Dr Charles Stanley - Abundant Life

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God didn't save us to burden us. He didn't save us for struggle. He didn't save us,

nor to bring us down to defeat. He saved us at all that you and I may be

victorious in our walk, victorious in our life, victorious in our temptations,

victorious in our trials. Christ living within you is the victory and he says,

I've come to give you an abundant life and in essence Jesus Christ in you is the abundant life.

Christians are naturally focused on the arrival of Jesus on earth as a baby at this time of year,

but we shouldn't neglect thinking about why he came. Today's edition of In Touch,

the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley reminds us that Christ intends to do

even more for us than take us to heaven when we die. Celebrate the birth of Jesus by embracing

his abundant life. Would you turn to John chapter 10 and this is the third and the last

in our series of messages on why Jesus came? And we have mentioned the first is that he came

in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant that God promised Abraham that all the nations of

the earth would be blessed through him. And so his son Isaac Jacob Jacob had 12 sons, one of

whom was Judah through whom Jesus Christ was born and surely all the nations of the earth had been

blessed as a result of his coming. The second message was that Jesus Christ came in order to redeem

mankind. He says he was born of woman born under the law in order to redeem those they were under

the law that we might be free and liberated in him. And then in John chapter 10 Jesus very clearly

says there is the third reason that he came and to miss this reason is only to experience a part

of what God has for his children. So what does he mean when he says he came that you and I may have

life and heaven more abundantly. Let me ask you this. You know that Jesus Christ is living within you

today. You know that you say there came a time in your life when you accepted him but let me ask you

this. Since that time has your life been characterized by struggle wanting to do right but somehow

can't seem to do right. Wanting to be better, desiring to be better, promising to do better but

somehow falling back down to the lower level. Full of worry, heart aches, disappointments, things

about yourself you don't like. Maybe at times trying to live up to God's level and stand it

and somehow recognizing that you can't do it and so wanting to give up. The truth is my friend

that is where most of God's children are saved but they know nothing of an abundant life.

And let me tell you something. God the Father has never given his children anything with a tight

fist. Whatever he gives he gives in abundance. He gives flowing toward them. He says out of your

body shall flow rivers of living water. What is this abundant life Jesus came to give? What is the

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go places. But he says what that little baby was the light of the world that little baby is the

water of life that little baby is the bread of life that little baby is the shepherd of life that

little baby became the way the truth and the life and he said apart from him no man comes to the Father

he said I've come that you might have life abundantly what is it well I'd like to give you seven

words that best describe the life that God has intended for every single one of us he has made

provision for it it is yours for the acceptance yours for the believing of it and I'm going to tell

you my friend with all of my heart listen to me carefully God in heaven has past tense once and

for all and is present and likewise doing has done will do everything possible to make the abundant

life a living reality within you on Monday morning cues to win the Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday

he wants you to have the best the abundant life is life that it's best and he has provided that

for every single one of us he doesn't want you to go through life and one of these days end up

on the sick bed or suddenly an accident or whatever it might be all of a sudden your life is snuffed

out only having possessing and practically living out in your life only a portion of what he's

provided you who are parents don't you want the best for your children haven't you done your best

to provide the best for them do you want them to resist you and to rebel against you and to

refuse your gifts to refuse your instruction to refuse your wisdom to refuse your knowledge to

refuse your understanding and end up at 40 50 or 60 years of age and here you are still living

and them coming back to you saying I've wasted my life and that is exactly where most of God's

people are listen he says I've come to give you a life that is abundant then what is that life

here's what it is seven words the abundant life is an exchange life here's what he's offered us

when Jesus Christ came into our life that is Lord I give you my life and by faith I receive your

life as my life and from this moment on by faith I have all that Christ is living within me and

therefore able to live through me listen if the only thing you know about Jesus is that he died for

your sins that's only part of it listen that's the part of take care of you when you die what about

what you're living he said I came to give you an abundant life it begins the moment you say the

moment you begin to understand what this means your whole life is going to take on new meaning

it isn't going to church and reading the Bible and giving money and witnessing that's not the

abundant life that's the overflow of it and you say you may go to church for 40 years and never

experience the abundant life it is an exchange by faith I will receive your life as my life

and it is the life that Jesus Christ lives through us that is so simple God knows I wish I knew how

to get that into your mind and your heart so that you could not miss it that's the abundant life it

is an exchange of your own self and your own will and your rights for his as a second word

and that's the word victorious Paul said to the Corinthian church he said speaking of Jesus

Christ who always causes us to triumph in him God didn't save us to burden us he didn't save us

for struggle he didn't save us nor to bring us down to defeat he saved us in order that you and I

may be victorious in our walk victorious in our life victorious in our temptations victorious in our

trials he died to take care of my son gonna repeat this after every point because I want you

to get this he took care of my son on the cross but he arose from the dead through the Holy

Spirit he came back to live in your life because you see Jesus Christ is your victory Christ living

within you is the victory and he says I've come to give you an abundant life and in essence Jesus

Christ in you is the abundant life there's a third word and that word is liberated he says he

is the good shepherd and the good shepherd is going to provide for his sheep and what is it

that every single one of us need we need liberty this life listen religion is a weight no doubt

about that but the abundant life is no weight it's a buoyancy it lifts you my dear friend and that's

exactly what he says I've come that you may have life having more abundant I don't know where we

ever get the idea they're becoming a Christian means giving up fun but you see we are

believers in the Son of God we're the children of God and he says he came to liberate us to free us

of all so that you and I do not have to try to live up the expectation we don't have to try our best

to go through all kinds of ritual to please God and hope one of these days and we die we may have

possibly pleased him every other religion in the world there is no exception except for Christian

the every single other religion in the world man's acceptance before his God is always the result

of man's effort so how does he know that if he's ever accepted he never knows everybody who lives

in the face of this earth except the people of God don't know where they stand in their relationship

with their God but you and I do not find their acceptance and how good we've been but in the grace

of God which he says in Romans chapter 5 his grace is given abundantly liberated the next word is

abiding listen the abundant life is not a life of struggle and wrestling with ourselves it is

resting and trusting in Jesus Christ to be everything I need him to be just when I need it

and in Colossians chapter 2 verse 10 here's what he says so when you have Christ you have everything

you said is that mean they'll never be in his struggle no it does mean they'll never be in his

struggle but here's what it means that even amidst the struggles of life on the inside there's an

innocence of rest and peace and joy because you know that Christ who lives within you is your

ultimate victory and you see we've already read the last chapter one of these days he's going to

wrap this whole thing up and we're all going to heaven to know him is our savior but he says here

and now the abundant life is a life of rest let me ask you this you spend sleepless nights

worrying and fretting and tumbling and tossing are you living a life of anxiety or can you

honestly say that amidst all the things that are going on about us and I'm not talking about

that we're going to so change society so that after a while everything's going to quiet and

down to our pace that's not going to ever happen let me tell you something God Almighty knew that

when he put us in this world when he says I've come that give you life more abundantly

he knew we would live in a fast rapid changing age so he gave us a life

that is equal to the pace that we have to keep the schedule we have to keep so that even amidst that

there is an innocence of quietness and peace and rest on the inside he said I've come to give you

life abundantly that is a right life that can rest even when everything around you is

churning and moving rapidly you see it's the inner quietness because it is Christ living within

you and me then he says likewise he came to give us an overflowing life now watch this he says

out of our life shall flow rivers of what living water living water will make a difference

wherever it touches whether it's crops living water ultimately can tunnel its way right through

mountain out of your life he says show flow it isn't what you do it's what he's doing it is

Christ overflowing within you Christ like the listen what is it that's overflowing old self now

it is Jesus Christ who came to entail you the moment you're receiving by faith it is

Christ and then you're doing what overflowing so that when your life like a fountain is overflowing

everybody's life your life touches is going to be blessed as a result of it you see the things that

I possess they can be taken away although they'll disintegrate the things in life that I'm

achieved to claim the worlds acclaim and and their approval it's one day going to all pass away

there's only one thing that I can do that will never pass away and that is when Christ in me

overflows within you that'll never pass away whenever Jesus Christ is flowing into your life

into somebody else's life you make an indelible everlasting impression upon them and no one can

ever steal that from them they can level this whole globe and not one blade of grass be standing

and can never touch the everlasting eternal effect that your life made in somebody else's life

but you see it won't happen until Jesus is overflowing out of your life and my life into

somebody else's life that's what it's all about he said I came that you may have life and have

it abundant listen was not Jesus life a life that overflow everybody his life touched it made

an everlasting impression and what I want you to see is this life is too short to be building

sand castles when you and I ought to be overflowing with life of Jesus Christ so that the

lives of the people we touch they will never be the same again and in eternity they'll be glorifying

God an overflowing life two other words quickly number one is a yielded life you see think about

this Jesus Christ came into our life to live his life through us the only way he can do that

is for me to give up my rights to myself and to say Lord not my will but God will be done

you get up tomorrow morning and you simply tell him this Lord I yield my life to you today and I

want you to live your life through me friend that is the abundant life because you see when you

tell him to take over that you think you have to beg him to do what he wants to do

you don't have to ask him but once Lord I've exchanged my life for your life and today

today Lord I want you to live your life and mean through me only as I'm willing to yield my

life up to him is he willing to flow his life through me one last word and that word is fruitful the

abundant life is a fruitful life there's the overflow of love and people can feel it there's

the overflow of joy it's an innocent they can sense that there's the overflow of peace and they can

sense that there's the overflow of humility and they'll spot that the overflow of goodness and

gentleness kindness faithfulness self-control the overflow of the character qualities that describe

the life of Christ and you know what's going to happen when enough of God's people are overflowing

with the life of Jesus Christ this crazy mixed up sad searching hungry thirsty yearning violent

world of ours is going to say I want that I want that I want what you have when they see Christ

life overflowing in us they're going to want it and you see Jesus said I came that you may have

life and have it more abundantly let me ask you a question let's be honest would you say that your

life is described by victory by liberty by fruitfulness would you say that your life is one that

is overflowing would you say that your life is the kind of life that you know that the people's

lives that your life comes in contact with it's making a difference oh would you have to say I know

that I'm saved but I don't know that I've ever really and truly understood what it meant to have

an abundant life I want to tell you how you can have it right now I believe on the other side of

that struggle fretting anxious fearful you name it and I had it I know what the other side is

like and purely by the grace of God grace grace grace nothing but grace I know what the other

sides like and let me tell you this is so simple you're going to trip all over it if you don't

listen carefully let me ask you a question what did you do the day you were saved you just

exercise faith in what he said in the word of God and you took that for your own possession now

listen to me carefully it is my deepest harsh yearning desire that you hear what I'm telling you

a life that is liberated and freed and overflowing and joyous and peaceful and prosperous and

fruitful all that I've said can be yours before you get up out of your seat

and this is the way it comes you've got to believe that when Jesus said I came that

you might have life and have it more abundantly that he's adequately provided and that he meant what

he said you must be willing to tell him that at this given point in your life this very moment

by an act of your will Lord I give you the rest of my life I want you to have it

I'm accepting this life of fruitfulness I'm accepting this life that you promised in your word

the abundant life as my life Christ within you released to live through you all that I have

shared with you today now you are to have everlasting life you are to have Jesus living in you

and what I'm really saying is this when you do that that releases the abundant life that is already

pinned up within you it is released to overflow through you for the first time in your life

and all you did was to believe him and that's all you can do and all I'm asking you to do is if you

want that life will you tell him today by faith you're accepting it from him

thanks for joining us today for in touch the teaching ministry of dr. Charles Stanley the abundant life

that Jesus offers is available to every believer except God's generous gift to you and live in

cooperation with him to study more about what it means to live an abundant life stop by our website

intouch.org and to listen to this message again look for the link to today on radio

if you'd like to have a copy of dr. Stanley's complete message you can order online at the bookstore

the title is abundant life or order his teaching set titled why Jesus came our web address again is

intouch.org and you can call their textus at 1-800-intouch you can also write to us at

intouch post office box 7900 at land of Georgia 30357 maybe you want the abundant life you heard

about today but you're not sure where to start a suggestion is coming up in today's moment with

Charles Stanley do you take sermon notes on the back of your bulletin jott scripture references

on the offering envelope start keeping things in one place one organized place with the

intouch note takers journal this leather soft journal contains 150 pages for taking notes

and includes dr. Stanley's 30 life principles find everything in one convenient place with the

intouch note takers journal call toll free 1-800-intouch or visit intouch.org we're not the first to

seek a life of purpose the bible tells of many who followed a specific path step by step with courage

with surrender for a deeper purpose a stronger passion a lasting peace introducing your path

to purpose passion and peace a new 90 day devotional inspired by the timeless teaching of dr. Charles

Stanley available now at intouch.org slash store from the pastor's heart is an in-depth teaching

letter inspired by the teachings of dr. Charles Stanley to receive in touches from the pastor's

heart letter call 1-800-intouch or visit intouch.org slash pastor's heart

you're listening to intouch resting in Christ and abiding in him can seem elusive with a

suggestion for believers on how to start walking in freedom here's a moment with Charles Stanley

in the 15th chapter of john he says those first eight verses abide in me like the branch

abiding in the vine he says abide in me and I knew he says apart from me you can do nothing but

he says if we abide in him and he abides in us we will bring forth much fruit and here's what I

want you to I want to challenge you to do something if you get on your knees and read john

chapter 15 those first eight verses and ask the Lord to let you read them quietly slowly

concentrating on what you're reading here's what he says he says abide in me

I abide in you he says you're bringing forth much fruit as you begin to read those verses and

let those verses become a part of your thinking it is like a quietening to our spirit because you see

to abide in Christ means to rest in him by faith listen the abundant life is not a life of struggle

and wrestling with ourselves it is resting and trusting in Jesus Christ to be everything I need him

to be just when I need it visit intouch.org to learn more about abiding and resting in Christ

if today's program fueled your excitement about Jesus tell someone and then share your story with

us too next week on intouch join us to broaden your understanding of God's work on earth help with

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of dr. Charles Stanley this program is a presentation of intouch ministries at lana

Georgia and remains on the station through the grace of God in your faithful prayers and gifts