REMEMBER THE PROMISE

INTRO: In a world searching for hope people are looking at their lives and no matter the area of life, they find themselves under pressure, fear and doubt, pressure to conform to this world, fear of sickness, crime on the rise our children indoctrinated with all manner of ill-morality. Fear is the air so many breath, fear of today, fear of tomorrow. What some use to believe has been replaced with doubt.

With so much pain and tragedy in the world, it can be so easy for us to lose our focus. Our joy and hope can quickly dissipate in the midst of relentless evil. And our enemy would like nothing more than to bring such discouragement into our hearts and lives. When he has been effective in doing that, we are rendered ineffective for the Kingdom of God.

But I’ve come by this day to encourage, and remind us to purposefully fix our eyes on Jesus. We need to constantly remember why He came and His plan for us, to give us a future and a HOPE. When we allow Him to fill us with His unspeakable joy, it starts to flow through us and out to the people around us. His joy brings comfort and peace. This is part of our job as disciples of Christ.

Jeremiah is referred to as "The Weeping Prophet". He was completely broken over the sin of God's people. He tearfully delivered his messages to the people, displaying the brokenness he felt for them. He was broken for the things that break the heart of God.

"Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me." Jer 8:21.

SCRIP: John 10:10  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

PRAY

Life To the Fullest

Sad indeed is the perversion of Divine gifts, which takes place when those who teach and lead in the house of God use their influence for moral harm. Jesus tells us, with many who came before him with great professions indeed, yet with no help for the spiritually needy. Some had carnal notions of what deliverance and salvation, meant. Others were animated by selfishness and ambition. As it was in the time of our Savior, it is so today.

That is partly why so many in the house of God, feel so over whelmed despair. Jesus does not hesitate to designate them as thieves, entering God's flock with the intention of stealing, killing, and destroying.

The aim and the conduct of such pernicious leaders was contrasted by Jesus with his own. He, too, came claiming to shepherd the flock of God. But his one purpose was this, that through his ministry of devotion and sacrifice the sheep of the fold might have life and more abundantly.

The Lord would accomplish this as the good shepherd would by laying His life down for His sheep (John 10:11). Jesus would lay down His own life (John 10:18) as a sacrifice for sin so that those who believe in Him would not be lost (perish) but would have eternal life (John 3:16) God would give them life more abundantly (John 10:10).

There are many worldviews and belief systems that claim to offer a way for us to have true life, to be fulfilled, and to be like God, Satan’s first temptation of humanity offered an alternative way to be like God (Genesis 3:5). But Jesus is the authentic shepherd, the good shepherd (John 10:11) who provides the way to right relationship with the Father (John 14:6). It is only through Jesus that God gives us life more abundantly (John 10:10).

Friends with God  John 15:14-15

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Part of the abundant life is friendship with God. When we put our trust in the risen Christ, amazing things happen. Through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ we the believer have victory in all things. Our victory was sealed when Jesus rose.

Jesus said that He came so that we would have a more abundant life. A life filled with the knowledge, acceptance and empowerment from the Holy Spirit. When God the Father speaks, all creation comes to attention. When God makes a promise, He pledges that something will, or will not come to past. When God speaks He does not use hyperverly, God is not flippant with his words. When God speaks its rock solid, when He say’s it, its settled.

The Abundant Life is Assured!

Because God is faithful, we the believers can have full assurance that the abundant life in Jesus will be realized.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Num 23:19

Salvation/Faith Romans 1:16-17                                                                                 If You Believe in the Son

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Conclusion:

All things work to the good! Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

This is the broader picture that keeps us from being dismayed by present circumstances.

Comfort in times of Tribulation

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

God will finish the work He has begun, God does nothing half way.

Philippians 1:6

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I’ve been thinking about eternity alot more lately. In this life we pursue happiness is so many different ways. Trying to create that abundant life. We think if we were rich, we could buy happiness. If we were stronger we could achieve peace. If we could have someone love us like we want life would be so good.

All those things are not the blessings. They are simply things that bring the blessings. Love, joy, pleasure, peace all those things are what we crave and we seek for so many ways to get them. But we always fall short. In this life we will always fall short. We can only experience the reality of the abundant life in the presence of Jesus.

As we examine ourselves today, are we living that abundant life? The door to abundant life is found in Jesus. Jesus is the only door of the sheep. He is the only door that leads to salvation, and he is the only door that leads to abundant life.