Into Abundant Life

Prayer

Moving into Abundant Life

In the enewsletter that I sent out on Thursday, I included a video of a woman by the name of Adrienne Johnson telling her story of how she came to faith in Jesus Christ, why she is no longer an atheist.

It’s a remarkable story - because it came from someone you’d never suspect would be a follower of Jesus. Adrienne grew up in a thoroughly secular home, had little exposure to religion of any sort. In high school, as she began to seek out what she thought would satisfy her heart, she turned to drinking, drugs, piercings, and being sexual.

That longing for something to fill the void continued through college and even afterwards. She got married, thinking that this man would make her whole and make her happy. But it didn’t. So she looked to other relationships, being unfaithful, which led to divorce - and her hitting rock-bottom, going through years of medication and therapy, engulfed in self-pity of how hard her life was.

Until she realized the one thing she hadn’t done was take responsibility and that if things were going to change she needed to do something different. So she got involved in an addiction recovery program and that led her to beginnings of what she describes as a painful spiritual transformation as she began to open up to the possibility that maybe there’s something to this God thing.

It turns that going with a friend to see theatrical production of C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters - which she had no idea what it was about and in her words, blew her away - was the thing that compelled her to take Christianity seriously. Not just some vague spirituality, but Jesus himself - which, as a former atheist, was a huge leap. Then one day she woke up and realized that somewhere along the line, she had become a Christian.

There’s so much more to her story: how she met her now husband, the children God blessed them with, making amends with her ex-husband. What’s so fun about her story is to watch her face light up as she talks about what her life is now like with Jesus: “I wake up every day grateful for my life. I was so desperate. I have a wonderful life but it’s not because I did anything - it’s because I was willing.”

When we talk about abundant life, this is what we’re talking about. As Adrienne says, “I am satisfied in God unlike anything else in this whole world.” What a great testimony from someone who’d been spending their whole life in destructive patterns because she was so desperately searching to satisfy the longings in her heart. Until she finally found full forever life in Jesus.

This is what we want to be about, what we say we’re about: to help lead others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ. Question is - are we actually doing what we say we’re about?

This is purpose of having of our measurements - hold ourselves accountable to doing exactly this. Just as a reminder, this is all a part of our Vision Framework, helping to guide us into our vision of moving into the abundant life of Jesus. Throughout the season of Advent, we’ve been making our way through the Measurements:

We began with our first measurement: Having a mind captivated by the reality of God and his kingdom

Next was: Heart formed toward loving God and toward loving others.

Last Sunday: Authentic loving relationships with one another (by way, we put that into practice with what I thought was a wonderful Christmas dinner celebration last Sunday that evening, I came home grateful to God for these relationships).

Today, actively leading others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ.

How amazing the idea of sharing in this work, to see lives changed for the good, to be a part of someone - like Adrienne Johnson - moving from despair, brokenness, addiction, lack of direction or purpose, whatever the case may be - to lead them towards healing, hope, wholeness, a full heart, joy…the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ!

So the question is, how do we move to become a church that really does this - so we can look at the measurement and say, it’s happening here, and we can point to specific examples. So in our time together this morning, I want to do two things:

Paint a picture of abundant life

Then talk a bit about some of the things we can do to move toward being those who are actually leading others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ.

Picture of Abundant Life: Acts 5:17-33 (pay attention to the differences in the two groups here, the apostles and the Sanhedrin, Jewish leaders).

Paragraph before describes the amazing things happening through the apostles - would gather in the temple area, proclaiming good news, more and more people were coming to faith in Jesus, sick and demon-possessed being brought to them, all of whom were being healed…and here’s where we pick up the story:

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. 27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

I want us to consider the Sanhedrin for a few moments, what we learn about them in this passage. Sanhedrin was the ruling council of the Jews, elders of Israel. They were the elite of the elite, respected, wealthy, they had power, influence…and yet...

They see what’s happening with apostles and this growing fledgling movement - and what’s their response? They are filled with jealousy. Someone else is growing in influence and they feel threatened.

What does these jealousy move them to do? Abuse their power, they have no basis but they go ahead and arrest the apostles and throw them in jail. Because they are jealous and they want to squelch what’s happening with the apostles.

After the amazing miracle - the apostles being freed in the middle of the night by an angel, and in response to his command, go right back out proclaiming the good news! Again, they are brought in to face the Sanhedrin who once again start trying to bully them into doing what they want - which is to quit doing what they’re doing.

Notice what they say, “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Sanhedrin stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the role they played in Jesus’ being crucified, how they orchestrated whole thing. Filled with pride, self-righteousness, they vehemently claim their innocence.

Finally, at very end - after the apostles declare their intention to ignore their commands and obey God instead, they are filled with rage: they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

Just in this one story, look at all things we can see in members of Sanhedrin: jealousy, abusive behavior, stubborn pride, and murderous rage.

Contrast that with the apostles - they don’t have wealth, no earthly power or influence, just common working class people, uneducated - and yet...

They live in this profound freedom - willingness to endure hardship. They’re arrested, thrown in jail - and as soon as they are freed by the angel, what do they do? Go right back out and continue talking about Jesus.

They have such a clear sense of who they are - of whose they are, they know they belong to God. They know what they are about, absolute willingness to obey God over whatever else anyone wants them to do - even under very real threat.

In spite of the jealousy and abuse and anger of the Sanhedrin, they never respond in like manner, there’s no sense of bitterness and desire for vengeance or malice towards the Jewish leaders on behalf of apostles, in spite of how they are mistreated.

Such a clear distinction, Sanhedrin - and what it looks like to live in ways of death, versus the apostles, and this beautiful picture of abundant life. It’s abundant life that I hope and pray we are experiencing more and more, because that’s really first aspect of being those who are actively leading others towards Jesus and the life he came to give.

Being those who actively lead others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus

Begins with our experience - are we moving more fully into the abundant life that Jesus came to give?

Which is, put another way, moving more deeply into life in and with Jesus. Because Jesus is the life. John 14:6, “I myself am the Way and the Truth and the Life.”

It’s the abundant life found in the freedom of not having to have things my own way (I’m sure if apostles had their preference, they would not have wanted to be arrested and beaten and thrown in jail). Freedom to let go, let be - because of confidence in Jesus, he is Lord, reigns over all things. I don’t have to get frustrated with others, because they are not behaving the way I think they should, I don’t have to hang on to anger or resentment, make sure that the person who wounded me “gets what’s coming to them.” I can be free from those ways of death.

Another way we experience abundant life in Jesus: John Ortberg uses phrase “impression management.” Work to manage others’ impression of me - to make sure they think I’m a good person, or responsible or thoughtful or clever or whatever the case my be. When I pursue life in Jesus, I’m free to give that up, I can live freely in confidence of his absolute love and embrace of who I am.

Life in Jesus is life in grace, I can let go of pride, need to be right, compulsion to feel justified in my actions because I’m forgiven in Jesus. No condemnation.

I can live in greater joy as I take delight in all the blessings God pours into our lives. Because I recognize that they are all his gifts, gifts of a loving Father, provided for his children. This is abundant life.

Consider Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28-30...“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Isn’t it interesting how well Jesus knows us - knows our weariness, knows we feel stressed out and overwhelmed, weighed down?

This is an invitation from Jesus to abundant life - I will give you rest. I’m gentle and easy and I will give your soul rest. Those burdens will be lifted.

But, you must hitch your life to me, to my teachings. Take my yoke upon you - you’re living under another yoke (impression management, yoke of my own desires for personal happiness, belief that I have to take care of everything) and it’s crushing you. But I life I can give you is full of rest, it has an ease about it, a lightness.

To be people who know peace…joy (delight of the heart)…humility of heart, willingness to serve (Philip Yancey’s observation that the happiest people he knows are those living a life of service to others).

Friday evening Wendy and I went to the Behold the Lamb concert - it was unlike any concert I’d ever been to. Started just sitting around stage in a semi-circle, each of the artists singing one of their songs. Second half was “Behold the Lamb” part, songs that told story of the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God. As wonderful as the music was, I was drawn to the artists, I’d love to be friends with these people: most of them had been friends for years, easy affection among them, genuine compliments and recognition, sang songs that were light-hearted and humorous, then thoughtful and moving, expressed their faith in beautiful ways…I realized that I was drawn to them because fullness of life in Jesus that I saw in them.

This measurement begins with our own experience of life in Jesus, but our goal is to be those who are actively leading others into abundant life - that happens in two ways, both are necessary.

Gospel is taught. Gospel is good news, it is a verbal proclamation. We want to help others know how to yoke their lives to Jesus as well. Which means, of course, that we must know how to do this ourselves.

Gospel is not only taught, it’s caught. People experience the good news as they experience us (like I did at that concert). Which means that there must be something distinctly different about our lives (living abundant life - see peace of Christ in us, our quiet confidence, lack of anxiety, genuine joy (not pasting smiles on our faces), servant’s heart.

This is what it means to be salt of the earth, light of the world. And as Rebecca Manley Pippert writes, we must get out of the saltshaker, or, as Jesus says, light on a hill cannot be hidden. You don’t cover the light, you let it shine.

Which means we must be relationally engaged with others. We’ve got to be close enough, connected enough with others for gospel to catch - no social distancing!

And this brings us to our Soul-training exercises. Because what I’m trying to do with this every week is teach you how to yoke your life with Jesus. To teach you how to experience life in Jesus - so that you can teach others how (Gospel is taught), and so that we will grow more fully into abundant life of Jesus, people will difference in us (Gospel is caught).

So, today, instead of offering a specific soul-training exercise toward that end, I want you talk about what it looks like to develop your own Rule of Life - every book I’ve read on Spiritual Formation, on Spiritual Disciplines, speaks to developing a rule of life. What the heck do I mean by a “rule of life”?

Root of “rule” means trestle. Idea of forming a trestle, a framework, for spiritual fruit to develop in your life (picture grapevines growing on a trestle).

Critical question to ask is how do I structure habits in my life so that it is centered on Jesus, becoming more and more a person whose heart is formed toward loving him and loving others.

Involves totality of your life, because we are full people: physical, spiritual, relational, emotional. The goal is to find a set of practices that work for you where you are in this stage of life.

Example of my own: Verses I pray first thing when I wake up. Morning, 10 minutes of silence & reading of Scripture. Goal of keeping Sabbath, of having fasting times from my cell phone. Physical exercise goals. Recreation / leisure. Relational - marriage, spiritual friendships. Ministry - where I serve. Spend time over Christmas holidays cultivating your own (I’ll send you materials).

Gospel Intentionality - relational connections, lived with gospel intentionality (where God has already placed you). Pray for your co-workers. Take prayer walks around your neighborhood. Pray as you drive in and out of the church neighborhood.

Inspiration - I want to bring us back to our story from Acts, the apostles and the Sanhedrin who were, as you recall, “furious and wanted to put them to death.” One of the elders, Gamaliel, spoke against that idea, essentially saying that if it wasn’t of God, it would fade away, and if it was of God, then they’d never win, as they’d be fighting against God himself. Tell very ending of story:

Acts 5:40-42...His (Gamaliel’s) speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

True to the end - so revealing of their hearts, the Sanhedrin just had to get their last shot in, flogging them and ordering them not to speak in the name of Jesus before letting them go.

But what’s even more revealing is response of the apostles, who’ve just been flogged. Beaten. Tortured. And how do they leave? Rejoicing. Celebrating. How is that even possible? How in the world could anyone rejoice in the fact that they’d just been beaten unjustly (or justly, for that matter)? And not just rejoicing, but willing and eager to go right back out and keep doing exactly what you’d been punished for?

Only if you knew you had something greater. If you knew source of life and joy and peace and goodness, if you knew Jesus, and it was all for him. And you so longed for others - like Adrienne Johnson - to know that life as well, that you never stopped helping to lead others into the abundant life that comes through Jesus Christ.