The Thief Takes, but Jesus Gives: What God Has Given Us in Christ
“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
Introduction: Jesus Came to Give
John 10:10 is one of the clearest verses in Scripture showing the difference between the work of the enemy and the work of Jesus. The thief comes to take. Jesus came to give. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.
This verse helps us understand the heart of God. God is not the destroyer of our lives. He is the giver of life. The enemy wants to rob people of truth, peace, joy, faith, purity, hope, and purpose. But Jesus came to restore what was lost, redeem what was broken, and fill our lives with the life of God.
The theme of this teaching is: What God has given. Many believers are very aware of what they lack, what they fear, what they have lost, or what they are fighting against. But John 10:10 calls us to look again at Christ and ask: What has God already given me in Jesus?
1. God Has Given Us Life
“I have come that they may have life…”
John 10:10 NKJV
The first thing Jesus says He came to give is life. This is more than physical life. Every person has physical breath, but not every person has spiritual life. Sin separated mankind from God, but Jesus came to bring us back into living relationship with the Father.
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Ephesians 2:1 NKJV
Before Christ, we were spiritually dead. But through Jesus, God makes us alive. Christianity is not merely self-improvement. It is resurrection life. God does not simply polish the old life; He gives us new life in Christ.
This life changes our identity, our desires, our direction, our values, and our eternal destiny. We are no longer people trying to reach God by our own strength. We are people who have received life from God through Jesus Christ.
2. God Has Given Us Eternal Salvation
The abundant life begins with salvation. Salvation is not something we earn through religious performance. It is not a reward for being good enough. It is a gift of grace through Jesus Christ.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NKJV
Notice the words: “the gift of God.” Eternal life is given, not achieved. It is received by faith, not purchased by works. This means the believer does not have to live under constant fear, wondering whether God will accept them. In Christ, God has already provided salvation.
“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”
1 John 5:11 NKJV
God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in His Son. The Christian life begins when we receive Jesus, but it does not end there. Eternal life is not only a future promise; it is the life of God beginning in us now and continuing forever.
3. God Has Given Us a Good Shepherd
John 10 is the chapter where Jesus reveals Himself as both the Door and the Good Shepherd. He is not a distant ruler who watches from far away. He is the Shepherd who knows His sheep, leads them, protects them, and gave His life for them.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
John 10:11 NKJV
This is very important. The thief takes life, but the Shepherd gives His life. The thief sacrifices the sheep for his own purposes, but Jesus sacrifices Himself for the sheep. This shows us the heart of Christ. He is not using us. He is saving us, leading us, and caring for us.
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
John 10:27-28 NKJV
We are not abandoned. We are not forgotten. We are not left to face life by ourselves. God has given us a Shepherd who knows us personally and calls us to follow His voice.
4. God Has Given Us Peace
One of the things the enemy often tries to steal is peace. He uses fear, guilt, anxiety, offence, confusion, pressure, and condemnation. But Jesus gives a peace that the world cannot give.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”
John 14:27 NKJV
The peace of Jesus is not dependent on perfect circumstances. It is not fragile. It is not merely a good feeling when everything is going well. It is the deep assurance that God is with us, God is for us, and God is in control.
This does not mean Christians never face storms. It means we do not face them alone. The enemy wants us restless, fearful, and unstable. Jesus gives peace that can guard our hearts even in the middle of difficulty.
5. God Has Given Us His Word
God has not left us in darkness. He has given us His Word to reveal truth, expose lies, guide our steps, renew our minds, and strengthen our faith.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105 NKJV
The enemy works through deception. He tries to confuse people about God, sin, identity, truth, purpose, and salvation. But God gives light through His Word. The Word of God helps us recognise what belongs to God and what comes from the thief.
When we know the Word, we are not easily moved by every feeling, fear, opinion, or accusation. God’s Word teaches us what He has given and what we must resist.
6. God Has Given Us the Holy Spirit
Jesus did not save us and then leave us to live the Christian life in our own strength. God has given us the Holy Spirit.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…”
John 14:26 NKJV
The Holy Spirit is our Helper, Comforter, Teacher, and Guide. He reminds us of the words of Jesus. He strengthens us when we are weak. He convicts us when we go wrong. He leads us into truth and empowers us to live a life that pleases God.
This is a wonderful gift. We are not empty-handed. We are not powerless. God Himself, by His Spirit, lives in the believer.
7. God Has Given Us Purpose
The thief wants people to feel useless, hopeless, and without direction. But Jesus gives life with purpose. Every believer has been created in Christ for a life that matters before God.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV
We are God’s workmanship. That means we are not accidents. We are not worthless. We are not without calling. God has prepared good works for us to walk in.
Purpose does not always mean standing on a platform or doing something public. Purpose is also found in prayer, faithfulness, serving, forgiving, encouraging, giving, raising children, loving people, sharing the gospel, and representing Christ in daily life.
8. God Has Given Us Abundant Life
“…and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 NKJV
Jesus did not only come to give life. He came to give abundant life. This does not mean a problem-free life. It does not mean every believer will be rich, comfortable, or free from suffering. Abundant life is not shallow prosperity. It is the fullness of life that comes from knowing Christ.
Abundant life includes salvation, peace, joy, grace, truth, strength, purpose, fellowship with God, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and eternal hope. It is a life that is full because Christ is in it.
The world often measures life by possessions, comfort, success, and status. But Jesus measures life by relationship with God. A person can have many things and still be empty. But the one who has Christ has received the true source of life.
9. The Enemy Tries to Steal What God Has Given
Jesus warns us that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. This means believers must be spiritually awake. The enemy wants to steal our faith, peace, joy, purity, confidence, relationships, understanding of God’s goodness, and sense of identity in Christ.
But the thief is not greater than the Shepherd. The enemy may attack, tempt, accuse, and deceive, but he is not Lord. Jesus is Lord.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NKJV
We do not overcome by fear. We overcome by submitting to God, standing on His Word, and resisting the lies of the enemy. When the enemy says, “You have nothing,” God’s Word says, “You have life in Christ.” When the enemy says, “You are forgotten,” Jesus says, “I know My sheep.” When the enemy says, “There is no hope,” Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life.”
10. We Must Receive and Walk in What God Has Given
A gift must be received. God has given us so much in Christ, but we must believe it, receive it, and walk in it. Many believers live below what God has provided because they focus more on what the enemy has stolen than on what Christ has given.
“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…”
2 Peter 1:3 NKJV
God has given us what we need to live a life that honours Him. We are not without help. We are not without truth. We are not without power. We are not without a Shepherd.
The Christian life is learning to live from what God has given, rather than from what the enemy has tried to steal.
Closing Encouragement
John 10:10 is not only a warning about the thief. It is a revelation of the heart of Jesus. The enemy comes to take, but Jesus came to give. The enemy brings destruction, but Jesus brings life. The enemy brings fear, but Jesus gives peace. The enemy wants to empty people, but Jesus came to fill us with the life of God.
So let us not focus only on what has been stolen, broken, or lost. Let us lift our eyes to Christ and remember what God has given. In Jesus, God has given us life, and life more abundantly.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for sending Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Thank You that He came to give us life and life more abundantly. Help us to recognise the work of the enemy and reject every lie that steals our peace, faith, joy, and confidence in You. Teach us to walk in what You have already given us through Christ. Fill us with Your Spirit, strengthen us through Your Word, and help us live as people who belong to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.