Access Granted (Life to the Full)

An Unexpected Feast

Watching that baptism was extraordinary — seeing what God can do in the life of every single one of us. As Pastor Glyn said, He is a faithful God. And it brings me back to something that happened years ago.

My dad told me to go visit one of his friends who lived in another city. I woke up very early, caught the bus, and arrived at his office. At the reception I said, "My name is Toba, I'm asking for Mr. Joseph."

Apparently Mr. Joseph had people waiting for me. They took me into a room, welcomed me, took my bag. Mr. Joseph showed up for about two minutes and said, "I'll be with you shortly. This man here will take you somewhere." And they took me to a restaurant.

When I walked into that restaurant, it was so beautiful — like nothing I'd ever seen in my life. All manner of dishes, all manner of drinks. I hadn't eaten all day because I'd made my way there so early, and I only had a few quid left in my pocket.

So I sat down and thought, how am I going to do this? I have barely enough for my transport back. When they told me to go and get something to eat, I kept looking at what was in my pocket.

The lady asked, "Would you want this?" I was thinking about my pocket. "No, I can't have that." "Would you want this?" "No, I can't have that." Finally I looked for the meal that in my head I assumed would be the cheapest — so that at worst, if they wanted to get rid of me, I could hand over what little I had and say, "There you go."

Locked Up in What Was in My Pocket

I sat there and ate. Thirty minutes later someone came and offered me more. An hour later someone else came. "Would you like water?" "I'm fine, thank you."

Almost three hours later, my dad's friend finally showed up. "Are you good?" "Yes." "Let's go." "Go where?" "Home."

As I tried to follow him, I noticed three or four other people were with him. I quickly pulled one of them aside and whispered, "The food, the food." He said, "What's wrong with it?" I said, "I've not paid." He said, "Did they ask you for money?" I said, "No." He said, "He's the bank manager. They would not ask you for anything."

I had sat there for almost four hours — where I could have had a four-course, even a ten-course meal — thinking only about what was in my pocket. I had ignored the fact that the person I'd gone to meet was the branch bank manager, and I had access to every single thing. But I was locked up in what I had in my pocket.

I asked, "Can I go back?" He said, "No, it's too late. We have to go now."

Access Has Been Granted

That brings me to a point: sometimes in life we are all reaching for something. We are all here on earth, and there are so many things every one of us desires. But look at the truth of God's word today in John chapter 10, verse 10:

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. But Jesus says, "I have come that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance."

In abundance. Not merely that they may have life — but that they may have and enjoy it. The Amplified Version puts it this way: "to the full, till it overflows."

Every single person who has been baptised today has said yes to Jesus. We believe in our hearts, and we are physically making a public demonstration of a spiritual truth. We are making a physical demonstration of an internal status change.

They're not doing this because it's a ceremony. It is the reality of what has happened on their inside. There is a status change — and what that status change means is: access is granted.

What have you been granted access into? Life to the full.

• You have not been granted access to live a mediocre life.
• You have not been granted access to a life where the devil tosses you back and forth.
• You have been granted access into a new life — a life of enjoyment.

What "Life to the Full" Really Means

Sometimes when people read that Scripture — "to the full" — they misunderstand it. We're not saying your life will get more busy. We're not saying you'll suddenly juggle triple jobs in a day, or so many responsibilities you won't have time to breathe. We're not saying your calendar will get full.

Let me remind you what a life to the full actually means — the internal transformation that has happened.

Life to the full is not emotional exhaustion — it is emotional fullness.

Life to the full is not confusion or fear — it is mental fullness.

Life to the full is not emptiness — it is spiritual fullness in you.

Life to the full is not loneliness — it is relational fullness.

Life to the full is not aimlessness — it is purposefulness.

Life to the full is not bare-minimum living — it is overflow.

Jesus came so that you don't just exist — you live. Jesus came not just that you should survive — you thrive. Jesus came not just that you should have barely enough.

Just like I was thinking, "What I have in my pocket is just barely enough to get me to my next stop. What I have could only get me one meal." And I had lost touch with the truth. If only I had known who I'd gone to meet. If only I had known who he was.

Somebody here is asking today, "Who is Jesus?" Jesus has brought you into life to the full.

The One Cost: Surrender

It's all fine if you have questions. First Peter 3:21, in the Amplified Version, tells us that because you are demonstrating what you believe — through the resurrection of Jesus — baptism is not just going down into the water. It is what you have been baptised into: the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

But let me tell you — just as I had to take the bus to reach my destination, every good thing in life comes at a cost. I had to get the bus. I had to wake up early. I had to stay on track until I arrived. A cost has to be paid.

But the cost for the fullness of life we're talking about is different.

Every time I come to church, there's a young boy called James. Every single time James sees me — at the car park, even in the toilet, anywhere — do you know what he does? He lifts up his hands to be carried.

That is the only cost to the fullness of life: surrender.

All you need to do is surrender. If James wants me to carry him, all he does is reach up — even if he's going to break my back. This fullness of life requires surrender. And it is a continual surrender.

Just like those who were baptised today, everyone in this room at some point has to make that decision. If James doesn't lift his hands — if he pulls away — it becomes difficult for me to lift him up. All you need to do is surrender.

What Are You Surrendering To?

1. Surrendering to the way of Jesus.
2. Surrendering to the life of Jesus.
3. Surrendering to the people of Jesus.
4. Surrendering to the principles of Jesus.

This is not saying it's the end of your life. It's Jesus saying, "Just surrender to my ways, to my word, to my principles."

The fullness of life we're talking about is for those who will pay the cost of surrendering.