Description
REDUNDANT OR ABUNDANT
JULY 25, 1999
ED YOUNG
Power in weakness. Strength in the storms of life. Adventure, exhilaration and excitement. Want to sign up for some of that? I do. I really do. And amazingly, that is the kind of life that God intends all of us to live. Christ condensed it in a single sentence when He said in John 10:10, “I came that they might have life and might have it abundantly.” What was Jesus driving at? Jesus was saying, don’t just exist, really live. It is not redundant but abundant.
When I say the word abundant or abundance, what comes into your mind? I want to share with you what this word actually means and to do this I have got to use some bottled water. I need a volunteer to really make this happen. Every time I say I need a volunteer, it is amazing how people lose eye contact with me. Let me see, whom can I pick on. I am going to pick, once again, my good friend, Thomas Cross, right here on the front row. I know Thomas well, he is not embarrassed to come up here. I would never embarrass anybody.
Thomas, you are going to help me illustrate abundance. Now you know, Thomas is definitely abundantly tall, he used to play professional basketball years ago. Thomas come right over here. I am going to take this water bottle and unscrew the cap and give it to you. We are talking about abundance now, what Jesus was getting at. I want you to begin to pour water into the glass and I will tell you when to stop. Jesus said that He came so that we might have life and have it abundantly. And the word abundance means overflowing. Life to the full. I am talking about something that is so awesome, something that is so great that it spills over into every area of our lives. (Glass filled to overflowing.) Thank you, Thomas, very much.
Some of you might be saying that your life is not an abundant life, that it is not overflowing. It may not be really happening for you. If that is you, we are going to have fun this morning. The secret to abundance is found in these objects that I have brought up here today. The glass and the water, the door and the crowbar.
This past week I spent some time with an interesting gentleman. This man was in his early sixties. He used to run a pub in England where Clapton and Hendrix and Sting performed. From there he moved to the Seashell Islands off the eastern coast of Africa. He has lived in Mexico also. Now I love to pick up on idiosyncrasies of people, especially the way they talk and walk. While I was talking to this gentleman who had long flowing, gray hair, I noticed that he would say something over and over again. Every other sentence would be; wow. Wow. I would say something, just a normal comment. He would go, wow. That’s like wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. He said it so much, I started saying it. Wow.
If your life, if your walk with the Lord, is not characterized by wow, then something is wrong. Now I know that we have some people here who are not in on the Christian life. But for those of us who are walking with the Lord, it should be wow.
Well, let’s back up a little bit to John 10:9. In John 10:10, Christ talked about abundance. But look what He discussed in verse 9 of chapter 10. “I am the door…” Not a door, the door. He used the definite article. “I am the door…” Why, I ask you would Jesus choose to compare Himself to a door? Well, back in Biblical times people understood what shepherding was all about. Several months ago I did an entire series on the Twenty-third Psalm, where we dissected the whole deal about the sheep and the shepherd and how the Psalmist used that to relate to our connection with God. You can pick that series up in the bookstore. But, when Jesus said that He is a door, He was referring to a sheepfold and a shepherd. Shepherds would tend their sheep and as the sun was setting, they would have to create a little makeshift corral known as a sheepfold. They would use some shrubs and rocks but leave a little opening at the front of the sheepfold. Once the flock was inside the sheepfold, the shepherd would lie across the opening when he would sleep. He would literally become the door. So when Jesus said, “I am the door…” He was talking about Himself being the good shepherd, laying down His life for His sheep, becoming the door.
What if Christ had said, I am the mountain? All of us couldn’t scale it. What if He had said, I am an obstacle course? All of us couldn’t negotiate it. What if He had said, I am a combination? All of us couldn’t have cracked the code. I am so happy, aren’t you, that Jesus compared Himself to a door, something very simple, very basic. A door is not to be admired. Wow! A door is to be used. And it is all about the door. The door denotes a separation, doesn’t it? Scriptures says that we are alienated, there is something between ourselves and God. And this barrier of badness is called sin.
God, who loves you and me so much, carved a door in this barrier called sinfulness by giving us His only Son to die, be buried and rise again. God did that. I didn’t deserve it. You can’t merit it. He just did it because He loves us and because He wants us to go through the door and get in on His sheepfold and in on the great life He has in store for us. So don’t ever forget the door.
Now some of you think that you have gone through the door just because you know the doorkeeper. Some of you think you are through the door because you know the people inside the sheepfold. That doesn’t mean that you have walked through the door. I want to ask you a question that will show how really, really old I am. How many of you remember the game show called Let’s Make A Deal starring Monte Hall? I think it may still be playing on some of the cable channels. Let’s Make A Deal was a wacky show. People dressed up in wild costumes. The host, Monte Hall, would make deals with them. Everything was building to the big deal of the day. The big deal of the day was a choice between door number 1, door number 2 or door number 3. They had a beautiful model, Carol Merrill, showing you the different doors. The person would pick a door. Inevitably the person would pick the wrong door. It would swing open and Monte Hall would say, “Oh, you blew it. You messed up. You have a four-week supply of Johnson Turtle Wax. You should have chosen door number 3. Behind that door was a Ferrari and a trip to the Fiji Islands. Sorry. Thank you very much for playing Let’s Make A Deal.”
Jesus isn’t saying He may be door number 1, might be door number 2 or perhaps door number 3. Christ is not saying let’s make a deal. He is saying, I am the big deal of the day. I am it. I am the door.
He continues, “…if anyone enters through me…” Anyone. I don’t grocery shop very much. But several nights ago I took Lisa about 9:30 to Tom Thumb. I told her to go in and I would wait in my truck. I was sitting there watching people. I just looked at those electronic doors. They are amazing. Wow! I watched people walk up to them. I watched a white guy walk up and once he got near the electronic door, it opened and he went in. I watched a black lady walk up to the door. It opened and she went in. I watched someone who didn’t look like they had very much walk up to the electronic door and they went in. I watched one old Texan with the big gold Rolex walk up. He went in. Whoever walked up to the door, the door opened, and they went inside.
Anyone, any time, anywhere can walk through the door. It is our choice. It is our option. Jesus said, “I am the door, if anyone enters through me he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture.” Saved refers to safety. In and out refers to confidence. Finding pasture refers to satisfaction.
Let’s break each one down for a second. What does it mean to be saved? Have you ever heard someone say, “Hey, I got saved.”? What in the world are they getting at? Being saved is usually used in a futuristic type way. “I am saved. I have got a ticket to heaven. I am in the club, in the sheepfold. I am saved.” Yes, being saved does refer to the future, but also it refers to the past and the present. Salvation refers to the past. Suddenly, by receiving Christ and going through the door, I can break the penalty of sin. In others words, I don’t have to worry about these skeletons in my closet rearing their ugly head. I don’t have to worry about all the mess-ups that have accrued on my account last year and five years ago and twenty-five years ago. I don’t have to worry about that. So, once I am saved it is a past thing. Also, it is a present thing. I am saved from the power of sin. As I walk with the Lord day by day, doing life in His sheepfold, temptation has less of a pull on me. I don’t find myself falling in the same traps, for the same strategies, the same stuff that Satan throws my way. So, in the present, I am saved from the power of sin. In the future, I am saved from the presence of sin. We are all going to leave sin one day if we have entered through the door. When we move from this life to the next, we will live forever with the Lord, away from the presence of sin. That’s what it means to be saved.
How about to go in and out? Again, think back to the sheepfold. Think about the sheep grazing in the sheepfold. Well, the shepherd is the door and for the sheep to go in and out of the sheepfold, they have to cross over the shepherd. The sheep realized that the shepherd was the man, the boss, their caregiver. It gave them a confidence, a power. Do you have that? Are you walking in that? Because, if you have entered through the door, if you are saved, you should go in and out. This in and out phrase also refers to traveling in ancient times. If you could travel from one country to the next in safety, it meant that everything was hunky-dory in your nation. It meant that you had a powerful leader. You could go in and out, in and out. And Jesus said, I send you out in a world full of wolves. Does that sound like your office? Does that sound like your school? Does that sound like your family? Jesus said it. We will be saved. We will go in and out.
Also, we are going to find pasture. Soul satisfaction. The hole in our heart will be filled. And if we could see the pasture our Good Shepherd has for us, we would not believe it. Pasture has to do with nourishment. The shepherd can lead the sheep to the grass but the sheep have to eat. Jesus tells us where to feed. We are to feed corporately on the word of God like we are right now. Also, we are to feed individually. We have got to nourish our souls. We have got to feed on scripture, on worship, on Christian relationships, on the things of God and then and only then will be discover the overflowing life. Not redundant but abundant.
The door. Why, though, are so many people struggling with what I referred to? Why are so many people struggling with going in and out and finding pasture and really being nourished? Why? Why? Why? Jesus answered that question for us. Let’s read on. He talked about the thief. That is why I have a crowbar here. He gives us Satan’s mission statement in John 10:10. Now before I read on, you might be wondering if I really believe in a personal devil. After all I have been to high school, through college, done post graduate work and you wonder if I actually believe in a sinister evil force out there that wrecks havoc on our planet. Yes. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look around here and go, whoa, there is some personal bad force out there. Yes, I believe in Satan and the realm of the demonic. Yes. And Jesus tells us what he is all about. He tells us his strategy, his mission statement. “The thief comes only to steal…” That means he lies in wait. “…to kill…” That means open combat. “…and destroy…” That means that he is plotting and scheming in your life and mine. He wants to steal, kill and destroy.
Jesus said, I came that they might have life and have it abundantly, a life overflowing. The thief, though, comes to steal, kill and destroy. He doesn’t want us to live a life of fullness. He wants us to live a life of emptiness. (Pours out all the water.) Emptiness. That is what he wants for you. That is what he wants for me. Emptiness. And he uses his cosmic crowbar, doesn’t he, to really get after us?
I want to talk to you a little bit about something, something very, very vital. Everything God has created is good. Yet, Satan, the thief, has a counterfeit for everything that God has fashioned. For example, let’s take food. I love food, don’t you? Have you ever thanked God for the fact that we can taste? What if everything tasted like asparagus? I love asparagus, but I am glad that there are other tastes. Food should be fuel for our bodies. The Bible talks about our bodies being a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. And we should put good things into our bodies. I thank God for my sense of taste. You should to. Well, the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He takes food, something good, something God has created and we have obesity. We have people with cancer and heart conditions just because of the trash they put in their bodies. We have bulimia and anorexia. The thief comes to counterfeit, to steal, kill and destroy something good God has created.
Think about our self-esteem. God, if you read His word, is right on concerning our self-esteem. We are to see ourselves the way God made us, nothing more and nothing less. See this lady right here? Would you raise you hand just for a second? Right there on the front row. Would you raise your hand? God made you the way you are for a reason. He gave you your look, your personality, your gift mix just for this time in history. You should see yourself the way God sees you. See this man right here? Same thing. This lady right here. Same thing. This skinny, loud-mouthed guy, myself, the same thing. Same thing. Well, the evil one comes along, the thief uses his cosmic crowbar and he wants us to have a poor self-esteem. So he counterfeits our self-esteem and says, don’t see yourself the way God sees you. See yourself the way others see you. Worry about what your neighbor thinks. Worry about what you friend thinks. Worry about what this group thinks. Worry about what the magazines tell you. That is a formula for frustration. The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.
How about our possessions? God has given all of us material goods. As I said awhile back, some of us have small piles and other medium piles. Still others have Bill Gates jumbo piles. It is all from God. And God says that possessions are good when you understand where they came from and you are good stewards of them. Well, the evil one comes along and he uses the crowbar again to counterfeit what God has created. The evil one wants our possessions to possess us. He tells us, “You did it. It is yours. Have a tight grasp on your things.” The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.
Sexuality. God is pro-sex. He thought it up. He invented it. He wants us all to have abundant sex. What is abundant sex? It is doing sex within God’s guardrails, one man and one woman in the context of marriage. That is what sex is reserved for. Well, the evil one comes to steal, kill and destroy with pre-marital sex, homosexuality, child molestation, just go on down the line.
How about our emotions? God has given us emotions. Have you ever thanked God for the opportunity we have just to laugh? Isn’t it great to laugh? It is even great to get angry. The Bible says get angry but don’t sin. We should get angry about certain things. If you are not angry now and then, something is wrong. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. The thief says, laugh at someone else’s expense. Make fun of them. Rip them apart. Laugh at the off-color joke. The thief also says rage on this person. Just let your temper go wild. Throw things. Hurt people.
The arts. We serve a creative God. We are made in His image. We are to be creative and it makes God’s heart beat fast when we draw and paint and sing and create in our own unique ways. There are some creative, good television shows out there, especially fishing shows. There are some excellent movies out there. Creative. The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. Take a look at what is on right now at the movies. “Eyes Wide Shut” The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. “American Pie” The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. “Southpark” The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy.
“Well, Ed, you don’t get it, man. Some of the shows that you just referred to, there is some good in them.” That’s the way the evil one works. He doesn’t do all bad. He mixes a little bit of truth with all of his lies and trash. He has always operated that way. Hey, father, would you let your children play around with a serial killer? I am flabbergasted when I hear of parents and what they are exposing their children, and jr. and sr. high school students to. I don’t get it. I don’t want to waste your time and mine giving you graphs and charts of how our society is heading. We are definitely living the life and lifestyles that are preached to us by Hollywood. And I am not saying do not ever go to a movie that has a couple of cuss words in it. I will not get off on some legalistic trip. But we have got to talk about, to stand up regarding these issues.
God is doing a work in my life in this area. As you know, in June I went for a couple of weeks to Gulf Shores, AL to lead our Beach Retreats. We took about 500 students down there. We had a blast. I talked about parental issues. I talked about how to study the Bible. I talked about the abundant life. I talked about how these young people mattered to God. And I absolutely loved spending time with them. Well, after the Beach Retreat I returned to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and Lisa and I went out on a date. I had not seen her for awhile. I suggested a movie with Austin Powers, “The Spy Who Shagged Me”. I thought that would be hilarious. And believe me, Michael Meyers is funny. You know, the teeth and the outfit and all that. I was sitting there watching and after about 15 minutes I began to question if that movie was good for me. I know a lot of people who are outside the family of God, so not much surprised me, I had heard it before. But I wondered if I should be sitting there exposing myself to the trash, to a movie which has taken a gift of God, our sexuality, and laughed at it and made fun of it. It is the old garbage in, garbage out deal.
Then I wondered what kind of example I was setting. Here I had just been talking to all those young people about the Christian life and doing sex God’s way. I got up and walked out. I am glad I did. I missed some funny lines, I know. Remember, Satan always mixes truth in with the lies. Now, don’t leave here and say that Ed told you to never go to a movie again. I am not saying that. We can’t live our lives with blinders on, with earmuff on. Some people freak out on that stuff. I am not talking about that. We are to live in the world but not of the world. But I am saying that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. We have to think about our choices. We cannot let the evil one overtly take his crowbar and crowbar marriages, and families, and children, and relationships because of the trash to which we expose ourselves.
Also, we have got to get serious about security. This guy is not playing Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit or Tidally Winks. He is not playing Twister. He is playing for keeps. He wants to steal, kill and destroy. It is amazing how we are into security these days. We have LoJacks in our cars. We purchase dogs to protect our property. Some of us live behind walls and gates. We don’t want to be a victim of crime.
What kind of security system are you putting over your mind, men and women, your children, your business, your relationships, your heart. Once you put the system in, fill it with good things, things that honor God, things that reflect Him. And that is precisely why we have so many different program opportunities here at the Fellowship Church. We want to give you options. If you are a single parent, a single adult, a student, a young person, a married person, white collar, pink collar, knee-high or tree-high, whatever, we want you to serve here and make this your social life and your relational base. You need to understand the glass, the door and the crowbar.
Looking over my life, I am 38 now, I stand back in amazement because I could not have signed up for a more exhilarating life. I have been hurt a good bit. I have been banged up. I have had difficult days. I have had questions. But through it all, as I have walked with the Lord, lived out being saved, going in and out, finding pasture, building security to thwart the temptation and the fiery darts of the thief, it has been incredible. I could not have scripted a better life. Quite frankly, I cannot see how young people at the zenith of their lives can turn their backs on the Christian walk. If there was a better way to live, I would do it. I would find it. But I am here to tell you there is not a better way to live. Sign up for this life. Enter through the door. Live out these principles because God is saying it is not redundant but abundant. Abundant. Abundant. Abundant.