I want to start today by telling you that we are in my favorite week or two of the year, I love this time of year. Maybe that should be more of a warning, because this time of year, hits my heart pretty hard. I love Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. I grew up always looking forward to this time of year. It just always hit me as a time of laughter and joy and rest, after what feels like a long grind without any. I love it. This holiday season has lots of good stuff like food, family, and football…and more food! I mean for me pumpkin pie wins the day! I love this time of year, and it always puts me in a spot where I just feel a little more reflective, and a lot more appreciative of time. I love how people think through what they are thankful for, and you know, I think that happens because this holiday always gives us a moment or two to slow down, and recognize where we are…it’s like Thanksgiving’s biggest gift to us, is time, rest, and margin…plus the turkey knocks us all out anyway! It’s funny and I doubt I’m alone in this, it’s like I just put my head down and plow through the year just doing what I do from the churches, to running kids to their various activities, to errands, and sporting events, and then boom! It’s time for turkey again! I think, this time of year is a gift, because even though there is travel, and stuff going on, there seems to be moments of margin, where I can pick my head up around this time of year and realize…wow, another year has gone by. I become very aware of time, and realize all the blessings of my life. It’s amazing, how time flies, and how another year of good times, and tough times, of emotions, and joy, and just well life has led me back to another Thanksgiving holiday! So I really hope you had an awesome week, where you were spending time with family and friends, eating, laughing and hopefully reflecting some on life and soaking in these special moments, because they are special moments. I know for me, as I spent time with family, and smoking turkeys, meals, and conversations, I just tried my best to soak in these moments as best as I could. I’m thankful for so much, but am just amazed at how fast time seems to be racing by. My children are growing up, and as challenging as life feels at times, I’m so thankful for all God has blessed me with, and that might be one of the coolest parts of Thanksgiving, slowing down enough to recognize all that we have to be thankful for, and we all have a lot to be thankful for. Life is short, when you compare it to all of eternity to come, and life is an amazing thing, and for so many of us I think it is really difficult to take a moment, to just slow down, and breath, and maybe look around and soak in the beauty of the life we get to live here on this planet.
So today I would like to talk to you about life, so hopefully you packed some snacks because this could take a while to break down all of life for you…no just kidding, although I did warn you earlier that I get a little more sentimental this time of year. But seriously, I want to talk to you about life today, and to be more specific about something that I bring up every time I speak, and it’s the kind of life that Jesus says he came to give us…
John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV
I know, I know I bring it up every week, but have you ever heard me say this, and thought about it? I mean like really thought about it. Like took this concept of “life to the full” and tried to see how it fits in your own life? Because for a lot of us I think we can hear about this life to the full thing that a Christian should have, that Jesus told us he came to give us, and we can look around at our own lives and think that life to the full would have to be more than the life I’m experiencing right? I mean Sam say’s it and makes it sound pretty awesome but we think to ourselves.. “This can’t be it, can it?” I mean I know Sam gets excited to bring up the idea of Jesus and this whole life to the full thing, and he seems pretty excited about it, but when I look at my own life, I’m kind of thinking life to the full would look a little different, than me out there just grinding through life. Wouldn’t life to the full be more than me just working as I hard as I work just to pay bills, and dealing with pain and adversity and different issues in my life? I mean would life to the full really be this…well, this ordinary? It’s funny how this can happen right? I talked about this last week at MRG, that there is a big set up there for us Christian’s when we think life is going to let up on us because we are on Jesus’ team now. So Jesus came to give me life and life to the full but it doesn’t seem like too many of us are experiencing that so called full life does it? Well this is the question I would like to answer today. Because I think it starts by understanding what it is, and what it is not, and how to find it. So let’s start here…
What exactly is this life and life to the full thing? I told you we were going to get into some stuff today! But as we get rolling I want to talk to you about what happens to so many of us. We can’t experience life to the full because we don’t understand where true life is found. We can’t be those grateful people that Ken spoke of last week because we don’t seem to end up going to where true life is found. Now, don’t get me wrong here, we know that life is found in Jesus we just often look to other things for this life that can only be found in Him. I mean Jesus tells us where life is found and I think we know this…
John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. NIV
If we have spent any amount of time in God’s word we know this is true. We can see it in our own lives, and we experience the love when we are close to God and the challenges of life and relationship when we are not walking with God (attached to the vine), we know it. Yet, we seem to continue to turn to all kinds of different things to find life and life to the full. It’s like we refuse to believe it’s found in Jesus (the vine) because it has to be bigger, or flashier, or more exciting, and it definitely should be more fun right? I mean at the very least life to the full, should lead me to an easier life right? A life with less challenges and adversity than the life I’m living. I wonder if I went around this room and asked you what it would take for you to walk with joy, or freedom, or to live in the true victory of life and life to the full, I wonder what the answers would be. It’s funny because the world certainly sends a very different message to us than God does about what matters, and about where life to the full is found. So for some of us we turn to things like our stuff, our wealth, and our material possessions. We think that the more we have the better we will feel and that probably works for a moment or two but it’s fleeting isn’t it? In the end no amount of stuff or wealth gets us there…Jesus talks about this stuff a lot…
Matthew 6:19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NIV
Time and time again Jesus warns against the allure of material possessions, of money, and stuff. He points often to the difference of eternal things verses the things of today. These things that are here today and gone tomorrow. I like to point out, that Jesus doesn’t bring up money, and materialism, and wealth because you shouldn’t have any. It isn’t because your stuff and your money is evil. He isn’t telling you that you can’t or shouldn’t have nice things, but I do think the Bible is clearly telling us that this isn’t where life is found. I don’t know about you but I love learning from people who have experience more than me in life. It’s amazing to listen to older men and women speak who have gone through things before us, it means a lot to me…and we have an amazing example of this in the Bible where we can see Solomon really share on this idea towards the end of his life in Ecclesiastes. Remember Solomon is the wisest man who has ever lived, who is now an older king looking back over his life, and his quest that if you are really looking here for what he was chasing, I think we could easily see that he was looking for life to the full, and check out this realization that he has looking over his life after he tried everything under the sun to find pure joy, and a full life…
Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, “Come now, let’s give pleasure a try. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 “It is silly to be laughing all the time,” I said. “What good does it do to seek only pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 9 So I became greater than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. And with it all, I remained clear-eyed so that I could evaluate all these things. 10 Anything I wanted, I took. I did not restrain myself from any joy. I even found great pleasure in hard work, an additional reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. NLT
This is so interesting isn’t it? Solomon had it all. He has the most wealth, the most fame, the most power that a person could have. He was the greatest King there ever was…and he did what we all set out to do, to find this life to the full, he wanted to enjoy life, and none of the things he chased and found worked. I love the way it’s worded here in verse 3…
“In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.” – Solomon
This is what we do, now we don’t have the herds, and flocks, and fields of Solomon, or the fame, power, and wealth for that matter. But we are looking for happiness in our brief life in this world. We try to find it in all kinds of places, we try money, we try houses, we try the perfect vacations, we turn to people, and sex, and substances and none of it works…all of it leaves us wondering where this life to the full is found. And you know what makes it even more tragic? As we search and search and search what makes this even more scary is time continues to roll on, and another week, then another month, then another year goes by and it’s Thanksgiving again and here we sit wondering and still searching for this elusive life to the full thing. Frustrated, tired, and really wondering why we don’t have this thing that Sam keeps telling us about week, after week.
You know what is interesting, I think we know where true life is found. But for whatever reason it just seems to be the last place we want to turn, which amazes me. I guess it shouldn’t though, now that I’ve been on Facebook a couple of years I should understand people a little better by now. I mean we may know that life to the full comes from and in Jesus, we hear about it every week, and see it clearly in our Scriptures, but it just doesn’t seem to have the same sizzle as the big house would, or the nice new car would, or the vacation, or even the next big party. That stuff seems so much more enjoyable in the moment of now right? I mean imagine posting about this new life to the full you have in Christ on Instagram or Facebook! Ha, that certainly isn’t going to get as many likes or shares as the nice vacation, or the big home, or even the smoked turkey we put out there on Thanksgiving…it’s because the world keeps telling us that we should turn to anything other than God for life and life to the full. For me spiritually it’s like we have Jesus standing there welcoming us into this amazing life with him, but we keep being drawn towards the bright and shiny…and in the end, that spiritually is more like one of those bug zappers, the light looks nice but ZAP when we get there, we even see what it’s doing to our friend,s but it just keeps pulling us in. This is what we are up against. We want life and life to the full. We keep trying to find it, but like Solomon we keep crossing off days on our calendars and none of it is getting it done and another year went by again, and we aren’t seeing life to the full, we are tired, frustrated, and feeling stuck spiritually.
So let’s go back to the big question of the day then, which is this…what is this life to the full thing, and where is it found? Well to start let’s go back to John 10, and take a step back from that one phrase in verse 10 to see what is happening around this, and let me show you the whole story Jesus is telling around that one verse that I always bring up…
John 10:1 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good — a sheep rustler! 2 The shepherd walks right up to the gate. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.” 6 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. 7 So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. 8 All those others are up to no good — sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for — will freely go in and out, and find pasture. 10 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. 11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd puts the sheep before himself, sacrifices himself if necessary. 12 A hired man is not a real shepherd. The sheep mean nothing to him. He sees a wolf come and runs for it, leaving the sheep to be ravaged and scattered by the wolf. 13 He’s only in it for the money. The sheep don’t matter to him. 14 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. 15 In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. 16 You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me: because I freely lay down my life. And so I am free to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own free will. I have the right to lay it down; I also have the right to take it up again. I received this authority personally from my Father.” MSG
So as we step back and see where John 10:10 is found, where we see this life and life to the full thing that Jesus told us he came to provide for us it’s in the middle of this beautiful illustration about the Good Shepherd and I want to pull out just a few highlights to help us today.
Couple highlights here from Jesus:
- John 10:3 He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. NIV
I love this, because Jesus is explaining just how personal and how loved we are by God. Think this through, the God of the universe knows you by name. You are His, and He leads us in a profoundly intimate and personal relationship which is so beautiful, and helps us see just how valuable we are to God, and absolutely shows us just how loved we are by God. Which is such an important thing to understand. This is step one in understanding and standing in life to the full. Getting to a place where you understand that you are loved by God and it’s this personal, and this much. There are so many examples of this that I could show you in Scripture, but I always love going here…
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NIV
Or maybe here…
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV
Ok, this is too fun, let’s look at one more…
Ephesians 2:4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. NIV
I could keep going here, but I will just stop after those three examples of God’s love and say this. While it is so hard to understand how God could love us this much, we must. If you do not understand just how much God loves you, I think you will really struggle to stand in life and life to the full. You see that peace and joy comes as we start to sense and wrap our minds around just how much God loves us.
- John 10:9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. NIV
This is such a big deal, Jesus is helping us see that He is the way to be saved. This is pretty clear, and is something that Jesus’ talks about…a lot. What’s funny to me, is we read this and then continue to look for other options or ways to be saved, because let’s face it surrendering our lives to Christ just seems like a drag in the moment doesn’t it? But we have to be careful, Scripture tells us there is only one way to God, to eternal life. Jesus is the gate and just a few chapters later He reiterates this calling himself The Way.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. NIV
So no it isn’t as flashy as other ways, but remember the bug zapper from earlier. If you are convincing yourself to chase the bright and the flashy, or some other way. I love you enough to let you know that you will never find what you are looking for. It will all be meaningless. It will never complete you. It may be fun in the moment, but if Jesus isn’t central, it will always be empty. Jesus is the way, He is the gate. And if you noticed, there is something about getting there through Him that I want to touch on real quickly here today…He said,
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” Jesus
Well I have heard of this pasture idea before…and I want you to see the idea of the pasture because this Jesus gate, is leading us to peace, and protection, and real rest for our souls, the kind we all desire. Check this out…
Psalms 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. NIV
Do you see what this pasture is, it’s peace, it’s rest…real rest for our souls, that is only found in following the Good Shepherd through Him, the only way to this kind of rest. Let’s read one more psalm here from David, as we do you can really feel the rest, the peace that can come from following Jesus…
Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. NIV
Imagine a life where we understand just how loved we are by God, and just how personally He knows us? Now imagine a life where we follow Jesus fully and get to a place where we can feel safe. Where we can have real peace for our souls. Where we don’t have to keep wanting, because the Good Shepherd has it, and is leading, providing, and protecting. This is a different way to live, even if you took note in the Psalm there…even when difficulties come there is no fear, because God is in it with you. This is a different way to live isn’t it? Some might even say a life lived with this kind of contentment and peace, and love may start to look like this life to the full thing we are searching for. I know, I know there is no big crazy parties in that pasture, there is nothing with the kind of sizzle the new car could provide for your social media, but imagine a life lived this centered and focused on just those two concepts. The love of God, and the amazing way through Jesus to peace, and rest for our souls…but there is still one more gift we must look at to really see this life to the full thing, and that is Jesus and His ultimate gift of The Cross…
- John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” NIV
So this is it right? I mean right in the middle of all we believe is Jesus, a blood stained cross, and an empty tomb. This is the ultimate expression of love right? And it is something we must focus on and understand. Everything comes back to this moment of the Good Shepherd laying down His life for us. The Bible even tells us that this moment here, what Jesus did for you and for me on the Cross, this is where we go for inspiration, and energy, and life…even when we are struggling. It all comes back to Jesus, a blood stained cross and an empty tomb. We are never to lose sight of this moment, this is our focus, and where we go even when we are struggling…and questioning our faith.
Hebrews 12:2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! MSG
Do you see it? This is where we find life and life to the full. It’s found in the Good Shepherd. If you find yourself struggling to find life to the full, if you find yourself hearing me bring up this life that Jesus told you he came to provide for you and you are looking around at your own life, thinking…”where is this for me?” I want you to know that it is only found in one place. It isn’t found in money. It isn’t found in cars, or houses, or vacations, or people, or sex, or drugs, or anywhere else. It is only found in Jesus. If you are struggling to find this life to the full thing I want to challenge you today to look for it in Jesus. Stop looking at your ordinary life as not enough and see it with eternal eyes, maybe for the first time. I believe this is why Paul says this…
Romans 12:1 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
So today I wanted to talk to you about life. Not just life though, I wanted to talk to you about this life to the full thing. I wanted to do it by speaking through some really profound Scriptures. Because I think for so many of us we can’t figure out where this new life in Christ, this amazing life to the full actually is found, and I just wanted to take this day and talk to you because I think we know where it’s found. We just keep moving towards the easier, or more fun, or more exciting things of today, but what is funny is like Solomon, we can win the day. We can have it all. We can look fantastic to the culture around us and still be completely empty inside…and what I’m offering you today is an opportunity to walk into more.
Life to the full is real. Life to the full can be yours and all you have to do is listen to and follow the Good Shepherd into all that He has to offer you, which is more than you can possibly fathom and it happens as we focus on God and begin to wrap our minds around the personal and amazing love for us, while understanding that Jesus is the only way to salvation, to real rest for our souls, as we stay focused on Jesus and all that He did for us on the Cross.
Imagine a life free from all the wanting and competing. Imagine a life where your joy isn’t effected by your immediate circumstances. Imagine a life where even in the difficult times of your life there is inner strength, and peace…and focus. This is what life to the full actually looks like, it just may not look as sharp on social media as the next big thing…which years from now, will seem so empty.
So where are you at with this today? Can you focus on the Good Shepherd? Can you wrap your mind around this today…or will we continue to cross days off the calendar chasing the next shiny thing, and picking our heads up next year in time to eat turkey again? I believe Jesus when He told us this…
John 10:10 …I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV
I just think we have to look at life with eternal eyes or we will always wonder where it is. Focus on God’s love for you, and how personal that is, and just how valuable you are to Him. Recognize that He is the way, the only way to this full life…and never lose sight of the Cross.
So maybe the question isn’t where life to the full is found, because I think we know it’s found in Jesus. I think the question may be better asked this way, are you willing to follow the Good Shepherd to it?
This can be a challenging thing to think about, especially with all the fun we could have today.