I. AND THIS IS THE PROMISE THAT HE HAS MADE TO US, EVEN ETERNAL LIFE.
A. A promise is only as good as the one who made it. Who made us the promise of eternal life?
1. Paul said,
TIT 1:2 In the hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
2. It is God Himself who has made the promise.
NUM 23:19 God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
1SA 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man, that he should repent.
HEB 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:
HEB 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
B. Over and over, the scriptures promise us eternal life.
JOH 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
JOH 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.
2TI 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
C. Eternal life is promised to those who:
1. Believe on Jesus Christ;
JOH 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
JOH 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
JOH 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
JOH 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
JOH 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
2. To those who patiently continue in well doing.
ROM 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
3. To those who are justified by His grace.
TIT 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
4. Those who sow to the Spirit.
GAL 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
5. To those who know God.
JOH 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
II. ETERNAL LIFE IS A GIFT OF GOD TO YOU.
JOH 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1JO 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
EPH 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
III. WE MUST NOT THINK OF ETERNAL LIFE AS ONLY A QUANTITY OF LIFE; IT IS A QUALITY OF LIFE.
A. The scriptures indicate that those who refuse to believe in Jesus will continue to exist.
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.
MAT 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
MAT 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
MAR 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
MAR 9:44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
MAR 9:45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
MAR 9:46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
MAR 9:47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
MAR 9:48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
REV 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
REV 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
1. Thinking of the eternal punishment is not a pleasant thought but very abhorrent.
2. Thus eternal life must be more than just quantity.
3. You might say of an uncle, "He lived to the ripe old age of 95," and someone might respond, "Isn't that wonderful?" You answer not really; the last 20 years of his life he was in constant pain and the last ten years of his life he was in a coma on life support systems.
4. Long is not necessarily good.
B. Eternal life is not only quantity but quality.
PSA 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.
1. Paul spoke of being caught up into the third heaven where he heard things so glorious it would be a crime to try to describe them.
2. John tells us,
REV 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
REV 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
REV 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
REV 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
REV 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
REV 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
REV 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
REV 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
REV 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
REV 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
REV 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
REV 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
REV 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
REV 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads.
REV 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
C. It is a quality of life which glory is beyond our wildest dreams.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
