “I need you to listen to me and do exactly what I say…I need you to get up and walk over to this side of the store.”
Because we were newlyweds Karen was still in the habit of doing exactly what I said, and it was only after I got her over and away from the bat that I told her what was going on. I didn’t want to take a chance that she’d have a heart attack or panic and make some sudden move – or sound – that would “excite” the bat and get flying around the store.
Well, at this point Karen was out of harms way, but there’s more to the story…as I was explaining to Karen what had happened and why I had her move so suddenly, the bat flew out of the store and across the mall and settled down near the entrance of another store.
Just about that time a group of little old ladies came along and one of them – I suppose thinking it was a dead bird – reached in her purse, pulled out a tissue and proceeded to stoop over to pick it up.
I bolted out of the store, calling out to her and telling her that she might want to reconsider what she was about to do.
My point is, that sometimes we find ourselves having to determine if something is alive, because if it is, it might change the way we do things.
Now for those of you that know Pastor Ray, you know that he is very smart, much smarter than I am for instance. And Ray remembers from his 10th grade biology class that “something is alive if it breathes, moves and can reproduce.”
I can’t remember who my 10th grade biology teacher was, let alone remember the definition of life. But Ray doesn’t stop there, because he says that in geology class he learned that some forms of granite rock are said to be alive, but they don’t breathe or move or reproduce. And so the original definition doesn’t always hold true.
And in physics class he learned that some electrical lines are very much alive, but Ray also said that the only thing that moves is you if you happen to grab hold of a live wire with your bare hands.
So how do you determine is something is alive, or “has life”? Maybe the question isn’t as simple as it might seem.
You know, Jesus raised the issue of “having life” when He spoke these words…
John 10:6 “The thief comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
The King James Version translates it this way…”and have it (life) more abundantly.”
So according to Jesus there is “life”, but there is something more, something that Jesus defines as an “abundant life”.
What is “abundant life?’ And how do you determine if someone has it…and more importantly, how do you determine if you have it?
What is the abundant life anyway? Is it having most of the possessions you could hope for…its it being able to vacation wherever you want to, with money being no object…is it having your team be in first place?
What does it take for you to say, “I’ve got life, and I’ve got it to the full.”
Well, let’s explore by looking at this story, this parable that Jesus tells as a way to introduce us to this abundant life that He’s talking about. This parable revolves around Jesus of course, who in this parable is seen as…
I. “THE GATE” AND “THE SHEPHERD”
Let’s make sure we understand what’s happening before we actually read this passage of Scripture.
There were, back in Jesus day, religious leaders – Pharisees and Priests – who were given the responsibility of caring for and looking out for the spiritual condition of the people. Instead they were only looking out for themselves, taking advantage of the people and doing nothing to help the spiritual development of the people. When Jesus refers to “thieves and robbers” in this passage, many believe He’s talking about the religious leaders.
In this same passage, Jesus calls Himself “The Good Shepherd” and He also refers to Himself as “a gate” that serves as a way into this sheep pen.
Finally, in this passage are ordinary people like you and me, whom Jesus refers to as “sheep.”
With all that in mind, let’s read this passage from John chapter 10, starting with verse 7.
John 10:7-11 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:7-11
Remember that the religious leaders were responsible for helping with the spiritual growth of God’s people.
Jesus is letting the people know that He has something to offer them that is far different than what they’ve been getting…He is offering them life, and not only life, but abundant life. And this is not something the people would have said they had.
The question is, what exactly is Jesus promising the people who follow him? What is this abundant life He speaks of. And do you and I, as followers of Jesus have it?
Is this abundant life that Jesus speaks of a life of material blessings, good health and things just going our way in general?
I suspect that most of us have said or thought something like this somewhere along the line of life…”If I just had this…I would have all I need.”
When we were in school, all we needed was to have this girl as our girlfriend or this guy as our boyfriend…we thought if we had this person then we would have all we need.
And then it develops into… “If I had a wife like that…or a husband like that…if I only had children like them…If I only had my own home…If I only had a bigger, nicer, newer home…if only, if only, if only…then I would have all that I need…and I would have life to the full.”
Do you think this is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly?”
Well, let’s talk about…
II. What Abundant Life is Not
There are some things we can eliminate pretty quickly when we’re talking about “life to the full.” We can be pretty sure that Jesus isn’t talking about…
Physical Security
…as in a safe and long and healthy life.
Later on, Jesus would speak these words to His disciples in regards to what to expect in the future…
John 16:2 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
Jesus was telling His followers that they had better be prepared to undergo hardship…even going so far as to experience physical abuse to the point of death.
So we can be fairly certain that the abundant life that Jesus speak of does not include physical security.
We can also be pretty sure that Jesus isn’t talking about…
An Abundance of Money or “Things”
.
Why do we want more money? Why would you like to have more money? What’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Isn’t it: What you could do with that money to help you obtain more things…to allow you to do more things?
It’s where we’re at as a culture. Some of the most popular TV shows in our culture are about people winning lots and lots of money.
"Who wants to be a Millionaire?" "Deal or no Deal", "Wheel of Fortune." Look at how many people play the lottery in hopes they can quit their job, and buy lots and lots of things.
And because Christians tend to conform to the pattern of this world, many Believers fall into this same type of mindset.
And if we were honest, we’ll all admit we have thoughts like these…at least I know I have at various stages of my life…
“If I just made a little more money, life sure would be easier…and I’d probably be happier.”
Have you ever seen or read about somebody who won a ton of money and think…”Boy, that would be great if that would happen to me….I’d be set.”
All of this type of thinking comes from a belief that having life to the full is about an abundance of money or an abundance of possessions.
Jesus tells a very hard parable in Luke 12:15-21 to do away with any notion that the abundant life has to do with the abundance of things.
Luke 12:15-21 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
So when Jesus is talking about the abundant life, don’t make the mistake of thinking that He’s talking about an abundance of money or an abundance of things.
And He isn’t talking about…
Peaceful Relationships With All People
The reason I say this is because people are people, many different personalities, opinions, convictions, viewpoints.
Relationships, including relationships that we read about in the Bible are in a continual state of flux, sometimes good, sometimes not so good.
David wrote many of the Psalms, including Psalm 41 where he talked about his experience with other people..
Psalm 41:7-9 All my enemies whisper together against me; they imagine the worst for me, saying, "A vile disease has beset him; he will never get up from the place where he lies." Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.
David did not find 'life to the full' when it came to his relationships with people. He had enemies, and he even had friends who turned against him.
Isn’t the same true for us today? Our relationships with people will get strained or broken, sometimes beyond our ability to restore, no matter how hard we try.
We might find ourselves thinking..”If I could only get this person to love me…or that person to reconcile with me ( a parent, a child, a sibling)…then life would be good, life would be full.”
Don’t get me wrong, reconciliation is a good thing, a very good thing and is something we should work towards to the best of our ability. But even this is not the abundant life Jesus is offering.
So what do we know about this abundant life..from an overview of the scriptures we see that Jesus is not talking about physical security or an abundance of money or things or even peaceful relationships with all other people.
We know what the abundant life is not, so let’s close by exploring what the abundant life truly is.
III. The Abundant Life
Let’s go back and read again what Jesus said in verse 9 of our main scripture passage. Jesus said…
John 10:9 “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”
First of all, Jesus is offering:
Eternal Life
This is different than the physical security we talked about earlier…here we are talking about eternal spiritual life. It comes about for those who are, what Jesus calls “saved.”
You don’t want to take this point lightly, because anyone who does not have this eternal life that Jesus is talking about is on the road to eternal death…an eternity in Hell.
Jesus said…
Matthew 16:26 “What good does it do to gain the whole world and yet lose your soul?"
Let’s be sure that everyone in here knows what you must do in order to be saved and to receive eternal life.
You are not saved by saying the sinner’s prayer and then heading out of the church or your house and continuing to live life on your own.
You are saved by acknowledging that you are separated from God because of your sin…repenting - that is turning from your sin - and turning to Jesus…turning your life over to Jesus.
It doesn’t mean you never sin again, it’s just that you view sin in a much different way than you ever did before
God’s Word says…
II Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…
It’s that Godly sorrow that people struggle with…the understanding and acknowledgment of their sin and what an offense it is to God. Saying or reciting a prayer is easy, but turning from your sin and turning your life over to Jesus….well, that’s a different matter. And it’s where many fail. But it’s the only way to be saved and find eternal life, which is one component of the abundant life that Jesus is talking about.
But not the only component, because Jesus also shows other aspects of the abundant life that is very real right now for those who follow Him.
In His parable, when Jesus says, “He will come in and go out,” he is giving an illustration of…
- Freedom From Sin
Back in the day, sheep would be confined to the sheep pen for safety and would stay in the pen out of fear. But in His parable Jesus lays out a picture of sheep with unusual freedom.
These sheep have the freedom to come and go…and rather than living in fear, these sheep feel safe and secure.
Paul does a nice job of describing the freedom that followers of Jesus have when he wrote…
Romans 6:17-18, 22. Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. (You turned your life over to Jesus.) You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
There’s that eternal life again, but before that there is this incredible freedom from sin that the follower of Jesus gets to experience. This freedom from sin is characteristic of the abundant life. Freedom from sin means freedom from the guilt that comes from our willful sin.
There is no feeling in the world like the feeling of innocence, knowing that we have turned our life over to Jesus and have been declared not guilty of any and all sin. The writer of Hebrews encourages every Believer to do this…
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.
So as Believers we are free from guilt because we have drawn near to God, and we have been freed from the grasp of sin, the chains of sin, the power of sin.
Because we have turned to Jesus, He has come and lives in us through the person of the Holy Spirit and provides the power we need – and never had on our own – to be free from the power of sin.
That is abundant life…freedom from sin is life to the full.
The abundant life is eternal life, it’s freedom from sin, it’s…
Contentment and Peace
In His parable Jesus also promises that his sheep will “find pasture” implying that we will experience peace and contentment in our lives.
Again Paul said it well in his letter to the church in Philippi…
Philippians 4:11-12 I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
If you sit here this morning and can say you’re content with your situation in life…isn’t that a great feeling?
Content with what you make, content with how you look, content with your spouse, no grudges, no bitterness, no envy.
Contentment is truly a characteristic of the abundant life. Closely related to a life of contentment is a life of peace.
Many of you have told us as Pastors how - before surgeries - you can sense God's peace..His special peace that Jesus promises to His followers.
Another thing that characterizes the abundant life is…
D. Jesus’ Presence And Direction
Before Jesus explained the meaning of the parable that we read in John chapter 10, He spoke these words.…
John 10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
We face many decisions every day. Some decisions are not very important. What shirt should I wear?
Other decisions have monumental implications. Should I date this person, marry this person, take this job, buy this car, this house?
How do we decide what to do?
Jesus says, "I will go before you and show you the way and you will follow me because you know my voice."
Two weeks ago we talked about the importance of hearing His voice over all the static in this world..and once we do, we need to work at maintaining a healthy relationship with Him so we can not just hear Him knocking, but hear Him directing us and showing us the way.
The prophet Isaiah wrote a verse which can be a great comfort to all Believers as they face and make decisions.
Isaiah 30: 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, this is the way walk in it.
What a great thing it is to have such a close and meaningful and healthy relationship with Jesus that we can hear His voice saying, “This is the way.”
Hearing that voice is characteristic of the abundant life.
So what do we know about the abundant life that Jesus speaks about in John, chapter 10.
We know that it’s not…
Physical Security
The Abundance of Money or the Abundance of Things
Peaceful Relationships With All People
What the Abundant Life consist of is…
Eternal Life
Freedom from the guilt and power of sin
Contentment and Peace
Jesus’ Presence and Direction
I began this morning by asking you how you determine if something has life. I’d like for you to look at this list and determine if you have the abundant life that Jesus promises to all Believers.
If you have it, great! Enjoy and maintain your relationship with Jesus.
If you don’t…and you’re a Believer, you’re really missing out on the real thing. Be sure you’re turned in Jesus direction and not the direction of this world. Continue to be a living sacrifice by making time each day to read what He says in His word, listen to what He says as you talk with Him…you’ll get there. You’ll find the abundant life that Jesus speaks of, and wonder how you ever lived without it.