Live Your Best Life Now

Intro

You may have heard of the popular book, Live Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen

Released in 2004, this book has sold over 8 million copies and was a NYT Best Seller

Joel says in the book that you can live your best life right now if you just put on a big enough smile

That sounds good, everyone is trying to live a good life, but unfortunately Joel has sold a bold faced lie to over 8 million people

Joel and many other prosperity preachers confuse the God of the Bible with a genie from a kids book

Jesus, the true God, makes it clear that life is more than a lake house, mercedes benz, and acquiring all the stuff you want

He also makes it clear that in this life you will have trouble, and if you truly live your best life right now, your life to come will be much, much worse

In this passage we will see how you can actually live your best life now, but in the way of wishful thinking, but in a Biblical way

Your best life isn’t a quick fix but an eternal solution to your deepest need that can start today and last forever

Let’s let Jesus tell us what this means, as we will see that Eternal Life is a promise, a person, and a purpose.

Promise

John 17:1–2 “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.”

Jesus is given authority

Jesus has been given authority over all flesh which means every single person.

If you don’t know Jesus, He is still your authority. He calls the shots and he commands you to repent.

If you do know Jesus, He is your authority. He calls the shots and tells you to live a blameless life.

He wasn’t given power because He never lacked power, but he was given authority.

With his authority, he can choose to give eternal life to anyone.

Jesus is given believers

Several times in this chapter Jesus refers to believers as a gift given to Him by God

There’s the phrase, that person thinks they’re God’s greatest gift

Maybe there is some truth in that, but now how you think

Only God can give eternal life, which means Jesus is God.

Eternal life is a promise and a gift

If Jesus gives eternal life, you can’t do it yourself - it is a gift Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”

Religion says you can earn eternal life, but God says you can’t.

Instead, Eternal Life is a promise made by Jesus when he says he will give it to as many as God gives him.

Eternal life isn’t a superstition or wishful thinking, it is a promise made by Jesus

The question is, do you trust Jesus and find Him reliable? I do.

He proved his authority and reliability by taking our punishment and rising from the dead.

If Jesus gives eternal life, he defines eternal life...

Person

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

The entire hope of the Christian faith is the promise eternal life. What is it?

The question actually isn’t “what” but “who”

Jesus is God

Does this passage say that Jesus isn’t God? No!

Jesus makes himself equal with God by making him a parallel object of salvation.

Plus in verse 5 Jesus says he pre-existed, which means Jesus is eternal.

Jesus Is Eternal

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Jesus is Life

Jesus is life John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Jesus is the author of life Acts 3:15 “and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.”

Therefore, Jesus is eternal life… and he shares himself with us.

1 John 1:2 “the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—”

Eternal Life is A Person

We don’t receive the gift of eternal life by having an intellectual affirmation of who Jesus is

The word “know” is ginosko, which means to experience

Experiential knowledge is different

You can know who Forrest Frank, Michael Jordan, or Ed Sheeran is

But unless you are a close friend, you don’t really know them

You can know what a smashburger is

But you don’t really experience how good it is until you have one

We have eternal life by being in relationship with the one who gave himself to us, to give us eternal life

Eternal life isn’t just endless existence, it’s a continual ongoing relationship with Jesus

In other words, Eternal life isn’t just endless existence, it’s endless good because it’s endless God

Eternal life isn’t just infinite in length, but also in all things good

Because Jesus is God, and everything good comes from God, eternal life is also infinite in:

Freedom, Joy, Peace, Pleasure, Love, Excitement, Experience, Exploration, Learning, Relationships, Glory, purpose, adventure, and so much more.

Eternal life is not just heaven - although that is a wonderful real place where you will enjoy most of your eternal life.

Eternal life is now

So if knowing Jesus in a relationship is eternal life, you can have that right now!

Some of the magnitude of eternal life is yet to come, like total freedom from sin and death, but much of it is available to you today.

We have been conditioned to think that “living life” is

Chasing pleasure - hook ups, drugs, partying, YOLO

Chasing success - promotions, followers, money, car, house

Chasing comfort - leisurely living, avoiding all conflict and hardship

Chasing control - being your own boss, calling your own shots, doing whatever it is your little heart desires

True eternal life is...

Knowing God personally, not just about it

Living in unconditional love, not seeking approval of others

Deep joy and peace, regardless of what storms come because you are a child of God

Living with purpose...

Purpose

John 17:4–5 “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”

Jesus had a purpose and mission when he came to earth

His work was to glorify God, and lay down his life for the sin of the world

John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 John 2:2 “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””

Because Jesus finished his work, we now have work to do with our eternal life.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

You aren’t saved by good works, but FOR good works

Every believer has an important role, and no one is more important than another

Broadly speaking, every Christian’s work is to

1. Know God

2. Show God Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

3. Share God with others Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

You might also have a specific mission in how you do this. Some of you know it

It doesn’t mean everyone has to be a pastor

You are called into your own mission field

If you don’t know what yours is..

Pray everyday for God to show you

Use the gifts God gave you to point people to Him

Preach the gospel