Abundant Life Is A Yielded Life
Notes
Transcript
If I were to ask the question, “What are some things people would like to change in their life?”, I would get a lot of different answers.
Wish they had done some things different. Regrets over things they wish they had done and now are to old to do them. Made some better choices, etc…
But if I were to ask the Christian the same question, I believe we would have some of the same answers, but I also believe there would be another answer added to it.
“I wish I knew how to live a deeper more fulfilling life in Christ.”
All believers have eternal life, but not all believers have “Abundant Life!” We are living beneath our privilege if we are believers and not enjoying the abundant life in Christ that He offers to each of his children!
For life to be abundant, it must have abundant resources, and the only unlimited source of life is found in Christ alone. To possess the unlimited resources of Christ, Jesus says that we must abide in Him.
John 15:4–5 (NKJV)
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
To live the Abundant Life is to live in the fullness of Christ. If we are not living the abundant life, we will quickly yield to the fleshly life around us. The fleshly life is circumstance controlled- whereas the abundant life is Holy Spirit controlled.
Let’s start this doctrinal study on the abundant life by looking at “The Abundant Life Is A Yielded Life”.
Text; Romans 6:10-13
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
1. Reckon Ourselves; 10-11
1. Reckon Ourselves; 10-11
If we are going to live the Abundant Life then we need to “reckon” ourselves to Christ!
Reckon- consider, be of the same opinion
[v.10] Jesus died for the sin of man once for all, and lives daily to God.
Under the covenant of the Law, man was never free from the bondage of sin through the sacrifices of of animals. There were daily and annual sacrifices to God made for the appeasement [pacify] of mans sin, not the conquering of it. Jesus changed that at Calvary! At Calvary Jesus defeated death both physically and spiritually and in the resurrection gives eternal life!
24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
The blood of Christ becomes the cure for SIN, and faith in Him “reckons” us to be of the same way. He has conquered death and so have we in Him!
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me [pg. 463 The Worship Hymnal]
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed;
Be of sin the double cure,
What is the double cure?
First, Christ paid the penalty for sin. Secondly, the power of indwelling sin has been broken in our lives if we are born again.
That’s why the song continues, “Save from wrath and make me pure”
Faith that saves reckons us with Christ in His death- eternal life. Faith that yields reckons us with Christ in His resurrection- this is abundant life.
2. Refuse Sins Reign; 12
2. Refuse Sins Reign; 12
To live an abundant life in Christ we must “refuse the reign of sin” in our lives
Reign- rule, control, be enthroned, be king
Yield- surrender or submit; but also to produce or generate
Our mind and our heart understands the relationship we have with God in Christ, but our will must exercise obedience to Him and refuse to let sin reign in our lives.
All christians will have temptations of sin in their life. We are not immune to the attacks of Satan just because we belong to Jesus.
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
But temptation to sin can be resisted;
13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
We must refuse to let sin reign [continue/have control] in our life;
18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Whenever a person removes something from their life, that void will be filled with something else. When Jesus took sin out of our lives, then that void must be filled with the righteousness of God in Christ. Only then we will yield the fruit of righteousness!
3. Be Instruments of Righteousness; 13
3. Be Instruments of Righteousness; 13
To fully appreciate the abundant life, we must yield ourselves as “Instruments of Righteousness” to God.
Members- body
Instruments- weapons
Paul says that our bodies need to be weapons of righteousness and not weapons of sin. If our body is to be used as a weapon for good than that means we are in a battle against evil!
The first thing you do when entering into a battle is to know your enemy;
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Second is to prepare for the battle;
Ephesians 6:10–18 (NKJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Third is to stay focused in the battle;
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Fourth is to follow your commander in battle;
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
It is one thing for a believer to live in Christ [saved], but it is another thing for Christ to live His life through us [abundant life].
Close;
If one is going to live the Abundant Life in Christ then it has to be a yielded life to Christ. Toying with temptation will bring about destruction in Sin. If you play with fire, sooner or later you will get burned.
Many Christians behave like the Red Barron of WWI. According to one report, the end of Germany’s famous Red Barron, Manfred von Richthofen, came about because he pursued an Allied airplane, “too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory”.
On April 21, 1918, von Richthofen, the celebrated WWI pilot, who was responsible for shooting down 80 enemy aircraft, began chasing a British plane that was trying to escape the battle. As the Red Barron pursued his quarry behind enemy Allied lines, gunfire from either machine-gun nests on the ground or another British pilot who had followed to help, killed von Richthofen.
Many Christians make the same mistake as the Red Barron. Instead of staying yielded to God, we get off course and feel we are invincible and nothing can hurt us. This is right where Satan lures us and wants us. Let’s not make the same mistake as the Red Barron did.