His plan for the United States. You is that you know him personally, that you know him intimately, that you have his power to rely on in the bad times, and you have him to enjoy in the good times, that he gives you purpose, and he gives you meaning and he gives you direction. He came that you and I would have life. Not existence, but life. Everyone on Earth is alive, but not all of them are living.
Jesus Christ came to change all that. Hello, and welcome to Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepard. It's always a pleasure to have you with us.
Well, what does it really mean to live? just to exist but to truly live an abundant life in a hopelessly fallen world. These are the questions we want to help you answer today, so stay with us. Online, you'll find us at pastorpaul.net, where you can listen to Destined for Victory on Demand. That's pastorpaul.net.
You can also subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts at Spotify or wherever you enjoy your podcast.
Now, to see what it looks like to live the abundant life Jesus wants to give you, let's pay close attention to Pastor Paul's Destined for Victory message: When Jesus comes. The anointing is available to any believer. Who will say, God, use me? For your glory. Take me as a vessel.
Use me as a conduit through which your power extends into the life of another. Use me. And when God uses you, What he has done is he has anointed you.
So that his power flows through you. That's what is spoken of here in verse 1. The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on Jesus because he has anointed him for certain purposes. Let's look at the first one because this is not only what he has done, remember, but it is what he continues to do. The first thing Jesus was and is anointed to do is to preach good news to the poor.
Point number one: when Jesus comes, he comes to give us life. He comes to give us life. This text says that he came proclaiming good news. Gospel. The word gospel is simply the good news.
Well, what's the heart of the gospel or the good news? Jesus tells us in verses like John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have what? everlasting life. The good news is, you who dwell in spiritual death and darkness, God now wants to give you life. Always understand that life is not breathing.
That's physical existence. That's not what the Bible calls life. When the Bible speaks of life, it's speaking of a quality. that emanates from God To us as a result of a direct connection, a direct relationship.
So, John in his epistle makes it very plain when he said in one verse, He who has not the Son of God has not life. If you don't have Jesus, you physically exist, of course, and you go about your daily routine, but you don't have a quality of existence that God ordained you to have. And that's why you, with all that you do, you ultimately cannot experience the kind of fulfillment that comes from knowing you are operating according to God's design. God designed that you and I live in relationship with Him. He designed that not a single person on earth should ever be alienated from knowing Him personally and having a personal relationship with you.
Please understand that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. His plan for you is that you know Him personally, that you know Him intimately, that you have His power to rely on in the bad times, and you have Him to enjoy in the good times, that He gives you purpose and He gives you meaning and He gives you direction. He came that you and I would have life. Not existence, but life. Now he's so good, he lets people walk around and use up his existence and refuse.
To acknowledge him as the source of life. People walk around and curse God all day. And he loves them just the same. Because he wants to give them life. They don't understand.
If they understood, they would change. That's why we've got to be faithful to preach the gospel and to live the gospel so that people can understand that the blinders can be taken off their eyes and they can see just how wonderful it is to know God for yourself. They don't see it. Jesus said to the woman at the well, if you knew who you were talking to. He said, I can't blame you for your lifestyle.
I'm not going to pick on you for all the things you're doing. And I would to God the church would get out of the picking on business. Would to God we would quit messing with people because of their sins. That's what they're supposed to do. That's their job.
They're sinners. Sinners sin. That's their job. What we should do rather than pick it on people for their sin is point them to the Savior. Who is the only source of life?
To let them know Jesus can give you life. He will give you life. That's the good news. And notice that he came anointed to preach it to this translation, NIV says, the poor. The poor.
And what it's speaking of is not so much poor in terms of material possessions, although that's included in the concept, but it is more the concept of poor in spirit. It's more the concept of being meek, of being humble. Circumstances may have helped to get you there, but you are disinherited. You can't lay claim to a lot of things on earth. Jesus came seeking out people who had been systematically disinherited because those people know they need something.
At one point he said, those that are whole don't need a physician. And when he said that, he wasn't implying. That there were people who didn't need a Savior, he was only implying that there are people who didn't know they needed a Savior. Because their prosperity or their clout in the world has blinded them to their real need. And don't we have a world full of people like that today?
You work with people who are blinded. Because they have the trappings of success. They have money in the bank. They have a nice car and a nice house. They have savings and a nest egg.
They have all of these things. And so they make the principal mistake of thinking that that is the best life has to offer.
So they don't know.
So when you come to them with Jesus, they say, well, Jesus might be fine for messed up people, broken people, pitiful people, but I don't need him. My life is in order. I have everything I need. And they don't know. That Jesus said in Luke chapter 12: life doesn't consist in the abundance of things you possess.
There is no life in stuff. If there was life in stuff, all the rich folk would be happy. Because they'd be really living in life. But have you noticed?
Some of the greatest troubles of the world, and some of the most troubled people in the world are people who have the most materially. Why? Because they don't buy the lie. See the only folk who think money's the answer is people who don't have any. And so you got a bunch of poor folks.
Oh, if I could just get a hold. You know, they read in the paper: somebody came in a certain money, or certain CEO was paid this, or certain athlete just got this deal, or a certain entertainer is making this much money. And they get the Forbes top 50 gross income for the year list, and they sit there and drool, not realizing that some of those people are among the most miserable in the world because they have what everybody said would put them on top. Only to discover there's no life in it. Nice house, really nice house.
But there's no life in brick and mortar. No matter how pretty it is. Just more rooms to cry in, that's all. Unless you have life. The things can't even be fully enjoyed because there's no life.
in them. And neither is having it a problem in and of itself. The question is, do you have Jesus? Because if you have Jesus, he'll dictate what you ought to do with your stuff and how you ought to enjoy it and how you ought to give it and how you ought to help other folk. He'll dictate and he'll pour his life into you.
And then he can control every area of your life.
So he preached it to the poor, not exclusively, it's just that the poor were the people who were the most ready to receive the good news. Because they're not used to getting any good news. And so he came to say, look. When it comes to what matters most, It's all commerce. Anybody who wants it can have it.
You know, it's a wonderful thing when you're included, when the category is big enough to include you. That's a wonderful thing. See, folk who have never been discriminated against don't really appreciate that. But if you've ever been discriminated against on any basis, It can be racial or ethnic, it can be gender, it can be age, you name it. It can be socioeconomic status.
It's a bad feeling when there's something good being offered, but when you look at the qualifications, Oh, Oh, man. I don't qualify. Wonderful deal. But I don't qualify.
Well, the good news is Jesus came saying. Do you exist? If you hear this message. And even if you don't hear, if somebody can sign it to you. You qualify.
Hi everyone, this is Alicia Shepherd Greer. We'll hear more from Pastor Paul in just a moment, but first, I want to share something special with you. As we continue carrying forward the ministry legacy of my Father, one of the things we're passionate about seeing is believers growing in their faith and walking closely with the Lord. One of the ways that's happening right now is through a ministry I'm honored to help lead called Kingdom Collective, where believers from many different churches come together to worship, pray, and seek God's presence. March 20th through 22nd, we'll be hosting Kingdom Revival Weekend.
Three gatherings centered on worship, prayer, intimacy with the Lord, and unity in the body of Christ. If you'd like to be a part of this time set aside to seeking the Lord, we would love to welcome you. You can find out more at kingdomcollective.com. Jesus comes to give us life. Life.
to qualify us For life. What really matters Is that relationship with God? What really matters is that direct connection with him.
Now, life takes on two dimensions in the scriptures. One is the concept of eternal life that was spoken of in John 3, 16, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Some passages speak of eternal life as well as everlasting life. Same thing. It's speaking of the dimension of life which satisfies the question of your eternal destiny. And some people think that's all salvation is good for. is pretty much fire insurance.
Keep you from going to hell. You know, and so some folk just treat it like fire jewels.
Well, I got saved because I don't want to go to hell.
Well, that's true. Even if that were the only benefit of salvation, that's a pretty good deal. If that's all there were to it, that's still a good deal. Hey, sign me up. You know, people want to argue about hell and what the scriptures teach, and theologians and all that.
Well, what I mean, you know, what is it to be taken literally? Is it torment? Listen, listen, when you all get through with all of that, Let me tell you something. I don't plan to be on the investigation committee. I don't plan to be on the investment.
Well, is it your body that goes in? Is it how does an eternal spirit get in? When you get through with all of that, if you want to go check it out, help yourself. I'm taking Jesus offer. That if I trust him for salvation, I'll never have to worry about that question.
I will have everlasting life in his presence. Wherever he spends eternity, that's where I'm going to spend eternity. Wherever Jesus is, that's where I'll be hanging out. Want to see me a thousand years from now? Find Jesus.
'Cause that's where I plan to be. In his presence. Where there's fullness of joy, and at his right hand, where pleasures abound forevermore. Oh, I don't know exactly what heaven's gonna be like, but I know it's gonna be infinitely more wonderful than anything we can experience here on earth.
Now folks, I don't know about you, but I've had some good times on earth. And so, if heaven is going to be infinitely more wonderful than that, I'm signing up.
So, eternal life is a really good deal. And even if that's all he offered, and you had to suffer and be miserable and go through all kinds of craziness, and he wouldn't help you at all in this life, you just had to struggle the best way you can. But when you die, you're gonna go to heaven. That would still be a good deal. But when you read the scriptures, it gets better than that.
Because he talks not only about the first dimension, which is eternal life, he also speaks of another dimension, which is abundant life. He said in John chapter 10, when he was giving the analogy of a shepherd and his sheep. He said, I'm the good shepherd. He said, there have been others who have drawn away people to themselves, trying to be a false Christ, a false leader of people. He said, all who have come before me are robbers and thieves.
They have simply tried to steal in and grab the sheep and take them off for their own personal ulterior motives. He said, but the sheep know the shepherd's voice and they don't follow a stranger. And then he said, now the thief has come to kill, steal, and destroy. The reason why you don't want to be led astray and you don't want to get into false doctrine is because what's behind that is a thief. A thief.
In the direct sense, John 10 speaks of all false prophets who came before Christ. But when you look behind even the false prophet, you're looking at the ultimate thief who is Satan himself. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. If he can get you into ignorance, if he can get you into rebellion against the word, then he can drag you off from the flock. And then, when he does it, his aim is to kill, steal, and destroy.
When one who doesn't love the sheep steals the sheep, it's not to bless them, it's to have lamb chops. And let me tell you something. Satan wants to make lamb chops out of you. Jesus said he's come to kill, steal, and destroy. But then he said, But I am come that they may have life.
and that they may have it to the full. Have it more abundantly.
So, Jesus comes not only to give eternal life, but Jesus comes to give abundant life. Meaning, Jesus not only gives you this wonderful deal of everlasting life, never have to worry about eternal damnation, never have to worry about eternal alienation from God, but you'll have everlasting life. You'll be with Him, enjoying the goodness of God a million years from now. He not only offers you that which is good enough to take all by itself, But packaged with that deal. is abundant life.
And he says, Come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden, all of you who life has put a big load on you, and sin has you bowed down with guilt and shame and trouble and relationships all messed up and all of the other byproducts of a sinful life. He says, Come to me when you're tired of all of that, and I will give you rest. I'll take that heavy load off of you. I'll put you in the yoke with me. Whatever you have to carry according to my purpose for your life, I'm there to bear the load with you so it'll never be too heavy for you.
Come to give you abundant life. I've come to give you righteousness, peace, and joy. I've come to give you an internal quality of being satisfied by a relationship.
So that even when your circumstances aren't what you want. Life never gets too heavy for you. Because I am there. I'm in covenant with you. I don't let people I'm in covenant with bear a burden that they can't bear.
I get up under the load with them. Abundant life. Tell you the truth, I got saved. When I understood That life in Christ. Would be more fulfilling than life outside of Christ.
See, I got saved young. I didn't get saved because of hell. I wouldn't worry about hell. I wasn't thinking about hell. I wasn't thinking about dying.
I got saved when I heard the message of abundant life. I got saved when I heard that living with Jesus was a better deal than living outside of Jesus.
Now the devil will never tell you that. The devil in fact has some Christians walking around envying worldly folk. Not you, but people you know. Walking around envying worldly people, people who don't know God, people who are pure pagans, walking around envying folk who don't know God because they appear to be having fun in a way that you're not having fun. The problem isn't their life, the problem is you don't know what you have in Christ.
Nobody has a right to outparty me. Nobody on earth has a right to outparty me. I have the original party maker. He turns your mourning into joy. He turns your sorrow into laughter.
He turns your despair into dancing. He gives you a reason to celebrate. He gives you a reason to wake up, realize you have him and you have all that he has. He gives you a reason to have a big smile break out on your face. I'm not gonna envy folk living wow.
That's nothing to envy. You wanna get high, get filled with the Spirit. No hangover. Just worship God till you get up in His presence. I was getting ready to go there before I started preaching this message.
That's why I had to quit. You get in God's presence and bask in who He is, and let His joy overwhelm you. There's no reason in the world that Christians ought to be sitting around envying folk who don't know God. We have every reason to celebrate. And if you don't know how good he is, then you need to spend some time getting to know how good he is.
And you'll see there's no reason why you would ever envy somebody who doesn't know him. They might be happy right now, but that's circumstantial, it's temporary, and it's based on a lie. The truth is in Jesus. The world only has the counterfeit of what Jesus offers the genuine for. And he came that we might have.
Life came to give us Life. I want you to realize if you don't know Jesus, you don't have life. You have existence and He loves you, but He wants to give you life so that that love can really benefit your life. Right now, when you're outside of Christ, the only way he can love you is by having mercy. He's just having mercy.
He's just keeping the enemy who's dying to pounce on you. He's the thief. Remember, he's come to kill, steal, and destroy. And God's mercy is keeping the enemy from wiping you out. You have to understand if he wipes you out, you lose.
Eternally, you lose. But God wants to love you beyond mercy. He wants to love you into the fold. He says, I've come that you. Can be one of my sheep and follow me the rest of your days, and I'll take care of you, and I'll give you abundant life.
Not only everlasting life, but life to the full here and now. And God wants to give that to each one of us. Jesus comes first to to give us life. Thanks so much for being here with us for today's Destined for Victory. Remember, any of our recent messages, including the one you heard today, are available on demand at our website, pastorpaul.net.
While you're there, be sure to check out our online store for some great resources to help you grow in your Christian faith, including books and video messages from Pastor Paul Shepard. That's pastorpaul.net. And if you haven't already downloaded our free mobile app, now is a great time to do it. Search Destined for Victory in the App Store and listen to these messages wherever you go. That's the Destined for Victory mobile app.
Download it today, absolutely free.
Well, when you come to faith in Christ, you are immediately made right with God. And it's because of this new relationship that believers have access to peace, joy, hope, even during life's most difficult seasons. To learn more about the access to the blessings you have in Christ, I hope you'll contact us today and request your copy of our latest booklet, Access Granted. That's Access Granted, a great resource based on Romans chapter 5, and our gift to you today for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. Give that gift by phone by calling 855-339-5500.
Once again, that's 855-339-5500. or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, post office box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. Satan has a track record of never Treating us well. He had never done a nice thing for you.
In your life. If Satan appears to be nice to you. It's a setup. The Bible says he's a liar and a murderer from the beginning. He has nothing in him.
but mal intent for your life.
Now, that's tomorrow in our continuing message when Jesus comes. Until then, remember. He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.
