We started this series talking about being in need of restoration. Last week we talked about becoming a child of God. This week we focused on the power that we have in Christ.
Tonight we talked about seeing things with new eyes. So many times we look at the world around us and think that there is nothing more. But tonight we looked at opening our eyes to the new life God has already given us...the abundant life, and asking ourselves if we are truly living it or if we are content to live right where we are.
C.S. Lewis claimed that the reason we don’t go after God’s abundant life is because we don’t truly understand how great it is. In a sermon titled, “The Weight of Glory”, he used a powerful analogy to explain our fears. We read that analogy as a story called, Angela's Day at the Beach. Angela, a poor, neglected girl in London, meets a nice young woman who offers to take her to the beach. Angela is hesitant to go on the trip, choosing to play in the gutter instead. In the end Angela goes on the trip and is in awe of the wonder of the ocean.
As Christians we are far to often satisfied with just a little of God. We want to come on Sundays and maybe dabble in a few of the other activities, but we don’t really want God to change our life. The reason is that we have no clue what a full life with God really feels like. We are scared and often times content with the way our lives are right now...the familiarity, the comfort. But if we can let go of what we know and risk a full life with God, we will be amazed at what we discover.
We played a little game of Let's Make A Deal then. We showed the kids a clip from the TV game show in case they were unfamiliar with it. Our version was slightly different though. What was behind our curtains was always bigger and better than what they were originally given. Of course, the kids didn't know this. I gave two of them a small bag of candy. I told them that, if they wanted to, they could trade their bags of candy for what was behind the other curtains. It might be different than the candy they now had. It might be a different size bag...or an entirely different type of candy. It might not even be candy at all. The choice to choose what was behind the curtain was theirs...or they could be safe keep what I gave them. After they chose, they discovered that, what was behind the curtains, was way better and bigger than what they currently had. The point? Living a life for Christ isn't just about going to church and youth group. It's about so much more. Though those things are great, God has something so much better for us. But we have to be willing to have the faith to live for Him and follow Him and His plans for our lives...no matter what!
Angela didn’t want to go to the beach because she couldn’t understand how wonderful it was. She looked at her surroundings and saw all the good that they offered and thought it was all the good that was possible. She didn’t want to risk what little she had because she couldn’t comprehend how much greater a day at the
beach could be.
Many Christians fall into this same mold. We hear about God’s abundant life, but we don’t really understand what it is all about. We don’t want to risk what we have because we can’t fathom how much better God’s life really can be. We hold onto our loaves of bread that we can see and touch right now, too afraid to give them up for the promise of a feast elsewhere.
We read Ephesians 1:18-21. Paul doesn’t pray that they will get the inheritance of God. He doesn’t pray that they will get the power of God in their lives. He prays that they will open their eyes and see what
they already have in their lives. He prays that they will see that they have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside of them.
God has called you to an abundant life. John 10:10 says that, “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.” We have access to God’s abundant life, but most of us choose to live small lives because we, like Angela, can’t understand what God’s life really looks like.
We talked about 3 things that describe God’s abundant life.
- The Abundant Life is a Life of Provision:
Mercedes in the driveway. The provisions of God are about so much more than money. Money is limited in what it can do. It can buy you stuff to make your life easier, but it can’t buy you peace. Money can fill your life with noise, but it can’t buy you freedom from guilt. No, the inheritance of God is so much more than money. God is offering you a life full of His presence and His love. He is offering you a life filled with love and peace and joy. Are there deep questions in your heart—deep needs that cannot seem to be filled? Turn to God; His inheritance is enough. His abundant life offers you provision.
- The Abundant Life is a life of Power:
- The Abundant Life is a life of purpose:
These are just a small part of the life that God is offering you. It is a life that can only be known when it is experienced. Look at your life. Are you living the life that God has promised or is it just bread and water that you are imagining is a feast? God is offering you an abundant life, but it will require something of you. You must stop holding on to what you have so that you can go after what God is offering. You must let go of your small life to grab on to God’s abundant life. Some of you have been Christians for years, yet you have never let go of your life and exchanged it for God’s life. Some of you may have lived God’s abundant life for a while, but through the choices you have made, traded it for a safe life. Some of you in here have never
taken the first step and asked God to be the Lord of your life. Today is the day for you to choose to follow God. Today is the day for you to choose His abundant life.
Will you do it, or are you content making mud pies? What will you choose? Are you living the life that God called you to live...the abundant power-filled life? We ended tonight's lesson watching a very powerful object lesson video by Francis Chan.
