We’ve received salvation but have we truly received the abundant life?
The question now is, “Where is TRUE life?”
If God is an extraordinary God, then shouldn’t my life be extraordinary? Living by the Spirit is an extraordinary experience.
Stop and ask yourself, do I feel like I am living in abundance?
Do I have life, and satisfaction, peace and joy? Or do I walk around always feeling in lack?
Or maybe I feel full in some areas of my life, and lack in other.
A reality of life:
Matthew 7:13- “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
What is this life Christ is talking about? What are the ways that the word describes life in Christ?
-Abundant, freeing, fulfilling, wonderful-
Jesus makes a remarkable statement about the abundant life- few find it!
Multiple gates that we try to find life in:
*external- trying to find life in things and people around us
*internal- finding life in the One who lives within us,
Before we come to Christ our entire lives are based on externals. We perceive life based on things and people. We wrap our identity up in our dress (or looks), our conduct, or our activities. Even when we are saved, many of these areas still have pull on us because we have not moved beyond the forgiveness of our sins, into the abundance of intimacy and revelation of identity.
Many times our understanding of our acceptance of Christ is centered on the reality that 1. ) we now have salvation (we are saved)
2.) our sins are forgiven
Having our sins forgiven, doesn’t tell one thing about hot to live the life. The only thing it says is after you commit a sin you are forgiven. You don’t know anything yet about true life. God’s life.
So life to you is still external: How do I get it?
Move from outer to inner. From seeking life from externals and drawing life from the internal One. At first it seems doable, and exciting, but after a while of performing, it loses it’s glamour and we become exhausted.
*Share. Feeling the pressure that I had to be the one to seek God, yet it has truely been HIm who has always sought me.
We definitely understand this part about God, and it’s a amazing and wonderful, salvation, ...but it gets even better. Most of us haven’t discovered how to live the life.
Good news! We can’t! You cannot figure out and live the abundant life- it’s impossible.
This is the first thing you have to learn. He CAN! HE WIll! He will live His life in us, as us.
The desire of God is to bring us into a place of where you no longer allow your externals to tell you anything about yourself. Your identity and life comes from God.
We all have different gates:
-profession
-children
-addiction
-possessions
-a finely cultivated image
-Charisma
-worship leader
*Anything external that’s telling you something about yourself, God has to take it to the alter and kill it, so that He can be your all in all.
It’s God, who changes us.
We have to be grateful to God because He drives us to Himself.
But he does it with love. He says to us, “You want that, you can have it. You want that external, go get it. I know you’re going to lay it down. I’m not going to keep you from picking it up, touching it, examining it, playing with it a while, and finally putting it down.
Then you’ll pick up and put down the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing.
One day you’re going to get to the final gate. You’re going to walk into that holy place, and you’re going to meet Me.
Not that you haven’t met Me before, but you’re going to meet Me and Me only, and you’ll have the answer.
After we receive Christ we are aware that there is a little more going on internally but there is still some external.
We all have different gates in our lives.
Christ is the life- we know that in our heads, but how many of us live with the reality that
Christ is in you and He will have the Life. Galatians 2:20
Not that He will help you live the life, He will live the life. That is amazing news!
God wants us to know that we are already made rightwous in Christ. (2 cor, 5:21)
I am truly righteous
We are holy (colossians 3:12)
He has made me complete (col 2:10)
I am blameless in His sight (colossians 1:22)
I am loved
I am acceptable
When I was crucified on the cross with Christ as Galtains 2:20 has told us for so long, I died to myself as my point of reference. He living in me is now our point of reference. He will live his life through me. This is the great news that God wants to reveal to you!
We cannot figure out how to live life. He can. He will and He will live His life in us, as us!
There is only one precious possession in life, and that is HIm. He in you, you in Him. You have arrived at the pearl of great proce. There isn’t any other place to go.
Mercy vs. grace
Kris Vallotin example: There is often a misunderstanding of mercy and grace.
Mercy= If you are speeding on the highway, let’s say you are going 15 over the speed limit. You are definitely speeding, and you get pulled over and the cop lets you go with a ticket. You just experience mercy.
Grace= If you are speeding on the highway, 15 over, and you get pulled over. Not only does the cop let you go without a ticket but he also gives you a check for 1,000. You don’t deserve the money at all, in fact you should be the one paying the officer. Yet he not only forgives you, but also blesses you.
We believe that we have been given mercy but many of us are holding onto the check convincing ourselves that we don’t deserve it, or that we have to do something first before we are able to spend the money.
It’s time we spend the money! It’s time we live the abundant life!
But now here is the question many of us walking around asking ourselves, where is the abundant life?
If we are living in our external world, and not the internal reality of Christ we will find ourselves running around asking the question: Where is the abundant life?
And after running around and around...whether it is from church -event -to-church event, conference-to-conference, person-to-person, prayer ministry -to prayer ministry, bible-study to bible-study, we find ourselves exhausted, discouraged and even more lost.
“It is as if the day we received Him by faith, Jesus says, “Now you’re saved, Good luck, i’ll see you when you die and it will be wonderful. But in the here and now it’s up to you. Get out there and try as hard as you can.”
Man what a struggle. We become so used to performing, that at first it doesn’t seem bad and it seems pretty great, but after a while we realize how unsatisfied we are internally.
Eternal vs. temporal next week, and Christ’s sacrifice
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