Life

Today we are wrapping up this six part study of the Good News called, “Life in 6 Words.” We get these six words by using the word “Gospel” as an acrostic. As a way of review, let’s walk through these six words one final time…

G - God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1-2)

O - Our sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)

S - Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4 - Malachi 4)

P - Paying the price for sin Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew - Luke)

E - Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)

L - Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts - Revelation)

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Derek Redmond tore his hamstring in the 400 meter semi-final but continued the race limping and, with assistance from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Although Redmond was disqualified and listed as “Did Not Finish” due to the outside assistance finishing the race, the incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history.

There is something powerful about the love of a father for his child that is beautiful. It taps into that something deep down in all of our souls and it really is the essence of what we are talking about during this final week of this six week journey through the Gospel. The love of our father brings LIFE. “Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.”

LIFE

How many people are longing for this depth of relationship with someone, down deep inside? Especially kids. Next time you are on YouTube, search for “Surprise adoption” and you will be crying in seconds. Deep down we all long for an intimate and deep relationship with someone.

What an amazing gift it is to receive eternal life, and what a joy to know that you have LIFE with Jesus. It is not a “hope-so,” “think-so” salvation. You can KNOW that you have eternal life, and God wants you to KNOW!

1 John 5:11–13 ESV

11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Pray

If you want to follow along in your bible today, go ahead and open to John’s Gospel. We are going to look at a lot of scripture today, and much of it comes from John. “Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.” Let’s break down the beauty of this true statement…

ETERNAL LIFE STARTS NOW

This study is a “Dare 2 Share Ministries” bible study. Years ago, the Gospel acrostic used to be different. The “L” used to take on a more theological prospective and it said, “Life is eternal and cannot be lost.” Now the statement reflects the personal, intimate relationship that we have with Christ that starts at the moment of salvation and extends into eternity. It’s relational and we have it NOW! Jesus says it this way in John 6:47…

John 6:47 ESV

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

HAS! In other words, you don’t get eternal life after you die. You get it as soon as you believe in Jesus. If we back up a little bit to John 5:24…

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Again, Jesus says here that when someone puts their trust in Him, he or she HAS eternal life, not will have. And in the past tense, “HAS passed from death to life.” What a powerful statement! What an amazing truth and promise!

Corrie Ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker, who worked with her family to help many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in WWII. She once said this…

“You know, eternal life does not start when we go to heaven. It starts the moment you reach out to Jesus. He never turns His back on anyone. And He is waiting for you.”

We aren’t waiting for eternal life, we already have it! This isn’t the kind of life that just hangs on and survives. This is a thriving life! In John 10:10, Jesus said…

John 10:10 ESV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

There is a point in our Christian lives where we realize that salvation is more than getting your ticket punched to heaven. Salvation is experiencing the very life flow of God Himself. Before Jesus was arrested and crucified He spent time with His disciples. In one of their final moments He lifted His eyes to heaven and spoke to God. In that moment He gave us a clear definition of eternal life when He said…

John 17:3 ESV

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

In his book, “Knowing God,” J. I. Packer wrote about the importance of knowing God. He said…

“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we have in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? To know God. What is the best thing in life? To know God. What in humans gives God most pleasure? Knowledge of himself.”

The core of eternal life is a relationship, not a set of theological propositions. But those theological propositions can help us deepen our relationship with God when we understand and apply them. The core of eternal life is a relationship with God, and it starts NOW, at the moment of salvation. No other worldview or belief system understands or teaches this truth…

Atheist - Doesn’t believe in God.

Agnostic - Doesn’t know if there is a God.

Deist - God wound up the watch of creation and then left the building.

Theist - belief in a God that must be pleased and appeased by our actions.

Christian - belief in the God of the Bible and faith in His Son for salvation. Only true Christianity has intimacy with God in a Father/child relationship.

To quote J. I. Packer again, he said…

“What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it — the fact that he knows me.”

What makes this intimacy with God so powerful is that God is so powerful. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler. Jesus is the One who will Judge the Living and the Dead. He is the one who appeared to John, his best friend on earth, in Revelation chapter one in His glorified form, and John passes out!

God is powerful and salvation comes through Jesus alone, yet He loves us so much that He desires an intimate relationship. Scripture uses intimate terms to describe God and His relationship to us. God the Father is our Father. Chapter 2 of Hebrews describes Jesus as our Brother. According to John 14:26, the Holy Spirit is our Helper, Teacher, and Guide.

Eternal life is KNOWING the only true God and Jesus, and it starts NOW. The last part of today’s statement is that it lasts forever. “Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.”

ETERNAL LIFE LASTS FOREVER

Thanks to Jesus, we have a personal, PERMANENT relationship with the God of the universe! This gift of eternal life starts now and stretches into eternity. It’s not just about the quality of eternal life, it’s also about the quantity of it.

As believers born of the Spirit into this eternal life, we can have confidence and be sure of heaven. I’m not sure because of my life, but because of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. I’m not sure of this because of anything I do, but because of what Christ has done. I’m not sure of this because of my ability to keep my promises to God but because of God’s ability to keep His promises to me.

To help us build biblical confidence in eternity, let’s look at ten things scripture says about eternal life…

1. Jesus will never reject you. (John 6:37)

If you believe in Jesus, He will never reject you or drive you away. He says it this way in John 6:37…

John 6:37 NIV

37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

2. We are in His hands and He will never let us go. (John 10:28-30)

A young girl and her father were walking along a busy street after dark. While the girl held her father’s hand tightly she looked up and said, “Daddy, what would you do if a bad guy came and tried to take me away from you?” Her father replied, “Well, let me ask you this. Is there anyone stronger than your daddy?”

She quickly replied, “Nope!” So he said, “Then if someone tried to take your hand out of my hand, they would have to be stronger than me. Ans since no one is stronger than your daddy, that could never happen!”

While there may be plenty of people in the world stronger than this dad, it would take A LOT to come between a daddy and his little girl.

To take something out of my hand, you only need to be stronger than me, but nobody is stronger than God. Not even Satan, so no one can snatch you out of His hand. Jesus said this…

John 10:28–30 ESV

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Thanks to Jesus, we have a personal and permanent relationship with the God of the universe!

3. The Father won’t lose one of us. (John 6:39-40)

Quoting Jesus from John’s Gospel again…

John 6:39–40 ESV

39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

He will not lose one of His children.

4. We can’t be spiritually unborn. (John 3:3-8)

In our referenced scripture, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus and told him that a person would have to be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. Once you are born you can’t be unborn. Once you are born again there is no going back. There is no record of anyone in Scripture who was ever spiritually unborn. In fact, the apostle Peter said this about being born again…

1 Peter 1:23 NIV

23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

5. We can’t be un-chosen by God. (Ephesians 1:4)

Why would He choose us before the foundation of the world if we could be un-chosen? God doesn’t change His mind. How could a God who knows all that is, was, and is to come even be capable of experiencing something that would change His mind?

Ephesians 1:4 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

6. We can’t be un-adopted from His family. (Galatians 4:4-7)

Galatians 4:4–7 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

“Sonship” is a big deal. In an article by Ellen Mady on adoption in the ancient Roman culture, she helps us understand the power and permanence of being adopted:

“In ancient Rome, adoption had a powerful meaning. When a child was born biologically, the parents had the option of disowning the child for a variety of reasons. The relationship, therefore, was not necessarily desired by the parent, nor permanent. Not so, however, if a child was adopted. In Rome, adopting a child meant: That child was freely chosen by the parents, desired by the parents.

That child would be a permanent part of the family; parents couldn’t disown a child they adopted. An adopted child received a new identity. Any prior commitments, responsibilities and debts were erased. New rights and responsibilities were taken on. Also, in ancient Rome, the concept of inheritance was part of life, not something that began at death. Being adopted made someone an heir to their father, joint-sharers in all his possessions and fully united to him.”

This was a permanent adoption in the Roman culture of the day. It could not be reversed.

7. You’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Ephesians 1:13–14 NIV

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Have you ever mailed or received Certified Mail? With certified mail the recipient has to sign that they are the one who received the delivery. They are often even required to show ID to verify they are in fact the person who is supposed to receive the delivery.

In a similar way, when you believed you were marked in Him with a seal. As if you were mailing God your ID through certified mail. You are in Christ, which is represented by this envelope, and the Holy Spirit sealed it, guaranteeing that we are His possession. The destination is Heaven, the recipient is the Father, and your soul is secure in Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit, until the Father opens it on the day of redemption.

8. God says we can “Know that we have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

God wants us to walk in assurance, not fear.

1 John 5:11–13 ESV

9. A true Christian can never commit the unpardonable sin, because they’ve already believed in Jesus. (Mark 3:22-30)

In the referenced passage, the scribes from Jerusalem were saying that Jesus was possessed and was casting out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus responded by saying that a house divided against itself would not be able to stand. Jesus could cast out demons because of His triumph over Satan and his temptations. Then Jesus described the sin that could never be forgiven is perpetual unbelief.

10. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:31-39)

I love this passage in Romans, so I want to read these eight verses…

Romans 8:31–39 NLT

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever!

Now, here’s the tricky part. I’ve seen people use this to blame Christianity for bad things that happen. They may say that the reason someone does something bad is because they already have the golden ticket or all they have to do is pray for forgiveness and all is good. I can’t disagree more. That isn’t what scripture teaches at all, so either that person hasn’t gone through God’s discipline yet, or they possibly aren’t even a true believer.

Eternal life is not a license to sin but a reason to serve! Having the assurance of salvation enables us to serve the Lord out of joy, and not out of compulsion. John wrote that “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him… the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world.” Then he said this…

1 John 5:3–5 ESV

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

As Christians we are overcomers, not abusers. The freedom we have been given is not something we selfishly grab hold of for self gratification and pleasure. We have been set free for God’s good purposes. I love the way Paul describes our freedom in Christ…

Galatians 5:13–14 ESV

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Eternal life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. It’s purpose is summed up in the entire Gospel: to participate in, and share with others, the love of God the Father through His one and only Son, Jesus, sealed and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.