GOD PROMISES A MORE ABUNDANT LIFE

By Jeff Rath 7-98

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Jesus Christ said here that he came that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly. Either Jesus Christ lied to us here when he said that he came that we might have life, and that we might have it more than abundant, or he told the truth. If he lied to us in this Word of God, then we might as well throw away this verse and the whole Bible, because an abundant life that is based on lies is not really abundant. But if he told us the truth when he promised a more than abundant life, then there must be resources that we can tap into in this Word of God, and these resources can be found in God’s Word if you know the keys to unlocking the truths therein. I’m sure that many people would be happy if they could just have a life that was abundant, but Jesus Christ said that he came that we might have a life that is more than abundant. This more than abundant life goes beyond just material abundance; it extends to life in all of its forms and all of its fullness.

Jesus Christ also said that there is a thief that steals, kills, and destroys. God is not that thief and Jesus Christ is not that thief. The thief is Satan, the Devil. Many believe that there is no Devil and that Satan is a myth. If the thief can convince you that he doesn’t exist, then he has free reign to steal, kill, and destroy. Then those who don’t believe in Satan, the Devil, blame God for the evil in the world. But God sent His son Jesus Christ the Messiah so that we could first of all have life, and then that we could have a life which is more than abundant. Also, part of the life which is more than abundant is God’s restoration of what the thief has stolen, killed, and destroyed in your life. That’s right -Jesus Christ came that we could have a life which is more than abundant, that we can have restored to us what has been stolen in the past, and to prevent the thief from stealing from us in the future.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

God promises that when we submit to Him and resist the devil [the thief], then that same thief will flee from us. But this will only happen when we submit to God and resist the thief.

One of the most basic keys to unlocking the promises of God is that we must know, understand, and believe that the Bible is the revealed Word and will of God: in other words, that the Word of God is the will of God. For most people this truth has been stolen and destroyed to the point that few believe that the Bible is God’s Word. Most people take an eclectic approach to the Bible to the end that they pick and choose what agrees with their personal beliefs. If we are going to find promises in God’s Word that help us manifest a more than abundant life, then we must believe that it is God’s Word and not just some religious book.

Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

It says here that God’s people have committed two evils: they forsook God who is a fountain and they hewed out their own cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Whenever God’s people forsake Him, the fountain of living waters, they invent there own religion, their own theology. These broken cisterns leak; when you put water in the top, it leaks out the bottom. This is religion - a partial truth that lacks power - and just when you need the power the most it is gone; it has leaked out. God is a fountain; God is an endless supply. God promises that the power is always there when you need it. In order to tap the resources of the more than abundant life we must come to God’s Word [the Bible]. That is how we seek God, who is the fountain of living waters.

Have you ever wondered what God wants you to do, or what he desires of you? Or have you ever wondered what the will of God is for you? Some people will get into philosophy or follow what some man teaches, but the only way to really know what God’s will is for us is to go to the Word of God.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

God wants us to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind. It is really that simple; we just put God first in our lives. The second commandment is similar - God wants us to love the family of God [our neighbors] as ourselves. We as Christians are not to advance ourselves by pushing others down. All too often, the way the thief operates today is to get Christians to attack each other instead of loving their neighbors as themselves. We should not partake in the stealing, killing, and destroying; we should help others manifest a life which is more than abundant. We cannot go about hewing out our broken cisterns, and then attacking any of our neighbors who don’t agree with our theology. We must love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; because He is a fountain, He sent Jesus Christ for us, and He gave us the family of God so we can love them as ourselves. We submit unto God by loving Him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Also, as we love our neighbors as ourselves we stand together with the family of God we resist the thief, and prevent him from stealing, killing, and destroying.

Hosea 4:6a My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

God says that his people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. What kind of knowledge? Today we live in a very enlightened and educated society, and this day and time is often referred to as the "information age." So with all of this information, data, and knowledge available to us, how can we be destroyed for a lack of knowledge? This cannot refer to a lack of knowledge of secular and worldly things. This lack of knowledge is a lack of knowing God’s Word. People have a lot of knowledge in their "broken cisterns," but because it is not an accurate knowledge of the Word of God, the thief can destroy them whenever he wants to.

In our great sports stadiums, people are referred to as sports fans. "Fan" is short for fanatic; these people get there hours before the game, wear team colors, and some even paint their faces and wear strange multicolor wigs while they cheer fanatically for their team. They are enthusiastic for their team, but when people get all excited about God’s Word, and they love God with their whole heart, soul, mind and strength - then most people think that there is something really wrong with them. Oh yeah, it’s OK to go a church service on certain holidays, but if you start getting excited about God and Jesus Christ and God’s Word, it is just not acceptable.

2 Pet 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

It says here that God has given us exceeding great and precious promises. This is either true or false; if it is true, then it must be available to receive what God has promised us. The thief wants to convince you that this is false. The thief wants to steal the promises of God away from you; he wants to kill your enthusiasm and zeal towards God; he wants to destroy your love for God and your neighbors.

III John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

God wants us to prosper and to be in health. These are just two aspects of the life which is more than abundant. God does not want the thief to steal health and prosperity from us. This is God’s promise for you and for me. If God promises it, then it must be available.

Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God is a fountain. God is rich. He is willing and able to supply our need according to His riches. This is another promise of God.

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

God makes it available for us not just to be conquerors, but He makes it available for us to be more than conquerors. Do you begin to see a pattern here? God promises us a life which is MORE than abundant; God promises us that we can be MORE than conquerors.

Ephesians 3:16 That he [God] would grant you, according to the riches of his [God’s] glory, to be strengthened with might by his [God’s] Spirit in the inner man;

Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

3:18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

All of these great and precious promises are available to us if we want to claim them. We need not have empty lives devoid of power where the thief steals from us at his will. God won’t leave us thirsting for truth with an empty broken theology; we have personal access to God, who is a fountain of truth. We can love the one true God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we can love our fellow believers as ourselves. We need not be destroyed for a lack of knowledge of God’s Word. God promises us that we can have health and prosperity. He promises He will supply our needs according to His riches in glory. God promises that we can be more than conquerors. God does this by strengthening us with might by His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by love, so that we can be filled with all the fullness of God. God promises us that we can have His power for abundant living.