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Life
John 10:10
When we started this series on “The Games People Play,” I told you that
growing up in a military household we moved from place to place a lot.
So in 1987 when my dad retired we moved as a family for the last time,
and it was a new experience for us because we could move anywhere we
wanted. Dad and Mom decided on their criteria for our new city and after
looking at all of our options we chose Huntsville, Alabama. The primary
reason that we moved to Huntsville was the Mayfair Church of Christ. It
was the largest congregation that I had ever seen, and the Youth Group
was larger than any other church we had been a member of.
We set about the daunting task of meeting new people and getting
acclimated to our new city and church. It was during our first days
there that my brother and I were befriended by one of the youth interns,
Barry Lefan. Barry was one of those guys that you couldn’t help but
like, I missed him sorely when the summer ended, and he went off to
school at Lipscomb.
During the next few years, I looked forward to the Weekends, Holidays,
and summers that Barry would come home. Just being in the room with the
guy made you feel better. My junior year of High School Barry was home
for Spring break, and a group of us were going to get together and play
Softball on Saturday before he headed back to school.
That Wednesday I was supposed to meet with some guys from school and
work on a history project, so I left school got something to eat and
headed for Brett’s house. I parked the truck and went to ring the
doorbell and when Brett answered the door, he had this blank stare on
his face. He said that he was surprised to see me with Barry committing
suicide and all.
I asked him what he was talking about and he said “You didn’t know that
Barry killed himself this afternoon?” I told him that it wasn’t funny to
joke like that and I turned and left. But he wasn’t joking. It seemed
that a friend whom I idolized and made life so much fun couldn’t find a
reason to live anymore.
Tonight we need to look at the game of Life. In the board game, the
object is simple, Pick an SUV, hop in, and take a spin. But soon you
have to start making decisions that will affect the outcome of your
life. Do you want to go to college or jump right in and start a career?
Will you get a great job with a gigantic salary? Will you have a house
full of kids? Whatever you do if you want to win you have to accumulate
enough stuff to retire in style.
But that’s not how it always works is it. Did you know that every year
30,000 Americans decide their lives are not worth living and commit
suicide. And they think that 10 times as many attempt suicide and fail.
And hundreds of thousands seriously think about taking their own lives
but never attempt to follow through. Something is definitely wrong in
our society.
Jesus is recorded as saying in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to
steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and
might have it abundantly.”
The New Century Version says “life in all its fullness.”
And if Jesus is telling the truth then what’s wrong in our society? Why
are so many people concluding that life is not worth living? That there
is no such thing as abundant life.
Could it be because we are seeing abundance in life and not from life?
What is your goal in life, what would make your life abundant? material
wealth?
Marilyn Monroe was one of the most beautiful women ever created by God.
But at the height of her career, she took her own life. At her funeral
the funeral director was over heard to say “It is a shame that so many
people think that she had so much to live for, but in reality she had so
much to live on and so little to live for."
So money and possessions cannot fill our lives abundantly.
What about abundant life that comes from earthly fame?
Well if fame brings about Abundant life then why did Marilyn take her
own life? Why would one of the greatest known writers of all time Ernest
Hemingway take his own life?
Dave Chappelle an irreverent comedian who in 2004 signed a $50 Million
Dollar deal with a cable network and then packed his bags and fled to
Africa was recently interviewed and said this about being famous. “If
you're Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and your marriage is breaking up,
that's an awful thing, but to see that speculation in People, gotta
sting a little bit. Then I realized, …, I'm one of those people.' It's a
small club. It's a weird place to be. And there's really no going back.
You can't get unfamous. You can get infamous but you can't get unfamous.
So I got scared. I'm not going to lie. I was scared to death."
So if fame is not the key to full life is education the answer?
Well Psychiatrists are among the most educated people in our society.
They have as many years in school and internships as a medical doctor
before they can specialize in psychiatry. They know all of the ins and
outs of how the mind works and should be able to figure out what it
takes to have a satisfied life, and yet psychiatrists have the highest
suicide rate in the nation.
This is not a new search. King Solomon spent the better part of his life
trying to find fulfillment in the things that the world have to offer,
Alcohol, Sex, Money, Power, Possessions and at the end of his life he
writes in Ecclesiastes 12:8 that it is all meaningless.
So if we can’t find abundant life in the things that this life has to
offer then how can we find abundant life? Well I think that we need to
refocus on what we call living an abundant life. You see Abundant life
is not concerned with right now, Abundant life is a whole life
experience.
Abundant Life is a life with a guiltless past.
Guilt is a terrible burden to bear and sometimes it crushes people to
the point that life becomes an unbearable burden. Since we have all
sinned then it only stands to reason that we all have done things that
cause us terrible guilt. But we have gotten good and classifying our
sins, you know some of our Sins are not as bad as the sins of others.
I might be a Gossip but at Pentecost peter told the Jewish listeners
that they had murdered the very Son of God. Surely they would have more
guilt because their sin was much more sever.
I might loose my temper but before he becomes Paul the Apostle he spent
his days persecuting innocent Christians. Getting mad is not the same as
killing.
When we try to classify sins, we play the better than game. Sure, I
might be bad but I am better than you. And the only reason that we play
the better than game is to sooth our guilt, and it is the guilt of that
Sin that steals our Abundant Life.
We need to remember that God has promised us Abundant Life that cannot
be taken from us. John writes in 1 John 1:7
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin."
We can be free from guilt because God makes us free from sin and allows
us to have fellowship with one another. I have to remind myself all of
the time that God does not call us to be perfect. He wants us to walk in
the light and have Fellowship with one another.
And you know that fellowship is important. Paul tells the church in
Corinth, Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." 1
Corinthians 15:33
The JHV translates this text “If you run with the goats you smell like
the goats.”
That is why we must have fellowship with other believers, other people
who have been washed in the same blood that we have, people that have
received the same forgiveness that we have, and people that exhibit the
same joy that we do. Is there a better thought than the blood of Christ
continually cleanses us when we sin?
Again John writes in John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will
be truly free.”
Free from our guilt
Free from our past
Free from our sins
Truly free.
Next I believe that an Abundant life is a life with a meaningful
present.
One of the most common thieves of Abundant Life is the fear of
accomplishing nothing in life. After all we all want to be successful,
and we all want to be good at we do. We all want the praise and
admiration of others.
Every teacher wants to be teacher of the year.
Every athlete wants to be MVP.
Every fry shaker at McDonalds wants to be Employee of the Month.
And if they tell you differently they would probably lie about other
tings as well.
We tend to gain our worth by what other people think about us. I am just
as guilty as anyone in here.
I am a good husband ‘cause Trista tells me.
I am a good Dad ‘cause the boys tell me
I’m a good brother ‘cause Trae tells me.
I’m a good son because Mom and Dad say so.
I’m a good Son-in-Law because Charles and Francis tell me.
I’m a great uncle because Cassie and Caylie tell me I’m their favorite.
How do you know that you are good unless someone tells you that you are?
You see I think that’s the problem with our present. We were made to
seek out praise and adoration, but we choose to look for it in the wrong
places. In our families, our Jobs, and even in church we gauge our worth
by what other say and think about us. But we can live an abundant life
not because someone thinks that I am a good preacher but because God
thinks I am wonderful.
Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, royal priests,
a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. You were chosen to
tell about the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness
into his wonderful light.
We are Uncommon People in a Common World. A Possession of God and we
have a purpose to tell about the wonderful acts of God.
I have worth because God chose me. You have worth because God chose you.
Sure, it’s a good idea to tell someone how much they mean to you, or how
you appreciate the good job, they are doing. But our worth comes from
God. We are important because our creator said that we were, and has
poured out His blessings to show how important we are to Him.
We sing “Count your many Blessings.” I wonder if we do? Can you remember
and tell about all of the wonderful things God has done for you? You see
when we are involved in doing the will of our Father we have little time
to feel sorry for ourselves Because our days are full of the Joy of
Christianity.
And I would rather have a blessing from God than the parking space
reserved for the employee of the month.
Finally Abundant life is A LIFE WITH A FEARLESS future.
There are so many who have received the promise of abundant life, who
allow it to be stolen because of what they fear the future will bring.
Failing health, failing finances, difficulties of all sorts leave many
people feeling hopeless and helpless.
How can you have joy in your life when you don’t know what tomorrow is
going to bring. Well the same Jesus who promised you abundant life also
said these words in Matthew 6:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable
than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? So
do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or
'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and
your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Therefore do not worry
about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
The pain that is in our lives today might not become unbearable
tomorrow; it may diminish or go away altogether.
Our financial situation today is not necessary an indication of what it
will be tomorrow.
Family problems may improve in the future.
The valleys of life are difficult but there is always hope because at
the end of each valley is a mountain top. It is not the mountain top
experiences when we get the blessings of God, it is in the mountain top
experiences that we realize how active God has been in our lives.
As long as there in life in our bodies we have the hope of standing on
the mountain top with God. And for those of us who believe we have also
received the God’s promise of hope, a home in Heaven with Him
Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:8 Now, a crown is being held for me--a crown
for being right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will
give the crown to me on that day --not only to me but to all those who
have waited with love for him to come again.."
And Jesus says in John 14:2-3 " In my Father's house are many rooms; if
it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back
and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.."
Life without Christ has a hopeless end; Life with Christ is an endless
hope.
Or we could just sing the beautiful words written by Bill and Gloria
Gather: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow/ Because He lives, all
fear is gone/ Because I know He holds the future/ Life is worth living,
just because He lives.
Abundant life, Life to the full. We who have our hope in God, we who
receive our worth from God, and we who know forgiveness because of God.
We no longer have to play at the game of Life, we can win and be
victorious because we have been promised abundant life indeed.
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