There is More Life

Series Recap

We have been on a series called “There is More” since the beginning of the year

As P. Christina stated when we kicked off the series, we are believing, as a congregation, that this year will be a year when we will experience all the more that God has for us.

The idea or thought that our God is an abundant God, should come to no surprise to anyone

God, Elohim, the Mighty One, the Supreme One, who created heaven and earth

God, who created you and I and every living being in the universe

Our God is without a doubt an abundant God

So far in the series we have explored all the more that God has for us:

more growth,

more provision,

more revival,

more faith,

more of his presence,

more hope

By now, you’re probably wondering when will this series end? Well it may last all year, because there is so much more of God to experience

Pause

All of us, I’m sure, want to experience the abundance of God in every way: More peace, more strength, more joy, more meaning.

We all want to live our best life. Who remembers that saying? “I’m living my best life”

— That statement usually accompanied a social media post with a picture of someone travelling the world, or enjoying a lavish activity of some sort — or simply living their life however they saw fit

We only have one life to live — and this one life that we have is a rare commodity

In fact, Scientist have calculated that the odds of you being born (point to audience members), to the parents you were born to, with the DNA structure that you have are: 1 in 400 trillion.

Well, are you living your best life?

Pause

ATTENTION GETTER

Steve Jobs was an American inventor and business tycoon who had a net worth of $10.2 billion at the time of his death in 2011.

Steve Jobs was known for being the co-founder and chief executive officer of the technology giant, Apple Inc.

From the outside looking in — you would think that he lived a rich and meaningful life — started from the bottom and made it all the way to the top, with money, success, prestige. All the things we dream of.

Surprisingly, on his death bed at the age of 56, he said,

“At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death …

You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you …

Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life.

So, I want to ask you again — Are you living your best life? Or are you waiting until you reach your deathbed to figure out if it was all meaningless?

• - Transition:

Life is a gift and the giver is God

Today I am here to tell you that There is More Life

Let us Pray

Context:

In John 10:1-18 we find a passage where Jesus shares a parable of sort / John calls it a figure of speech / an allegory of Jesus as the Good Shepherd

He depicts the Pharisees / Jewish leaders as sheep-stealers / false shepherds who had no thought for the well-being of the people — as they took advantage of them and their only intention being to kill and destroy

What they failed to do is precisely what Jesus as the good shepherd actually does for his people.

He gives them life, he gives them purpose.

He not only seeks and cares for his sheep, but he does what no other shepherd is called upon to do: he lays down his life for the sheep

And in the midst of this passage, Jesus makes a statement that I want us to focus on today

Main verse: John 10:10

John 10:10 “10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

By saying this, Jesus makes it clear to us, that not only does he want to give us life, but it is his will and desire that we have a life that is rich and meaningful in all of its abundance

And today I want us to look at that abundant life and how we can go about living

1. An Abundant Life is a New Life

The fist thing to note is that Jesus says, “I came that they may have life,” meaning that the life we currently have is not it!

It’s not enough — if it was, he wouldn’t have came to give us more life

There is no abundance, no meaning, no fulfillment, no life even, merely in the physical alone — Life in the physical is limited not abundant.

Eccl 1:14 “ 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.”

James 4:14 “14 What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

Regardless of what you accomplish, what you own, or who you are — you will find that in the end, those things, in and of themselves, are short-lived and will not bring fulfillment

Jail Illustration about waiting for commissary each week

But at the end of it all I was still in jail

We get a new job / We buy a house, a new car, a new degree — only to feel empty, once again after we get them

You will never have an abundant life, until you have a new life in Jesus Christ

If we want to experience the abundant life that Jesus is talking, then we need to go beyond the physical realm

John 3:5-7 “5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

The kingdom of God is not a far away place — it’s a realm, a domain, where God continuously dwells, a place where we can encounter his presence and find fulfillment and joy

It’s literally the difference between being in a jail cell — and being free

Ps 16:11 “11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

This is the realm of abundance

This is where everything we do, finds purpose, finds fulfilment, in this realm there is fulness of life

Transition: Unless we are born again, into this new life in the Spirit, we will never truly experience an abundant life

2. An Abundant Life is a Spiritual Life

This is where the abundance really begins — when we live according to our new spiritual life

It’s worth emphasizing that when Jesus says that he came that we may have life, “and have it abundantly” he is not talking about an abundance in material possessions.

In fact in Luke 12:15, in the Parable of the Rich Fool, Jesus warns us against this kind of thinking

Luke 12:15 “15 And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.””

An abundant life is not dependent on what we have or don’t have

The fulfillment that we are looking for in life, the joy, the peace, the sense of purpose and meaning in the things we do, is not external but internal

That means that the physical life we live on earth, the relationships we have, the activities we engage in, must all be lived in context of a higher spiritual life in order to find fulfillment.

Rom 8:5-6 “5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

What is mind set on today?

The way that Pastor and Author Tony Evans describes this is that, “The spiritual man has reached the point where he consistently, although not perfectly, appraises, evaluates, or examines things from God’s perspective”

Going to see a 3D movie without 3D glasses — I forgot to pick up the glasses

Once I put those glasses everything came alive

You can buy a ticket, sit in the theater, hear the sounds, and even see the screen, but until you put on those glasses that movie will not come alive — and you will not get the full experience

If you live your life without a spiritual perspective — it’s only a matter of time before you realize, you are not getting the full experience

Is your spiritual life a factor in your daily life? Is the Holy Spirit an influence on your decisions, your actions, your desires?

When you seek a job through the spirit, you don’t just get a job, you find purpose

When you seek a marriage through the spirit, you don’t just get a spouse you get a love like no other, one that mirrors the love betwen Christ and the Church

When you ask God for anything in prayer through the spirit, you don’t just get a reply, you get understanding of his perfect will for you

Transition: An abundant life can only be experienced through a spiritual life — And unlike our physical life here on earth, our spiritual life holds an eternal promise

3. An Abundant Life is an Eternal Life

When we think of eternal life, we often focus on the eternity part

But in reality Eternal life has more to do with the quality of life than the quantity of life

According to the Bible, everyone has an endless duration of life, either in the blessing of God’s presence or in the damnation of God’s absence

Dan 12:2 “2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

John 5:28-29 “28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”

Eternity is not something that begins after you die physically — its already begun

And the only thing that differentiates whether or not you’re living an eternal life, is whether or not you know God.

Jesus says in John 17:3 “3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Eternal life is not about living forever, as much as it is about knowing God, right now! And having a relationship with God

Some believers treat eternal life like a retirement plan or a 401K, they make deposits in it regularly, and invest in it in various ways, but they think they have to wait a certain time to enjoy its benefits

That’s not how eternal life works — The promise of an abundant life, and living in the fullness of the Spirit is to be experienced right now where we are, as well as throughout eternity

Review

Are you living in the abundance of a new life in Christ?

Are you living the abundant life that can only be experienced in the Spirit?

Are you living an eternal life of spiritual abundance right now in a close relationship with God?

Gospel

Going back to what Steve Jobs said on his death bed — That there is no one that will bear sickness for you, or that life once lost cannot be found — I’m here to tell you that there is such a person

John 10:11 “11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Not only will Jesus bear your sickness for you, but he has died for you so you that you may live eternally with him

Prayer

Dear God,

I admit that I’m a sinner,

and I ask for your forgiveness.

I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son.

I believe that He died for my sin

and that you raised Him to life.

From this day forward.

I want to trust Him as my Savior

and follow Him as Lord,

Guide my life

and help me to do your will.

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

Amen.