Sunday, September 11th, 2016

There’s More to this Life

John 10:10, Ephesians 2:10

Pastors Rich Ratts (Monticello)

Pastor Randy Hinshaw (Bement)

What does it say?

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. (John 10:10, NKJV)

A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (John 10:10, MSG)

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

“Hey! Hello in there. Hey, what’s so important? Whatcha got here that’s worth living for?” – Miracle Max, in The Princess Bride

  • There must be more, right? We live with a restless discontent.

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.” – C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

So What does it mean?

  1. More IS NOT…

“If we are not careful and deliberate, we will believe our own insatiable longings give us a reason to pursue unhealthy earthly desires. We will pursue desires rooted in the wrong kind of more: doing more, accomplishing more, earning more, working more, learning more, leading more, and influencing more. Yet we will never fully satisfy these desires, and trying to do so will make us exhausted and cynical. Chasing after these desires distracts us and hijacks us from the right kind of more, the life of abundance that God intends for us.” – Todd Wilson, in More, page 39

  1. MoreIS…
  2. Taking hold of life in Christ – a full, abundant, overflowing life.
  3. Discovering who I am (BE), my mission & purpose (DO), and the unique position God has for me (GO).

Now What does it mean for me?

Consider the following obstacles or barriers that will keep you from More:

  • Not listening.

So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. 10And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:9-10, NLT)

  • Using the wrong scorecard.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (Mark 8:36, NLT)

  • Talent burying.

“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.25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ (Matthew 25:24-25, NLT)

Some helpful steps for this series:

  • Hear the messages as we unpack God’s calling on our lives – Be, Do, & Go! You can hear the messages during weekend gatherings or online at
  • Read More, by Todd Wilson (available at the Welcome Center in the foyer).
  • Connect with a g3 Life Group (sign up and get a workbook at the Welcome Center if you are not already in a group).

Scripture Translation / Paraphrase Key—

MSG – The Message ParaphraseNKJV – New King James Version

NIV – New International VersionNLT – New Living Translation

Crossroads Church • 1602 N 1125 East Road • Monticello, IL 61856

217.762.5300 •

Rich Ratts, Lead Pastor • 217.855.8541 •

Randy Hinshaw, Pastor, XroadsBement • 217.714.6770 •

FROM VIDEO MESSAGE ON WEB SITE & Rich’s Study:

MORE – Introduction ~ Week #1

Clip from Princess Bride – Clip #8; 0:00 thru 3:57

What’s so important? What you got that’s worth living for?

Two Great Assumptions This Series Is Based On:

  1. Ephesians 2:10 – made by God, for God, for important work!
  2. John 10:10 – life to the full, overflowing

‘have life’…taking hold of it…fullness

One Emotion

  1. Restless discontent – C.S. Lewis = unfulfilled eternal longings

Direction – in the flow of God’s purpose/calling/blessings in/on my life…

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing.” (Mere Christianity, 136–137)

The On-Purpose Person – McCarthy, Kevin

Living The Life You Were Meant To Live – Patterson, Tom

Purpose-Driven Life – Warren, Rick

Sweet Spot…?

Who am I created to be?

What am I made to do?

Where am I supposed to do it?

Contentment is good, right?

But what if my “contentment” is masquerading as “settling?”

What’s gonna matter at the end of life? (according to Bob Buford, Halftime)

  1. What did you do with who Jesus says He is?
  2. What did you do with what Jesus gave you to work with?

Calling is fundamentally about having the fullness of Jesus in us and overflowing or carrying that fullness to others. – Todd Wilson

Barriers / Obstacles to MORE in my life:

  1. Not listening. Samuel to Eli – listen…Lord, here am I…speak, Lord. I’m listening.
  2. Using the wrong scorecard. Scorecards…which one are you following? Matthew 6:33…I want to seek Your Kingdom first. What does it profit a man…
  3. Talent burying… Matthew 25

So, let me ask you, what you got here that’s worth living for?

FROM MORE TEXT ~ Chapters 1 – 8

John 10:10

Matthew 4:19-20 – Peter is called…

More what? ~ More fullness, more abundance, more contentment.

“The problem isn’t that we want too much—it’s that we want too little. Instead of experiencing an adventurous journey with God and gaining an ever-increasing clarity on who he made us to be, we become stuck in today. We fail to embrace and step into the story God has uniquely designed for us.” – page 21

Ephesians 2:10

Who we are and what we are to do comes slowly into focus as we pursue Him and the idea of His calling on/in our lives. (4 photographs of increasing clarity…)

We have a sort of separation anxiety…

  1. A loss of identity and relationship
  2. A loss of purpose and mission
  3. A loss of place and eternal bliss

What MORE is not:

“If we are not careful and deliberate, we will believe our own insatiable longings give us a reason to pursue unhealthy earthly desires. We will pursue desires rooted in the wrong kind of more: doing more, accomplishing more, earning more, working more, learning more, leading more, and influencing more. Yet we will never fully satisfy these desires, and trying to do so will make us exhausted and cynical. Chasing after these desires distracts us and hijacks us from the right kind of more, the life of abundance that God intends for us.” – page 39

PAGES 40 & 41…THE KINGDOM OF GOD SCRIPT … consider reading this at the end of the Intro message

2 Timothy 1:9

We will need others for this journey into our personal calling. Could you pursue a personal calling while ignoring the church? Yes. We can choose to be planes without airports, but our effectiveness will be limited! (pages 56-57)

QUESTIONS OF CALLING:

  1. Am I willing to move and go wherever God wants me to go?
  2. Am I willing to work with whomever God wants me to work?
  3. Am I willing to go whenever God asks me to go?
  4. Am I willing to do whatever God asks me to do, regardless of consequences?
  5. How can I expect God to send me or use me if I’m not really willing to go?

How is this more life possible? By following our Guide. (John 14:16-17)

BE – DO – GO Who – What – Where