So Jesus makes this clear comparison with Satan who enslaves and he comes to save.
So he comes to save the sheep, the enemy, Satan, demons, they come to enslave the sheep.
And then he says that he might come, he comes that he might have life and might have it more abundantly.
In this episode I'm going to be talking about the job description of Jesus.
In the last episode I talked about Satan's job description and it's under the rubric here of
the gates of hell shall not prevail. And so we're back at John 10 which is where I was in the last
episode and I'm just going a step further in verse 10 but I want to read the whole thing starting at
verse 7 because Jesus is describing who he is and why he came in John 10. So back at verse 7
So Jesus makes this clear comparison with Satan who enslaves and he comes to save.
So he comes to save the sheep, the enemy, Satan, demons, they come to enslave the sheep.
And then he says that he might come, he comes that he might have life and might have it more abundantly.
So Jesus is reinstating the purpose of humankind, the reason we've been placed on this earth.
So if you have your Bible turn to Genesis 1 because in Genesis 1 the first mandate
and the first purpose clearly defined for humankind why you and I were created and put
on this earth is way back at the very beginning of the Bible Genesis 1. Then God said let us make
man in our image according to our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him
male and female. He created them, then God blessed them and God said to them, here we go,
be fruitful and multiply. First he says have dominion, now he says be fruitful and multiply,
fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion, here he says it again, have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the
earth and God said see I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of the earth
and every tree whose fruit yields seed to you shall be for this shall be for food and also
every beast of the earth, every bird of the air, and everything that creeps on the earth in which
there is life I have given you. God saw that it was good and he made it very good evening and
morning the sixth day. So on the sixth day God creates man and woman. He makes this declaration
that we are to have dominion that we've been created on this earth to be fruitful and
multiply and basically to take life, to make life, to transform life. So it's not just
for our benefit, it's quite frankly about us also multiplying our seed into the seeds of others
and it's the nature of God. I live in Black Forest, Colorado which is just outside Colorado Springs
and I live on six and a half acres full of pine trees. So I've got thousands of pine trees on my
property. Pine trees create pine cones, and pine cones have little seeds within each leaf
of the pine cone, and they're there to produce more pine trees. There's a multitudinous of
pine trees inside one pine cone. My wife, Liz, loves flowers, and when she has a flower
that has bloomed, and then it dries out, inside that flower are hundreds, if not thousands,
of seeds. So everything that God does is about being fruitful, and multiplying, and taking
over, and having dominion. Jesus then says, let's go back to John 10, he makes an interesting
statement in that he said he's given us life, and it's life abundantly. It's that dominion
that being fruitful and multiplying, this multiplicity of abundance that's a part of
God's anointing, and it's calling on every person. Here's the word for abundantly, it's
perissos. Perissos in Greek literally means superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus,
ever and above, or over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the
ordinary, and more than sufficient. So when Christ says, I came that you might have a
life and might have it abundantly, he wants this overflowing, superabundant, profuse,
extraordinary life flowing out of us like streams, streams of living water. I love to
fly fish, and when I fly fish on streams, the water doesn't stop. The water where I
go fishing is abundant, it's strong, it's powerful, it's full of trout, because it's
an abundant stream, it's full of oxygen, it's full of life, and all along the edges
of the stream, there's trees, and there's moss, and there's beauty, because there's
life all around that stream. That's God's way for your life. Men and women, God's way,
if you'll follow his way, if you'll follow his kingdom, is superabundance. The abundant
life is the job description of Jesus. He comes to take sickness, he comes to take depression,
he comes to take oppression, and to set you free with this new life, the power of his
Holy Spirit flowing through your life. So I see three things, three things that are
part of the abundant life that Christ has, and I want to give them to you right now.
The first is a purpose for living. God gives us a purpose for living when we follow him.
When he talks about, I came that you might have a life, and might have it abundantly,
he wants you to have a purpose for your life. So Jesus said, in Matthew 6, let's just turn
there, turn to Matthew 6, because I don't want to miss anything here, it's just too
good. Matthew 6 is one of those great passages of scripture that we should probably memorize,
but starting at verse 25, Jesus says this, therefore I say to you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you
will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the
birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you, by worrying, can
add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass
of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat, or
what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek,
for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Now this is the verse, but
seek first the kingdom of God.
and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Probably the most noble of all verses in the Bible that if we will align ourselves with
the noble cause of the kingdom of God, we'll have a new purpose for living.
And with that purpose, finding that as the most noble, the most primary of life, God's
going to take care of the secondary.
He's saying, if you'll line up the primary, if you'll seek first the kingdom of God, I'll
take care, God the Father is saying to us, I'll take care of all those things that you
worry about, all these things that you concern yourself with.
Usually those are material things.
If you'll seek first the kingdom, I'll line up those secondary issues of your life.
I'll take care of that.
You don't need to worry.
Take your focus, the purpose of God, which is to seek first the kingdom of God.
So first of all, the abundant life is seeking first the kingdom of God and letting God add
things up, letting God take care of the secondary life.
So first of all, God gives us a purpose for living.
Second, God gives us provision for living.
So purpose for living, secondly, provision for living.
Right here in Matthew 6, Jesus goes through the things we worry about.
We worry about clothing, we worry about food, we worry about how we look, we worry about
our future, we worry about our job, we worry about our finances, and he says, seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things, food, clothing, job, finances
shall be added unto you.
If you will make Jesus and his kingdom the primary focus of your lives, what happens
in your heart is that when you start thinking kingdom, you start thinking king, Jesus, God
begins to form your mind and your heart in his direction.
That's what God does.
That's the abundant life is when we begin to discover the kingdom for our lives and
God's going to provide for you.
After being a missionary for 10 years, being a pastor now for over 20, I can tell you right
now that the reality is, is that when I make Jesus my king and I make the kingdom first,
it is extraordinary, it is actually supernatural what God does in the material areas of our
life.
Liz, if she were here, she would have testimony after testimony, story after story of where
God came through with mighty really signs and wonders in these areas because we've made
Jesus the Lord of our life.
We made him the king over our life.
So first purpose for living, second provision for living, and then third, which is really,
really important, power for living.
How do we do this?
How do we live the Christian life?
Well, you can't do it.
So the good news is you have power for living.
The bad news is you can't do it.
You don't have the power, but he does.
And so that's what was the dilemma of the disciples.
After Jesus rose from the grave, they didn't know what to do.
They were freaking out.
They were fearful of the authorities.
They're all hanging out in the upper room.
Nobody wants to go out.
They're afraid they're going to get arrested.
They're afraid they're going to be killed.
And then Jesus says, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you
shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of
the earth.
Well, that command is for every believer, men and women.
You can have the power of the Holy Spirit living within you.
If you will surrender to Christ, ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you, he will.
And it's a daily experience of giving over control, giving over our future, giving over
our vision for our lives to the Holy Spirit and saying, Holy Spirit, give me power to
live today for you.
God, give me power to surrender my lust, my jealousy, my envy, my worry over to you.
Fill me with your Holy Spirit.
And he does.
He comes.
He fills you with the spirit.
Liz and I did a teaching on the Holy Spirit channel.
You can look that up and empower you.
And we talk about the daily release of the power of the Holy Spirit over your life.
So that's what Jesus does.
That's the abundant life.
People of the world, people who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior do not
have that power.
We do.
They do not have the purpose that we have.
They do not have the provisions that we have.
And they do not have.
have the power of the Spirit working in their lives.
You do, if you're a Jesus follower.
If you're on Empower You, you're at the right place
because God's teaching you and training you
about this abundant life.
So that's the abundant life that only Christ can give us.
You can't find it through success.
You can't find it through having a lot of money.
You can't find it through having the perfect job.
As important as all those things are,
they will never suffice for the abundance
of knowing Jesus Christ in an intimate and powerful
and loving and kind and joyful and purpose-driven way.
Only Christ can do that.
So in my next talk, I wanna be talking
about the mission of Jesus and how God comes,
how this abundant life actually works itself out
in the world today.
So God bless you, and I hope this has been helpful to you.
I am Pastor Jim Stead, and I'm working
to evolve this community to deliver
abundant Seton Nevada organizations.
And so let me say that,
when I say people come to Jesus,
I mean people that are on the
right path to the Georgian portal.
So if you are a Christian,
I encourage you to ask,
if you are a Christian,
we wanna help you.
Don't be the first and don't be the last,