The Full Life

Honour His Mission To live a full life, an abundant life we need to honour God. How do we honour God? We honour His mission. The mission is too important to quit. If you don’t live up to the mission God has called you to, then you are denying people of the treasure built up in you. Treasure must be dug up. There’s a treasure inside of you and God is willing to do anything to reveal it. However, digging is messy. But be comforted because God gets in the mud with you. When it gets messy, don’t run away. Run to God. When tired: Learn to rest, not quit. Rest in God. The mission is too important. So, whatever is important to God should be important to us. What is important to God? His Word, His people, and His mission. However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[a] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 We are stewards of the gifts that God has given us. These gifts are not our own. Our ministry is to bring people back to God. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:18-20 This is known as the great commission. This is God’s mission. It is the Great Co-mission. God is trusting us to partner with Him. Co-mission means to collaborate, to co-labour, to partner. If you want to experience a full life, you need to start partnering with God on His mission. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heat that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same is Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? Romans 10:9-14 We have already called upon His name to believe in Him. It is now our duty to tell others about God because how will others believe and call upon Him if we don’t tell them about God. We practically partner with God through our; Financial resources Time Talent 3 Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled houses, while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you have withheld dew, and the earth has withheld its produce 11 And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.” 12 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiek, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had send him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with the Lord’s message, “I am with you, declares the Lord.” 14 And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God, Haggai 1:3-14 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: 19 Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.” Haggai 2:18-19 Let us consider our ways going forward.

How do we walk into the abundant life God has called us to? First you need to know that God has called us to a life of abundance. He has called us to have a full life. And we don’t mean a full life with material things. We’re talking about your whole life prosperity. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 How do we honour God? We honour His people Honouring means putting a weight, price and value on something. 4 For just as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members, and these parts do not all have the same function or special use, 5 So we, numerous as are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts of one another [mutually dependant on one another] 6 Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or he who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or he who encourages, in the act of encouragement; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, [a]with diligence; he who shows mercy [in caring for others], with cheerfulness 9 Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour. Romans 12:4-10 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. Matthew 10:41 The reality is that we are all mutually dependent on each other. There’s something you have – that God has uniquely placed in your life that I need and vice versa. We are a part of body. We need one another. The degree of which you recognise the value of someone else in the body of Christ, is the degree of which you will actually be able to partake in that grace. We are to place a high value on one another. We honour on 3 different levels… People above us Anyone that is speaking into your life from a higher position/perspective. e.g. Leaders, spouse, boss, parents Their role is to build us and mature us into Christ-likeness. The degree to which we honour that person is the degree to which we will be rewarded for our honour. 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ Ephesians 4: 11-15 Let the elders who perform the duties of their office well be considered doubly worthy of honor [and of adequate [a]financial support], especially those who labor faithfully in preaching and teaching. 1 Timothy 5:17 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you Galatians 4:19 People beside us Anyone that is in the same part of their journey/maturity as us. E.g., spouse, friends, peers, colleagues Their role is to support me and sharpen me as I support and sharpen them. The responsibility that we have when we honour people beside us is not so we can impart on one another but rather sharpen one another. As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17 We must be selective of who we surround ourselves with an who we allow to speak into our lives. How do we determine who should speak into our lives? 1 Corinthians 11:1 – And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. People below us Anyone that we are building and helping mature into Christ-likeness E.g., children, friends, new believers, sub-ordinates, people of lower social standing. John 13: 12-15 | 12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you Jesus here is showing us, as our model, how to serve others. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2: 5-8 5 Ways To Practically Honour Bless, serve, appreciate, pray for, support Implement the person’s instruction/impartation Follow through on your commitment (even if it means it is sacrificial) Be on time Be responsive Go into this week with this mindset about people – “you are worth it”

 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10 How do we know what the abundant life looks like? Jesus is our model for what a full life looks like. That is why it is important to create a Jesus culture and not follow worldly standards. And saying, repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:2 The way to create an abundant life is to change the way you think. The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Tap into it.  If we honour (put a high value on) God, He will in turn do the same for us. The problem is we honour the wrong things and find our identity in those things. We need to place value in Godly things. So, how do we honour God? Honour His word Are we positioning ourselves to hear God? There is a gap between what we are actually experiencing and what God actually has planned for us. Are you expecting God to speak to you? Not just about your challenges but rather every area of your life. If you want to honour God and His Word then you need to understand that He is speaking to you. If you’re not expecting Him to speak to you, then that’s the gap.   But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “ Mathew 4:4 We are sustained by what God is saying. God is constantly saying something. There is something He wants to communicate to you. What is He saying now? 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1: 1-14 If we want to find out how to live an abundant life, we need to know how Jesus lived an abundant life. And where do we find that out? In the Word. When gladly received, the Word become alive in us.  The Word has two meanings. Logos and Rhema.  Logos means the general written Word of God. The general will of God concerning anything. When you read the Word you read the logos. It is the principles, patterns, and precepts of God (Refer back to Mathew 4:4).  Rhema means the Word the Holy Spirit quickens to a person or a situation. It is when the Word becomes alive. Rhema is the proceeding Word of God. Rhema never overrides Logos. They are always in alignment.  We must know the logos to experience the rhema. We must now know the written Word the experience the living Word.  Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved, [tested by trial] a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analysing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skilfully teaching] the Word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 This is what we call the now Word. If you can study the Word accurately you can stand firm in your challenges. What is God saying to you now? What does Jesus think about your challenge? So, how we position ourselves to hear from God? Hunger You must be craving for the things of God. He gives liberally to those who have a thirst and a hunger for Him. Psalm 42:2 | My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? [John 7:37; 1 Thess 2:9,20] Revelation 21:6 | He said to me: it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Expectation Are you expecting God to speak to you? Ephesians 3:20 | Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] Quick to listen and quick to obey We need ready and open for what God is going to say. Our obedience to God’s commands and leading is an indication of the strength of our relationship with Him.   My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:19  If