TEXT: 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.
John 10 speaks about Jesus being the “Good Shepherd”!
He contrasts Himself with false shepherds—leaders or influences that
drain, mislead, or harm. These thieves can be SIN, which steals
peace; FEAR, which steals rest; FALSE TEACHING, which steals
truth; EMPTY AMBITIONS, which steals contentment. But the Abundant life is what happens when
the true Shepherd leads,
protects, and nourishes God’s people.
· 1st
Peter 2:25: For you were as sheep going astray; but are now returned
unto the SHEPHERD (poimen’) [a shepherd; pastor] and BISHOP (epis’kopos) [superintendent;
overseer] of your souls.
· 1st
Peter 5:4: And when the chief Shepherd (archipoi’men) [a head-shepherd] [in
order; place; time; rank] (CHRIST) shall
appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
The “crown of glory” in 1ST Peter 5:4 speaks of the eternal reward Christ, the Chief Shepherd, gives to faithful shepherds of His flock. Also, to them that believe in Him and the One that sent Him. The word “CROWN” points to a victor’s wreath or prize of honor, not merely a royal crown: and “GLORY” speaks of honor, praise, and divine approval. Peter emphasizes that this crown “fadeth not away” showing that unlike earthly recognition, Christ’s reward is everlasting and unfading. It is the Lord’s promise that faithful service done in humility, love, and obedience will be openly honored by Him at His appearing. The word “appear” in this verse is the Greek word phanero’o, meaning to render apparent (evident; plain; obvious; clear; visible; manifest) within us God’s people. This appearing is not out in the sky, but within us! Greater is he, that is WITHIN YOU, than he that is in the world (1st John 4:4).
ABUNDANT is the Greek root word peris’so meaning in the sense of beyond; superabundant (in quantity)
or superior (in quality); excessive; beyond measure; having the advantage; exceedingly
abundantly above; a great deal. LIFE is Zoe, meaning life in the
absolute (complete; perfect); eternal; everlasting]. Life as God Himself has in Himself!
·
John 5:26: For
as the Father has life (Zoe) in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself!
This ZOE
LIFE is the life man was alienated (estranged; turned away) from in Genesis, but man has now been
restored back to this ZOE LIFE (ABUNDANT LIFE) through Christ
Jesus! Jesus said:
·
John 3:15: Whosoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal (quality) life: vs 16: God so loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have
everlasting (unending) life.
·
John 14:6: “I
am the way, and the truth, and the life”!
This ETERNAL
and EVERLASTING LIFE is the ABUNDANT LIFE we receive by coming to
KNOW (understand; recognize; fully discern; acknowledge) the Father and the Son that is sent to
us (John 17:3).
WHAT ABUNDANT LIFE IS NOT:
more money; more comfort; more success. Scripture consistently
shows that material abundance is not the measure of God’s blessing, and
Jesus warns against equating life with possessions.
· Matthew
6:24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon (mamonas’) [(confidence, as related to wealth, personified);
avarice (deified)] [to elevate; worship; or
regard someone or something as if they were a god].
The phrase “the abundant life” refers to a way of
living that is full, meaningful, and satisfying. It often implies
experiencing joy, fulfilment, and purpose beyond material wealth or
possessions. Many people associate the
abundant life with having strong relationships, personal growth, and
a sense of well-being that comes from living in alignment with one’s values and
beliefs.
·
John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief
cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
might (du’namai)
[to be able or possible: can (could); may; be of power] have life, and
that they might have it more
abundantly”.
The Abundant
Life scripture here contrasts two forces: THE THIEF who steals,
kill, and destroys: and JESUS who give life “more abundantly” (perisson) [exceedingly
beyond what is expected]. This is a life overflowing in depth and purpose:
referring to a life not about wealth, status, or comfort, but a life
that’s full, meaningful, a spiritually rich life rooted in knowing God, not a promise of material prosperity. Yet I do believe that
God wants His people to have the best, but we must put God first!
·
Matthew 6:31: Therefore, take no
thought, saying, “What shall we eat”? Or “What shall we drink”? Or “Wherewithal
shall we be clothed”? Vs 32: For after all these things do the
Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these
things. Vs 33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
When the Israelites left Egypt, they didn’t go out empty
handed: Exodus 12:35: And the children of Israel did according to the
word of Moses: and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels
of gold, and raiment: vs 36: And the LORD gave the people favor
in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent (sha’al’) [inquire; request; demand;
ask; desire; borrow] unto them such things as they required. And they
spoiled (natsal’)
[to snatch away; recovered; strip] the
Egyptians.
Deuteronomy 28 [the blessings of obedience]:
vs 1: And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently
unto the voice of the LORD thy God to observe and to do all his commandments
which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high
above all nations of the earth: vs 2: And all these blessings
shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of
the LORD thy God. Vs 6: Blessed shall thou be when you come in
and blessed shall thou be when thou go out. Vs 8: The LORD shall
command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou set
thine hand unto: and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee: vs 10: And all people of the earth shall see that
thou art called by the name of the LORD and they shall be afraid of thee. Vs
11: And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy
body and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the
land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers to give thee. Vs 12:
The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure (owtsar’, a depository (storehouses;
cellars; armoury; garners), the
heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work
of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not
borrow. Vs 13: And the LORD shall make thee the
head, and not the tail: and thou shall be above only, and thou shall not be
beneath: if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which
I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.
The same
God that said that to natural Israel, is saying the same thing to His spiritual
Israel, that we now are today!! THE SAME GOD THEN IS THE SAME GOD NOW!!!
·
Malachi 3:6a: I
am the LORD, I change not!
·
Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Jesus Himself said: Matthew 6:31: Therefore,
take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or wherewithal
shall we be clothed? Vs 32: (For after all these things do the
Gentiles seek): for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these
things. Vs 33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
· Philippians
4:19: My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus.
WHAT COMES WITH THIS ABUNDANT
LIFE?
Spiritual
richness – a restored relationship
with God.
· Genesis
1:26: And God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creeps upon the earth. Vs 27: So, God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. Vs
28: And God blessed them and God said unto them, be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that
moves upon the earth.
In the beginning God and man (male/female) had a spiritual
love relationship! God didn’t have to give Adam (male/female) a law
saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul,
and with all thy might”, because they were created with the “love”
of God within them. They knew to LOVE God and His creation with their
entire being, because it was LOVE that created them! Therefore, LOVE
preceded (came before in time, order, or rank) everything else
that God did in His creation.
John 4:24, God is Spirit! 1st
John 4:8b: God is love! Therefore, “love is Spirit”! So, it
is right to say, Genesis 1:1: In the beginning LOVE created the heaven
and the earth.
But when Adam disobeyed the LORD God, he moved himself out
of that love relationship he had with God and lost his dominion,
authority, and power with God. Adam (male/female) fell from immortality
back into mortality.
When God gave the ten commandments to the Israelites in
Exodus 20, there was not a law saying anything about “love”. But He does
mention “LOVE” in the commandments He gave them in Deuteronomy 6:1: Now
these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements, which the LORD
your God commanded to teach you that you might do them in the land whither you
go to possess it? Vs 2: That thou might fear the LORD, thy God,
to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee, thou and
thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life: and that thy days maybe
prolonged. Vs 3: Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it;
that it may be well with thee, and that you may increase mightily as the LORD
God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that flows with milk and
honey. Vs 4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: vs
5: And thou shalt LOVE the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy might. Vs 6: And these words which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.
After the fall of creation, the command to love God was
given, not before the fall, remember the Adam race didn’t need a law to
tell them to love God.
Revelation 2 [the message to the church in Ephesus]:
Vs 5: Remember (mnemoneu’o) [to exercise memory; recollect; rehearse; make
mention; be mindful] therefore
from whence thou art fallen (ekpip’to) [to drop away; be driven out of one’s
course; to lose; become inefficient] and repent (metanoe’o) [to
think differently] and do the first
(pro’tos)
[foremost [in time, place, order, or importance]; first day, former, before, beginning]
works: or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy
candlestick (luchni”a)
[light producer] out his place.
What are the first works? The “first works”
refers to the original acts of faith, love, and devotion that
believers demonstrated when they first encountered God and entered
relationship with Him. In the context of Scripture, especially in
Revelation 2:5, Jesus urges believers to return to the passion, sincerity,
and spiritual commitment they had at the beginning of their walk with Him.
It’s about recapturing that initial spiritual richness—a restored
relationship with God, fueled by genuine love, trust, and obedience—before
distractions or complacency set in.
“First works” are those foundational expressions
of love for God and others, such as prayer, worship, service, and
seeking God’s kingdom above all else, as highlighted in Matthew 6:33. They
represent the pure motivation and wholehearted dedication that originally
characterized the believer’s life, before anything else took precedence.
Returning to these “first works” is a call to rekindle spiritual
vitality and intimacy with God our Heavenly Father.
Remember, the definition of fallen is to drop
away from, to be driven out of one’s course, and become inefficient in one’s point
of origin or original acts which was faith in God, love for God, and
being devoted or committed to the command of God. Therefore, the Adam (male/female)
race of people, through disobedience, also lost their original position of dominion,
authority, and power. They moved out of the divinity of God back into their
humanity!
Mark 12 [Jesus speaks of the great command]:
vs 28: And one of the scribes came and having heard them reasoning
together and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, which is the
first commandment of all? Vs 29: and Jesus answered him, “The first of
all the commandments is, hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord: vs
30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandant. Vs 31: And the second is like, namely this, “Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. There is no other commandment greater than
these.
There is only one commandment now, and that is to love!!!
Romans 13:8: Owe no man anything but to love one another; for he that
loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Therefore, to have the abundant life of
spiritual richness, we must restore relationship with God through faith,
love, and obedience to His Word and not be distracted by other outside
sources, but maintain and retain relationship with the source, God
Himself!!
WHAT ELSE COMES WITH THIS
ABUNDANT LIFE?
Inner
peace and joy – that circumstances
cannot take away.
ABUNDANT LIFE is a CALL TO
PEACE!
The prophet Isaiah said: Isaiah 26:3: Thou will
keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee.
Peace in this verse in Hebrew is shalowm’ meaning
safe; well; happy; friendly; healthy; prosperous. It goes to another root
word shalam’, meaning to be safe (in mind, body, or estate); to
(make) completed.
This touches the total man, all the areas that
Jesus said we must love the Lord with, heart, soul, mind, and body (Mark
12:30). This is the only way we can be made perfect in God through
Christ Jesus, by the power of the Holy Ghost that lives in us!
· 2nd
Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new (kainos’) [new in
freshness] (of form or quality) creature (ktis’is) [original formation]: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are made new (fresh).
This being in Christ, is not just having Christ in you the hope of glory
(Colossians 1:27) only, but you and I must “be in Christ”. When
this happens, then we have returned to our original formation, which is
the same formation the Adam (male/female) race had before the
fall, which was a “LOVE RELATIONSHIP” with our Creator God! Or we’ve remembered and returned to the
“first works” [faith, love, and obedience], which is a call to a rekindled
spiritual vitality and intimacy with God!!
The ABUNDANT LIFE is
our appropriation of the PEACE He grants which is conditional upon:
· Our Trust in God: (Isaiah 26:3)
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because
he trusteth (batach’)
[refuge; confidence or assurance] in thee.
· OUR LOVE FOR HIS WORD: (Psalm 119:165) Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend
them.
· THE WORK OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: (Isaiah 32:17)
And
the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness
quietness and assurance forever.
· James 3:18: And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make
peace.
ABUNDANT LIFE is a CALL TO
JOY!
The prophet Nehemiah is sent to rebuild the walls of
Jerusalem. In chapter six the walls were finished and in chapter eight the law
is read and explained:
·
Nehemiah 8:10: Then he said unto
them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto
them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither
be ye sorry; for the JOY (chedvah’) [rejoicing; gladness] of the LORD is your
strength (maowz’)
[fortified place; defense; fortress; fort; rock].
That’s the point of us casting (tossing; throwing) all
our care (mer’iman)
[distractions; solicitude; anxieties] on Jesus Christ because He careth (mel’o) [to be of
interest to; to concern; it matters] for us (1st Peter 5:7).
Abundant
life includes divine health:
· Isaiah
53:5: He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his
stripes we are healed. (1st Peter 2:24)
In Isaiah 53:5, TRANSGRESSIONS point to
acts of rebellion—the willful crossing of God’s boundary—and in the
Hebrew text comes from pesha‘, meaning a willful breach against
God’s authority. INIQUITIES go deeper to the inner crookedness,
corruption, and guilt within fallen humanity, and comes from the
Hebrew word ‘avon, meaning crookedness, perversity, or
inward moral distortion. In other words, Jesus was wounded
for what we have done wrong and bruised for what has been wrong
within us. Thus, Christ’s suffering addresses both the outward offense
and the inward condition, showing the fullness of His redemptive work.
· 3rd
John 2: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be
in health, even as thy soul prospers.
Abundant
life includes eternal and everlasting life:
· John
3:15: Whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Vs 16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Both words eternal and everlasting are from the
same root word aio’nios, meaning perpetual (of past or future); since the world began;
forever. / aion’) [an age; perpetuity (also past); ever (more). These
words stress time in their unbroken duration. Eternal life stresses
the quality of life; everlasting life stresses its length (unending).
· John
5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, “He that hears my word and believe
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”.
What we go through is of interest and concern to
God! He sent Jesus Christ His Son to deliver us from all frustration and worries,
or all the attacks of the enemy!
·
Hebrews 4:15: We have not a high
priest which cannot be touched (sumpathe’o) [to feel sympathy with; to commiserate;
have compassion] with the feeling of our infirmities (asthen’eia)
[feebleness (of body or mind); malady; frailty; weakness; diseases; sickness;
without strength]; but was in all points tempted (peera’zo) [to test; endeavor;
scrutinize; enticed; disciplined; examined; proven; try] like as we are, yet without sin.
This tells us that Jesus fully entered the human
experience, facing every kind of temptation and struggle people
encounter—whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. The phrase “all
points” shows that He was touched in heart, soul, mind, and body, yet
without sin. He was not shielded from pressure, pain, or testing, and this
qualifies Him to be a compassionate and understanding advocate for us. Matthew
4:1-11 shows this clearly in His wilderness temptation, where He overcame the
devil by the Word of God, saying, “It is written.” In the same way, we
also overcome by the Word of God.
These are the areas Jesus said we must love the Lord with
stated in Mark 12:30—heart, soul, mind, and strength—and they are
echoed again in Revelation 4:7: And the first beast was like a lion,
and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and
the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
Why is man referred to as a beast? Beast here is zo’on meaning a live thing; an
animal. Each of these beastly natures that’s in man must be
conquered by the Spirit of the Living God.
·
1st Corinthian 15:32: I
fought with beasts (theriomache’o) [to be a beast-fighter (in the gladiatorial show); to
encounter (furious men)] at Ephesus.
·
Jude 10: But these speak evil of
those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute (al’egos) [irrational;
unreasonable] beasts (zo’on) [a live thing; an animal], in those things
they corrupt (phthei’ro) (phthio) (to pine or waste); to shrivel or wither; to spoil
(by any process) or to ruin (by moral influences; to deprave); defile; destroy]
themselves.
What things cause us to become corrupt? The beastly
nature of the lion, the calf, the face of a man, and the flying eagle, spoken
of in Revelation 4:7 that hasn’t been totally yielded to God to be
cleansed by the Word of God and purged or purified by the fire of God! But
God has given us a way out through Jesus the Christ!
John the Baptist said he was baptizing with water unto
repentance, but in relation to Jesus, John said, "He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
This means that while JOHN’S BAPTISM with water was
an outward expression of repentance (metan’oia)
[compunction; guilt; reformation; reversal, change of mind for the better]: Jesus’
baptism would be an inward baptizing bringing about a much
deeper spiritual transformation, of God’s people being baptized with the
Holy Ghost and with fire!
Why
the Holy Ghost? Because the
Holy Ghost is that which empowers us to do the works that Jesus
Himself did.
· Luke
10:19: I give unto you power (exousi’a)
[ability; authority; jurisdiction] to tread on serpents and scorpions
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
· Acts
1:8: You shall receive power (du’namis)
[enablement to perform miracles] after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you to be witnesses unto me.
And why with “fire”? Because the fire is that which purifies
and burns out of God’s people everything that is not like Him, just as fire
refines gold! It’s this refining
that gives us THE ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS!!!
THIS FIRE IS WHAT’S BRINGING US INTO THIS ABUNDANT LIFE!!
So, let’s praise God while we’re going through, because on the other side of
through is peace, joy, health, dominion, authority, power – THE ABUNDANT
LIFE!!!
Pastor Gracie Perry