John 10 is filled with the words of Jesus as He describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. He says that His sheep know Him and can recognize His voice. The sheep follow Him and they will never perish. It is a beautiful depiction of the kind of relationship we have with Jesus as His followers. After describing Himself as the gate for the sheep where He only allows the sheep to enter, He strategically puts in verse 10. That is what I want to focus on for the next few weeks.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10.
This is a familiar verse that is quoted by many. But does everyone completely understand it? What I see is that God has a plan for each of us to be completely in sync with His purpose for our lives. The enemy of our souls, referred to as a thief, has another plan he wants to unfold to us. The thief does not reveal the price that is paid when we choose his plan. Jesus exposes the true nature of the thief. When following the plans of the world we experience fatigue, hopelessness, fruitlessness, depression, and the list goes on and on. The price we have to pay for temporary fulfillment has lingering results that last a lifetime.
Some translations say, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” How do you gauge an “abundant life”? Do you measure abundance in terms of spirituality, finances, health, relationships, or your place of employment? How many of these areas do you think Jesus was referring to when He spoke of living life “more abundantly”?
I would have to say that God will never invest in things that can be destroyed by moth or rust. If your list of abundance includes material things, then I think you have the wrong list. As a matter of fact, the thief has done a work in your life if those things have made it on your list. We will look at that aspect next week.
The phrase, “that they may have” are from the Greek tense that means, “To have and to continually possess.” The word for “life” is the Greek word, “zoe.” It suggests a life that is filled with vitality. The word “abundantly” is from the Greek word, “periossos,” and it means to be above, beyond what is regular, to be exceeding. So it literally means super-abundance. Jesus is saying that He wants to give you life as we have never known it.
Here is what Jesus is saying when He says that He wants to give you life more abundantly. “I have come that they might have, keep, and constantly retain a vitality, gusto, vigor, and zest for living that springs up from deep down inside. I came that they might embrace this matchless, incomparable, overflowing life to the greatest extent possible.” Can you feel the energy for living? It’s available for each one of us. Are you experience life more abundantly? If not, maybe the enemy of our soul has stolen that away from you without being detected. Our mundane life may be a direct result of being deceived. By exposing the three ways in which the enemy gets us to follow his plan, we will be able to take back lost ground and live the abundant life God plans for us. More to come next week.
Tonight is the last night of revival with Stephen Manley. Come for supper at 5:45 p.m.and plan to stay for the service at 6:30. Amy Ambrose will be here to minister to our children in the Power Plant. She is an energetic children’s pastor with many years of successful ministry. Preschool age children will also enjoy a special time during our revival service in their room next to the stage in the FLC. Bring the whole family and let God pour this abundance in each one as we seek Him with all our heart.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
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