Are You Really Living?
Jesus is an example of how to live an abundant Christian life.
Scripture: John 17
INTRODUCTION: I would like to begin today by asking you a question. Are you living or existing?
You see there is a difference.
The vast majority of people on earth today are existing.
They are waking up in the morning, going to work or school, keeping house, whatever the case may be.
They are going about their business but they have no real sense of purpose in their lives.
Their happiness and fulfillment in life depend largely on their circumstances or their achievements.
If they were completely honest with themselves, they would have to admit that inside they are empty.
That is existing.
Christ came however that we might have life and have it more abundant. If we are going to experience this kind of real life, we must look to Jesus as the source of life.
In John 17 Jesus is at the end of his life. He is facing the cross. He uttered these words on his way to Gethsemane. This chapter is known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. In this first verse, Jesus begins to look to God as he faces his hour of darkness. In this text, we see how Jesus lived.
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John 17:1 (NKJV) Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
I asked the question, “Are you living or just existing?”
The answer to that question can be determined by three questions based on our text.
- ARE YOU LIVING WITH A DEPENDENCE ON THE FATHER
As Jesus entered his hour of trial the bible says, “He lifted up his eyes to Heaven and said, “Father”. Jesus did not look at his outward circumstances and try to figure a way out. He did not even look inward for answers, even though he was the Son of God.
He looked upward to Heaven, to the one He knew as His Father.
Jesus lived with complete dependence, not on his own person, or his own humanity, but complete trust and dependence on the Father.
One of the most eye-opening verses I have ever read is John 5:30
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. KJV
There Jesus says, “I can of myself do nothing”.
Every person Jesus ever healed when he was on Earth, every sermon he ever preached, every temptation he ever overcame, he did it not by trusting in who he was as the Son of God, but by depending on the Father’s strength and guidance.
If Jesus who is God’s Son could “Of himself do nothing” how much more can we of ourselves do nothing”.
The problem with many Christians today and churches is that we are depending primarily on our own natural abilities, our reasoning abilities, our talents, our education, and our financial resources to accomplish God’s work.
And we of ourselves are doing nothing.
We are existing by and large completely in the natural. But when we live with this dependence upon God that Jesus lived with, the natural begins to give way to the supernatural and God begins to work.
John 17:1 (NKJV) Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
I read all the texts where the bible says Jesus “lifted up his eyes”.
One time he lifted up his eyes to God and he stuck his fingers in a deaf man’s ears and the man received his hearing.
On another occasion, he lifted up his eyes in dependence upon God and thanked God, and called Lazarus forth from the grave.
On another occasion, he lifted up his eyes to God and took two small fishes and five loaves and fed thousands of people.
The life that is lived in dependence upon God experiences the supernatural power of God.
Can you say this about your life?
I am not asking if you have healed anyone lately or turned water into wine.
I am asking if you can look at your life and say God gave me victory over this temptation,
Only God could have done it,
God had his hand upon me and touched the lives of others and I know it was God that did it.
Can we say this about our Church?
We forfeit God’s power when we substitute dependence upon Him with dependence upon ourselves, other people, or other resources.
One of the Popes invited a theologian to the Vatican. Sitting amongst all the treasures of the church the Pope said, “The Church can no longer say silver and gold have I none”.
To that the theologian replied sadly, “Yes but neither can she say in the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise and walk.”
We must take our eyes off the natural, off of that which can be seen, and lift our eyes in faith to Heaven.
Jesus lived with a dependence upon the Father.
The second question we might ask to ascertain whether or not we are Living is: what we will look at next week;
II. DO YOU LIVE WITH A SENSE OF DIVINE DESTINY
