Survive or Thrive, part 2

2019-05-05
Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Key Verse: Matthew 25:29 (NKJV) For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Last week, we looked at a passage in John 10 about the Good Shepherd, who is Jesus. We spoke of His great love for us, His care for us, His provision for us. And we landed with this verse…

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

There is no question that God’s plan and desire for our lives is for us to live full lives. He wants us to experience His best every day. And the only thing that can keep us from getting there is us. So, for us to understand how to experience His best, we have to understand His plan, His will. And there is no doubt that His plan involves our action.

Matthew 25:24–29 (NLT) Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

1. Abundant life is found in service

Vss 25b-26a …so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant…

Clearly, Jesus wanted us to learn not using our abilities for His service results in not experiencing God’s plan of abundant life

Abundant life is found not in selfishness and self-centeredness, it is found in serving God and serving others

d. Jesus said even He did not come to be served but to serve

Matthew 20:26–28 (NLT): But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

2. Which results in blessing

Vss 28-29 Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

Here is the word “abundance” again…found in doing something for God not waiting to be served

When we do fail to serve God, we will not only miss out on abundant life we will even lose out on what we do have

God will always use our serving as a conduit to not only bless those we are serving but ultimately to bless us. This is a clear picture of God’s perfect plan of abundant life.

To truly go from just surviving to thriving in your life, you must recognize your purpose (to bring glory to God) and must find His will for your life (through seeking Him daily.) When you are diligent in these respects, you will begin to see that life is not about what you get, it’s not about what you earn, it’s not about what you have, it’s all about what you can give and with whom you take the journey.

Leo Buscaglia said “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

Every Christian is entrusted with some responsibility for the kingdom. Some will take this seriously and invest their lives wisely, and others will squander this responsibility. The part of the kingdom entrusted to each of us is precious to the Lord. He is hurt by the mishandling of a lifetime of opportunity; but he rejoices over a lifetime well spent. He has placed in our hands what is his own. This is a sobering thought—to be stewards of kingdom resources.Matthew(Vol. 1, p. 420). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[1]Weber, S. K. (2000). Matthew(Vol. 1, p. 420). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.