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STEPPING
INTO ABUNDANT LIVING
Tonight we
are beginning a series of talks and processing groups on the topic of abundant
living. We will be offering some
Biblical principles, & thoughts to digest and process as well as some
practical insights and applications we can make from The Beatitudes, the 12
Steps, Freedom in Christ, etc.. etc..
LifeCare
is all about creating a safe place of help hope and healing for ANY life
circumstance…. Bringing people to a
place of abundant living!
How do we
get there… well… it is going to take
courage! This kind of radical life
change is going to take radical trust in Jesus Christ and the support of His
body.. the people around you! And those
who are yet to come….
The Scripture
that will be the foundational focus for our class is John 10:10 NLT “10 The thief’s purpose
is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and
satisfying life.[1] KJV
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. (NIV)
10 The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,(A) and have it to the full.(B)
(AMP)
10 The thief comes only in order to
steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life,
and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
(MSG)
6-10 Jesus
told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he
tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those
others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep
didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared
for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal
and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and
better life than they ever dreamed of.
Illustration. The Good Shepherd at the gate. At night sheep were
kept in an enclosure with a single opening, the gate. The shepherd slept in the
doorway so that no wild beast could attack, except over his own body. Jesus as
the “Gate for the sheep” interposes His own body between us and sin and Satan.
He actually gave His life that we might have life. He truly is the Good
Shepherd.
This fact reminds us that no one can dismiss Jesus as a
“good man.” He was either an impious deceiver, a madman, or exactly who He said
He was: God the Son, God with us in human flesh.
The
thief, that is, a
false shepherd, cares only about feeding himself, not building up the flock. He
steals sheep in order to kill them, thus destroying part of the flock.
But Christ has come to benefit the sheep. He gives life which is
not constricted but overflowing. The thief takes life; Christ gives it to
the full.
I am
come that they might have life, and … more abundantly—not merely to preserve but impart
life, and communicate it in rich
and unfailing exuberance.[4]
We will be
looking at the enemy’s schemes that he uses to rob, kill and destroy and what
we can do in cooperation with God’s Spirit to move into abundant living.
ABUNDANT LIVING…
Webster’s –a : marked by great plenty
Synonyms: plentiful, ample, aplenty, bounteous, bountiful, comfortable, cornucopian, galore, generous, liberal, plenteous, plenty
Joel
2:12-27 says “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten”. For many of us the locust is
anxiety, worry, relationship challenges, loneliness, disappointment,
unforgiveness, anger & frustration, self-pity, low self-worth, a horrible
past, etc… God wants to restore us… God
wants to breathe new life in us. His
desire is that we experience the life He designed for us.. and fully embrace
life to the full.
I read a
story about a woman who hid $20,000 worth of jewelry in a plastic garbage bag
in her home hoping to prevent burglars from finding it. Later, having forgotten about it, she
accidentally threw the plastic bag out with her garbage. Several workmen searched for 9 hours in a
landfill before finding her treasure and restoring it to her.
Some
people throw away God’s abundant and gracious blessings in their lives through
blatant sin. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t experiencing the
blessing of God because of worry, anxiety, bitterness, anger and some behaviors
that were very detrimental to myself and those around me. When I finally
realized that I couldn’t help myself, I turned to God, repentant and broken.
Gradually God has taught me how to rely more fully on Him and His word. The result of that is life change …and
eventually.. a life that is abundant! Now…
am I able to always be in that place?
Are you? Of course not, however,
there are some of us in this room that have never experienced what I am talking
about at all. God wants you to know it, experience it and live it. When the
things of life hit us –life may knock us down but we are always able to get
back up and keep walking in abundance.
I
mentioned Joel – In Joel 2, there was an invasion of locusts that stripped
God’s people of everything. What those
locusts did to them is exactly what our negative choices and sins will do to
us. Our only hope is to heed God’s call
in Joel 2:12 “turn to me with all your heart”.
To those of us who turn, he promises in vs 25 “I will restore to you the
years that the swarming locust has eaten”.
Do you need to get rid of some locusts in your life? - Locusts that are
robbing you of abundant living?
In order
for us to get a ‘pulse’ on where we are at in our growth and pursuit of a ‘life
to the full’, let’s go over some of the characteristics of a spiritually mature
person – a person who is on the path to abundance. As I go through these, jot down some notes to
yourself – consider the ones you know are not characteristic of you personally
that God desires change in:
1.
Firm
in their faith
2.
Growing
in love
3.
Capable
and willing to serve
4.
Standing
for truth in the face of critics
5.
Knowledge
of the word, can give evidence for the gospel
6.
Not
easily influenced, doesn’t jump to conclusions
7.
A
committed person, but doesn’t make rash or hasty commitments
8.
A
person of peace and a mentor of others
9.
Has
endurance/ perseverance
10.
Rational,
understanding of others’ weaknesses
11.
Allows
the Spirit to take control of the flesh/ sinful nature
12.
Able
to say ‘no’ to temptation
13.
Teachable,
disciplined, humble
14.
Aware
that maturity is a process and continues to pursue health and wholeness
End:
The road
to success is not straight
There is
a curve called failure, a loop called confusion..
Speed
bumps called friends, red lights called enemies,
Caution
lights called family and you will have flats called jobs…. BUT…
If you
have a spare tire called determination,
An engine
called perseverance, insurance called Faith
A driver
named Jesus, You will make it to the place called Success/Abundant Life!!
~Author Unknown
STEPPING
INTO ABUNDANT LIVING – Defining the Journey
GROUP WORK
1.
Share your thoughts on
abundant living. On a scale from 1-10 what is your level of fulfillment right
now – 10 being the highest?
2.
What are some of the locusts
eating away at your life?
3.
As you consider figuring out
where you are currently in your personal growth, what areas listed in the
characteristics of spiritual maturity do you need to work on?
4.
What hope and encouragement
did you receive tonight?
5.
Share steps you will take this
week in preparation for the journey ahead.
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