Salem Church
The King Has Come
To Offer Abundant Life
Locations & Times
Clove Lakes Campus
634 Clove Rd, Staten Island, NY 10310, USA
Tuesday 4:00 PM
Tuesday 6:00 PM
Sunday, December 24, 2024
Dr. John Welborn
The King Has Come: To Offer Abundant Life
John 10:10
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”John 1:1-2, 14
You know that we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. But do you know why? Why is it more than an important person’s birthday? Because Jesus is the King of Kings, and his birth is significant because the king has come to 1) Seek and to Save, to 2) Sacrificially Serve, to 3) Give Rest, and to 4) Offer Abundant Life. Listen to the words of Christ…
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”John 10:10
Main Idea: The King of the Kingdom has Come to Offer Abundant Life
Two Elements of the Coming of the King in John 10:10
I. There is a Killer Who Has Come to Deceive You
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”John 10:10a
It’s not customary to talk about enemies at Christmastime, especially not on Christmas Eve. However, to fully appreciate the significance of Jesus’ birth, we must consider the enemies we face every day!
Three Enemies:
• The World – Not the people, but the system.
“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19
• The Flesh – We are sinners by nature, and by choice.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Romans 13:14
• The Devil – He’s real, and he’s actively opposing Christ’s kingdom!
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”1 Peter 5:8
In John 10, Jesus is talking about himself as the Good Shepherd and the “thieves” are the False Teachers who were trying to lead the sheep (people) away from the Good Shepherd. They were OF the world, controlled BY their flesh, and were AGENTS of the Devil as they deceived!
We live in a world full of false teachers attempting to lead us away from the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. They try to tell us that real happiness is found in luxuries we can buy, or drugs we can take, or desires we can fulfill, or status we can achieve, or images we can project, or something else. But what these false teachers don’t know or won’t tell you is this…
“For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”Matthew 7:13b – Steal, Kill, Destroy…BUT!
The King of the Kingdom has Come to Offer Abundant Life
II. There is a King Who Has Come to Deliver You
“…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”John 10:10b
In contrast to the false teachers who try to deceive to follow paths that kill and destroy, Jesus is the King who has come to deliver us from it all and offer to us Abundant Life that is life in Christ Jesus himself!
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’” John 11:25-26
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”John 3:16
Jesus did not bring life, point the way to life, but HE IS LIFE!!! People sometimes complain that they got saved and started living for Jesus, but they still have physical ailments, financial trouble, and relational stress. Well, he has, but maybe not in the specific way you wanted him to. The abundant life is the Christ Life…it’s all about Jesus…not the things that Jesus gives.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, The Way, The Truth, The Life, Savior, Son of God, Lord, Teacher, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Mediator, Light of the World, the Great I AM, Good Shepherd, Faithful, True, Bread of Life, the Alpha, the Omega, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords…EMMANUEL: God with Us!
What about our enemies? How can we enjoy abundant life when the world, the flesh, and the devil are trying to steal, kill, and destroy? Jesus already explained that earlier in John 10. Take a look!
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’”John 10:7
Good News: Nothing can get to you that hasn’t gone through Jesus first. So, if you’re going through it, that means that he has allowed it & he is with you!
Sources and Further Reading Opportunities:
CSB Study Bible – Trevin Wax, General Editor (2021)
The Bible Exposition Commentary – Warren Wiersbe (1996)
The Kingdom of God – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1992)
Kingdom First – Jeff Christopherson (2015)
Word Pictures in the New Testament – A.T. Robertson (1933)
Dr. John Welborn
The King Has Come: To Offer Abundant Life
John 10:10
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”John 1:1-2, 14
You know that we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas time. But do you know why? Why is it more than an important person’s birthday? Because Jesus is the King of Kings, and his birth is significant because the king has come to 1) Seek and to Save, to 2) Sacrificially Serve, to 3) Give Rest, and to 4) Offer Abundant Life. Listen to the words of Christ…
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”John 10:10
Main Idea: The King of the Kingdom has Come to Offer Abundant Life
Two Elements of the Coming of the King in John 10:10
I. There is a Killer Who Has Come to Deceive You
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”John 10:10a
It’s not customary to talk about enemies at Christmastime, especially not on Christmas Eve. However, to fully appreciate the significance of Jesus’ birth, we must consider the enemies we face every day!
Three Enemies:
• The World – Not the people, but the system.
“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19
• The Flesh – We are sinners by nature, and by choice.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Romans 13:14
• The Devil – He’s real, and he’s actively opposing Christ’s kingdom!
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”1 Peter 5:8
In John 10, Jesus is talking about himself as the Good Shepherd and the “thieves” are the False Teachers who were trying to lead the sheep (people) away from the Good Shepherd. They were OF the world, controlled BY their flesh, and were AGENTS of the Devil as they deceived!
We live in a world full of false teachers attempting to lead us away from the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. They try to tell us that real happiness is found in luxuries we can buy, or drugs we can take, or desires we can fulfill, or status we can achieve, or images we can project, or something else. But what these false teachers don’t know or won’t tell you is this…
“For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.”Matthew 7:13b – Steal, Kill, Destroy…BUT!
The King of the Kingdom has Come to Offer Abundant Life
II. There is a King Who Has Come to Deliver You
“…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”John 10:10b
In contrast to the false teachers who try to deceive to follow paths that kill and destroy, Jesus is the King who has come to deliver us from it all and offer to us Abundant Life that is life in Christ Jesus himself!
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.’” John 11:25-26
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”John 3:16
Jesus did not bring life, point the way to life, but HE IS LIFE!!! People sometimes complain that they got saved and started living for Jesus, but they still have physical ailments, financial trouble, and relational stress. Well, he has, but maybe not in the specific way you wanted him to. The abundant life is the Christ Life…it’s all about Jesus…not the things that Jesus gives.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, The Way, The Truth, The Life, Savior, Son of God, Lord, Teacher, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Mediator, Light of the World, the Great I AM, Good Shepherd, Faithful, True, Bread of Life, the Alpha, the Omega, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords…EMMANUEL: God with Us!
What about our enemies? How can we enjoy abundant life when the world, the flesh, and the devil are trying to steal, kill, and destroy? Jesus already explained that earlier in John 10. Take a look!
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’”John 10:7
Good News: Nothing can get to you that hasn’t gone through Jesus first. So, if you’re going through it, that means that he has allowed it & he is with you!
Sources and Further Reading Opportunities:
CSB Study Bible – Trevin Wax, General Editor (2021)
The Bible Exposition Commentary – Warren Wiersbe (1996)
The Kingdom of God – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1992)
Kingdom First – Jeff Christopherson (2015)
Word Pictures in the New Testament – A.T. Robertson (1933)
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