Abundance of Life!

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Abundance of Life! 

          It’s the time of year that we celebrate Christ’s birth. Jesus, the Son of God was Born, became a man, died on the cross for you and me, rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God. Luke 2:10-12 John 19:16-30 Acts 2:24, 5:32, 10:40 & 13:31 Romans 8:34

Jesus came so that we could be reconciled to God. He came so we could have eternal life. What do we have to do? Nothing! It is a gift from God.
Well, not exactly. We must choose to accept God’s gift. We must open the gift. We must believe and put our trust in Him. We can’t earn it, we can’t buy it and we don’t have to be good enough to receive it. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”.
Now that is stinking awesome, Eternal Life! That is something to celebrate, Amen! But as if that were not enough. There’s even more. In John 10:10b Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Not only does God want us to have eternal life but He wants us to have a full life here on earth as well as in eternity. I could preach a four-week sermon series on that one verse.
That you might have abundance of life. Imagine that! Our minds are going to jump right away to things like Happiness, Health, Success and Material things. We think a full life means having plenty of food, clothing, money, health, happiness and love, right?
Well, not exactly. While God does want those things for us. The abundance that He wants for us goes way beyond our physical wants and needs.
Abundantly in the Greek is “pe-rēs-so's “A few of its meanings are: advantage, exceeding, beyond measure.
Let’s look at the word “advantage”. In Christ, we can gain advantages in life. And no, I’m not talking about an advantage in the football game, the lottery or on a test. I’m talking about advantages that improve our quality of life on earth emotionally, psychologically, functionally and spiritually.
A few examples would be:
·        Having peace in the midst of a storm.
·        Feeling joy during a mighty trial.
·        Strength in everyday battles.
·        Courage when fear surrounds you.
·        Wisdom in the midst of confusion.
·        Love and forgiveness when surrounded by hate.
How do we lay hold of and grab a life of abundance in Christ? It’s simple but can be hard at times. It takes discipline, commitment, and being intentional. If you want a better, fuller life here on earth, here are six key things you must do:
·        First, you have got to make Christ Lord of your life. Romans 10:9, 10 Philippians 2:12 -  2 Corinthians 6:2
·        Second, you have got to get the Word into your heart. This goes beyond just simply reading it. Reading it is good, of course, but you’ve got to meditate (think) on it. You’ve got to go beyond knowing what it says and actually apply it, apply it in your life every day. You’ve got to act on it. And of course, you must believe every word in it. Hebrews 4:12   2 Timothy 3:16 John 5:39 Psalm 119
·        Third, you have got to spend time every day in prayer. God wants to hear your voice, your needs, requests for others, your frustrations and your victories, your sorrows and joys, your thankfulness, praises and love. There is no special format to follow or correct words to use. Just talk to Him. Romans 12:12 Hebrews 4:16 James 5:13-16
·        Fourthly, Surround yourself with like-minded people. Get plugged into a church and faithfully attend. Get involved in small groups and bible studies. Hebrews 10:24, 25 Acts 2:42
·        Fifthly, Service and volunteering are amazing ways to get out of yourself and your problems. Plus, the growth and rewards are awesome. Service, volunteering and giving back, whether it’s at your local church, through a local ministry like Next Steps, a ministry like CR/CRI or in your community is required by God and your growth, joy, and successes depend upon it. Matthew 7:2 Luke 10:27
·        Lastly, Choice. You need to be intentionally seeking good choices. God will not force anything upon you. You must take the right steps and make the right choices for yourself. Joshua 24:15 James 4:4
What I hope I convey today is that we should not only celebrate being able to have eternal life, but we need to celebrate that we can have abundance of life in Christ today, right now. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven.
We have got to start taking God at his Word, myself included. The benefits of Christ’s birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection for all of mankind go beyond anything our minds can ever imagine.
Pastor Gregg Crisp, December 21, 2017
Scripture References
Acts 2:24, 5:32, 10:40 & 13:31
Ephesians 2:8
Romans 10:9, 10
John 10:10 John 19:16-30
Luke 2:10-12
Philippians 2:12
2 Corinthians 6:2
2 Timothy 3:16
John 5:39
Psalm 119 
Hebrews 4:12
Hebrews 4:16 
James 5:13-16
Hebrews 10:24, 25 
Acts 2:42
Matthew 7:2 
Luke 10:27
Joshua 24:15 
James 4:4

Romans 8:34 Romans 12:12

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