john 10:10 (nkjv)

John 10:10 (NKJV)

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.

The Abundant Life• Christianity at times gets a bad rap

• When some think of the Christian life they think of all the “thou shalt not’s” in the Bible

• They may say that if you are a Christian it means that you can’t do x or y or z

The Abundant Life• This is often the argument of those

who are opposed to God’s way

• However, there are some “Christians” who view it this way as well

• Some view their Christian life as necessary to get to heaven, but they also view it as anything but joyous

The Abundant Life• Is that how God meant for the

Christian life to be?

• There was purpose to the coming of Christ

• “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10)

The Abundant Life• Christ never meant for the Christian

life to be a difficult or burdensome life

• Christ’s coming to save the world from sin was to give us life and to give it more abundantly

• How do you view the life that Christ has given you?

Focus & Restrictions• Certainly there are some things that

the Bible clearly speaks out against

• These things are not fitting for a child of the King

• When God tells us to avoid something, He does it for our own good

Focus & Restrictions• However, there are restrictions in

everything in life In the home At school At work In sports In life

Focus & Restrictions• We do not deny or rebel against any

of the others on that list due to restrictions

• It boils down to what we choose to focus on

• There are pros and cons to everything; which do we weigh more heavily?

Focus & Restrictions• We know through God’s word and life

experience that the pros far outweigh the cons

• Christians are able to enjoy life much more than those who are lost

• One reason is because fear and worry are absent from the Christian life

A Case Study• There are some who think the world

offers a more abundant life than Christ does

• Solomon wanted to find true and lasting happiness and joy

• Solomon explored both a life of godliness and a worldly life to see which was better

A Case Study• Solomon tried it all

• “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecc. 2:10)

• Solomon did everything the world would say to do to be truly happy

A Case Study• Through all that Solomon tried, he

continued to say over and over that it was all “vanity”

• Solomon brought his findings to a conclusion at the end of Ecclesiastes

• “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecc. 12:13)

A Case Study• Everything the world offers brings

temporary satisfaction at best

• What God offers to us is something that will last all of eternity

• The question is, are we willing to explore the abundance of life that Christ offered to give?