The Life of Abundance
John 11:1 • Sermon • Submitted
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This morning, I would like to take a look into God’s word, and have you turn with me into the Gospel According to John.
In the Gospel of John, find with me, Chapter 10 verse 10, and lets hear what Jesus has to say...
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
That’s a wonderful verse isn’t it? We find in this verse the harsh reality as well as the blessed reality. And of course we know that Jesus is giving us a lesson, by contrast, between the false shepherds and the True Shepherd. The previous two Sundays, we have given much consideration to the correlation between the True Sheep and False Sheep, the hired hand and the True Shepherd. The False Shepherd and the Good Shepherd.
As we have been studying and preaching the Gospel of John verse by verse, we have found that it contains “miracles,” performed by our Lord Jesus Christ. They also referred to as “signs”. They are not just miracles, but these are miracles that offer a message. We find that Jesus was indeed a miracle worker, but there was always a message behind the miracle, to show that Jesus is God’s answer to the need’s of man.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Need Is Jesus
We have seen, for example, Jesus first turned the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Why did He do that? Because the wedding ran out of refreshment. Jesus saw the need and provided refreshment.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Unbelief Is Jesus
Another example would be the miracle where Jesus was met by a man who was a royal official. He had a child who was deathly ill. In desperation, the royal official asked Jesus to come and heal the sick child.
48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”
What this royal official was in need of was the ability to believe. Jesus was not only the answer to man’s need, but He is the answer or the remedy to man’s disbelief.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Paralysis Is Jesus
Next, if you recall, there was a man who was laying by the Pool of Bethesda. He had been paralyzed for 38 years and was in need of healing. There was nothing he could do to help himself. He needed a miracle. He needed some other source to come along and fix his problem. Jesus told him take up his pallet and walk…and he did! The miracle had a message, God’s answer to the man’s paralysis is Jesus.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Hunger Is Jesus
From a little boys sack lunch, the Lord Jesus Christ fed 5,000 men plus women and children. All were filled and the left over scrapes were collected and amounted to more than they had started out with. You see, the miracle had a message, God’s answer to those that hunger, is that Jesus satisfies.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Fear Is Jesus
Out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, a great storm blew in. The disciples were out there in trouble. Their boat was surely about to capsize and all would drown in the dark black sea. But then Jesus comes walking on the water. The disciples were frightened, but Jesus said, “It is I, do not be afraid.” When they received Him into the boat, immediately the boat was safely at the land to which they were going. Again, the miracle had a message, God’s answer to those that are afraid in the storm, is Jesus.
God’s Remedy For Man’s Blindness Is Jesus
Jesus anointed the blind man’s eyes with clay and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man who had never seen anything since birth, washed the clay out of his eyes, and received his sight. A wonderful miracle indeed, but it to was a miracle with a message. God’s answer to man’s blindness is Jesus.
All of these miracles are wonderful and they occured just as the bible says, but their spiritual meaning is even greater.
We don’t like the subject of death. Most people would prefer not to talk about it. Why? Because death in and of itself doesn’t offer any hope does it? The good news is, death has been overcome. Jesus rose as victor over the grips of death. He has rendered death powerless. Satan a defeated foe! The tomb is empty. He’s alive forevermore!
Jesus never said, “I came that you may have death!”
Jesus has already testified as to why He came to this sin cursed earth, He said, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly!” This has nothing to do with the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel!
The life that never ends is the abundant life that Jesus has. And He came that you might have it!
God’s Remedy For Man’s Death Is Jesus
So we are talking about abundant life, that is what Jesus came to bring! Now get that! Hold on to it! Jesus came to bring abundant life! Do you believe that? He came to bring life to those who are dead, do you believe that? All of us were at one time spiritually dead in our trespasses and sin. We were dead as driftwood, until the word of God pricked our hardened hearts with conviction. And we were drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit!
Having established that Jesus is the giver of life, lets look into Chapter 11, and find and illustration of the last and most powerful of the seven miraculous signs in the gospel of John. It has been reported to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. Beginning in verse 14, Jesus makes an announcement, demonstrating His all knowing, omniscience.
14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.”
16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Let me draw your attention to this next verse. It really hold the key to this whole passage.
Look what it says to Martha...
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Again, why is it that Jesus came to this sin cursed earth? That you, believer, might have abundant life.
Paul said to the saints in the city of Ephesus.
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
…even as the rest!
You want to know what mankind's major malfunction is? It’s really one thing. they are spiritually dead. Without receiving life from Jesus Christ, they are dead men walking. Spiritual resurrection in Christ, is a complete act of love.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Some think they have life by the shirt collar.
Some think they’ve got the wind to their backs and sailing is going to be smooth.
Some think that time is on their side.
I hate to be the barer of bad news, life is but a vapor! If we could do an experiment on life, as Solomon did in Ecclesiastes, we too would conclude that all is vanity!
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.
39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.”
Here was a man that was absolutely, helplessly dead. Had been physically dead by now, 4 days. No ability to do anything on his own. Lifeless as last years corn crop. But then there came the voice of the Good Shepherd, ringing in the darkness of that cave, calling by name, “Lazarus, come forth.”
44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
As surely as he was completely dead, the man was now completely alive. But he was completely bound having been wrapped head to toe with a cloth. The object lesson here in this miracle is that when Jesus speak all of heaven and earth listens. Jesus gives life to those that He calls by name. He disrupts the curse of death and he sets free those who were once prisoners of death and decay.
Lazarus, though he had life, was still bound by the grave clothes. We find here the object lesson. Jesus commanded the mourners who were “with Him” to “Unbind him, and let him go.” Those who mourned hopelessly at the death of Lazarus, became witnesses to the miracle and therefore were undeniable witness’s to the power and authority of Jesus.
1 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him.
What a wonderful picture that we have of one who was helplessly dead. Lazarus who has been raised from the dead now reclines at the table in fellowship with the Son of God. Isn’t that wonderful? It is such a blessing and honor to have fellowship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Some people believe the Jesus’s way is difficult. Yet Jesus said “my yoke is easy, and my burden’s lite.” Any other way would be the broad-way that leads to destruction. So seek out the strait and narrow, though it may be the way less traveled, it leads to eternal life.
So Jesus is sitting at the with Lazarus, dining. There’s something else that we need to see. Look at this....
9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead.
The word had got around that Lazarus who had been dead four days, now lives. The crowds were coming to see him who had once been dead. Lazarus was bringing so much glory to Jesus, proving His power over death, look at what verse 10 reveals...
10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also;
He was more than a witness, he was living breathing evidence of the power of Jesus. And because he presented a threat to undermine the Jewish religionists position of power, they wanted him dead also.
Lazarus’s miracle was really a miracle with a message. His miracle offered the undeniable proof of the power of Christ Jesus. Like all the other miracles, they were signs that were given that we might believe that Jesus is who He says He is.
Lazarus was brought to life, and his physical body would again die.
In contrast, Jesus experienced death and by His own power, He was resurrected back to life, He abandoned that borrowed tomb and left His grave clothes as well. He ascended to Heaven and has taken His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. He is alive forevermore.
By and through Jesus, we too are guaranteed abundant life, a life that is eternal. We are promised a life that will be trouble free and without end. Isn’t that wonderful? We are promised that in the Fathers House are many rooms or dwellings. Yes sir! There is coming a day that we will trade the old rugged cross for a victors crown and wear a white robe! Why? Because we will run the race to win and will prove victorious in Christ!
That’s some good news, isn’t it?