This is Eternal life [John 17:1-5]

Today, we dive into the Gospel of John 17:1-5 to examine the richness of the word

Eternal Life.

Our goal by the end of today’s message will be to discover the true meaning of eternal life and how we can apply this state of being in our lives.

As I was researching on the internet what people thought of eternal life, I came across a community post, and the question read: What is the point of eternal life? Valid question,

right?

Have you ever asked yourself this question before?

This question got me thinking of how we might be thinking about eternal life. To have

hope in something, we have to understand and comprehend what that something is.

So, what do you think about the point of eternal life? How do you understand eternal

life? And how are you applying this state of being in your life?

I want you to think about three questions as we share this message today, and I have

faith that you will experience a deeper understanding of God today.

We must first lay out common understandings of the word to dissect the word eternal

life.

When most people think about the word eternal life, they think about living forever or

everlasting. The most common meaning that people associate with eternal life is the

ability to live forever, to be exact.

Is this how you have been thinking about eternal life?

The simple idea of eternal life itself might be irrelevant to some people, who might ask

what eternal life has to do with me.

Some people might say I do not want eternal life, which is another valid statement.

However, today's scripture tells us the truth about eternal life and why we need eternal

life. Therefore, let us look at what Jesus teaches us about eternal life.

In John 17:3, Jesus says: And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true

God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Jesus does not state that eternal life is the form of living forever, but rather, Jesus states

that eternal life is this: To Know the one true God and To Know Jesus Christ.

As we can see in today’s primary verse, there are two keywords that we need to focus

on to know eternal life.

John 17:3 shows us that there is a special connection between these two words. To

better understand eternal life, we must understand what knowing the one true God

means in this context.

In the bible, "To know God" is a fundamental idea repeated numerous times in the Old

Testament, and God significantly tells us to know Him.

He wants us to know Him because He is the way, truth, and life (John 14:6).

Even Paul proclaims in Philippians 3:7–8

“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered a loss because of Christ.

More than that, I consider everything a loss given the surpassing value of

knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Because of him, I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them dung so

that I may gain Christ.”

So first, we need to understand the significance and the meaning of "to know God."

This past week, we started reading the book of Exodus in our daily scripture reading.

Within Exodus, we are introduced to the phrase "Know that I am the Lord," which is a

phrase that is used numerous times, 72 times, to be exact, in the Old Testament and

New Testament.

Over and over again, when God works in the Old Testament and speaks through the

prophets and when God sends plagues and judgment to Israel, God always states so

that they may know I am Lord after each event.

Specifically, in Exodus, we see God calling Moses to fulfill God's promise to Abraham to

take his people to the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, the promised

land for the people of Israel.

The only issue was that during this time when God called Moses, the Israelites were

slaves to the Egyptians.

The Almighty God could have immediately pulled the Israelites out of slavery and

guided them to the promised land, but God did not do that. Why?

It did not immediately happen because God wanted to accomplish two tasks, as we see

in.

Exodus 6:6-7

Say therefore to the people of Israel, 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from

under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them,

and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I

am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the

Egyptians.

God says He will take the Israelites to be His people, and He will be their God so they

may "know that He is the Lord your God."

This word "know" refers explicitly to the word knows mentioned in John 17:3, which is

the Greek word "ginōskō (in-once-ko), " meaning to know or understand.

However, this is not a complex accumulation of textbook knowledge but an experiential

knowing through our senses. It has an intimate feeling like our intimate relationships

with those who are closest to us but beyond that.

God wants us to honestly know Him because He knows that the accurate way to life is

through Him, the source of life, only by knowing Him.

It took the Israelites over 40 years to enter the promised land. They spent 40 years in

the wilderness and kept going around in circles because they did not know God.

It was supposed to be a tiring but simple 11-day trip, but the denial of knowing God

prohibited the first generation of Israelites who escaped Egypt from entering the land of

Canaan.

Our answer to life is To Know God in our daily lives. WPW - The life of Word, Prayer,

and Worship: Nothing else exists.

Second, let us look at how the word ginōskō connects with eternal life. How does

knowing God give us eternal life?

Well, we must first look into this word's original Greek translation.

First, eternal, in its original Greek translation, means aiōnios (ahee-o'-nee-os), without

beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be. That sounds like

God, right? That which always has been and always will be? God says I am who I am.

Additionally, the word life in Greek means zoe (zo-ay), which translates to the quality of

life, so eternal life translates to aiōnios zoe, which the Bible Project translates to as "Life

Unto the Age" or "Life Age."

So, what exactly does it mean? Aiōnios Zoe refers to the quality or caliber of life that

comes from a relationship with God in the immediate present.

This is why Jesus tells us.

John 1:4

"In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

And in John 10:10

"A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may

have life and have it in abundance."

Therefore, we can conclude that Eternal Life is living life to its fullest in our present lives

only through the knowledge of God. We are currently living in this age with life inside of

us. Jesus Christ, who himself is life, lights up our lives.

He is the source of life; through him, we have abundant life. So, I ask you again, what is

the point of eternal life?

We learn through its original meaning that in God is life.

To summarize, we must know God and know more of Him daily because life and

abundance of it come from God.

Everyone says they want to live a good life and find life satisfaction. Where are you

searching for your answers?

in John 17:1-2 states:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,

“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,

2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom

you have given him.

Eternal life comes from Jesus alone.

Look at the life of Joseph. At age 17, he was betrayed and abandoned by his brothers.

At an early age, he was sold to Egypt, a foreign country, as an enslaved person.

He worked hard and diligently in the place that he was at, but still, he ended up in prison

due to a false accusation.

However, despite his trials, he did not lose faith in God. Despite his circumstances,

Joseph knew the proper caliber of life comes from a relationship and knowing God, so

he remained faithful to God.

What was the result of his faith? God raised him as a foreigner as a second-in-charge of

Egypt. God is good and life.

Brothers and Sisters,

This is eternal life, that you may know the only true God and Jesus Christ. Let us

remember what this means in our daily lives.

The deeper meaning of eternal life should motivate us and inspire us to draw nearer to

God’s word daily. Imagine your life's beauty and richness if you were to know more of

God, honestly.

C.S. Lewis said: "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only

because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

We know, without thinking, that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. We

also know, without thinking, that we have 24 hours daily, but how well do you earnestly

know God?

Our intimacy with God in our daily lives should be as evident as the sun rises in the

morning. Only through God can we see the truth in this world because we brighten the

footpaths of our lives as the trustworthy source of light.

We keep seeking the answers to a good life in the wrong places. God teaches us in

today's scripture that by knowing Him, we can live the highest quality of life, but only if

we Know Him.

John 17:4-5,

4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me. 5 And now,

Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before

the world existed.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so that we can restore our relationship with

God to have an abundance of life. I pray and hope that we all take reading our Bibles

seriously daily.

Every moment that you do not read your bible. Every moment, you waste away your life

from experiencing its highest quality.

WPW - Let us live by the word, prayer, and worship. Amen.