The Gift Of Eternal Life

John 10:28-29

Did you receive any gift yesterday—Valentine gift? Did you give anyone a gift yesterday? Or did anyone wish you happy valentine yesterday? This morning I want us to look at The Gift Of Eternal Life. This is the greatest love gift anyone can receive. And God has given this gift to anyone who has believed in Jesus Christ. And God will give this gift to anyone who will believe in Jesus.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)

Do you have eternal life? Do you know how to have eternal life? I will seek briefly to address four things here (I) What Is Eternal Life? (ii) The Source Of Eternal Life (iii) The Nature of Eternal Life, (iv) The Oppossite Of Eternal Life

All of us, without doubt, have a natural craving to be loved, cared for, affirmed. But unfortunately, in our sinful state, we may look at the wrong places for love. St Augustine speaking about the human heart and it’s cravings, says “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” This morning as believers, who are considered as Christ’s sheep, we must learn to look up to God to satisfy us with the cravings of our hearts. And indeed he has provided the way for that in Jesus Christ if only we will believe in him.

Let’s set our hearts, affections and desires upon the one whom God has put forward for the salvation of sinners.

What Is Eternal Life?

The title says The Gift of Eternal Life. This first and foremost tells us eternal life is a gift from God. It’s a gift we don’t deserve. It is a gift given to sinners to ransom them from sin. It is a gift, greater than any valentine gift

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Eph 2:8)

Jesus says “I give them eternal life…” The word eternal as used in the text carries with it a life of perpertuity. It has no end. It continues forever. It is, in King James language, everlasting—ageless, unending, unceasing. This means it is a life that continues. We will all die one day right? In the next 50years, perharps majority of adults here will be gone. That is a fact of life. So where is this idea of eternal life Jesus is speaking about? In fact, he says his sheep will not die: “they will never perish.” How do we then reconcile this with the fact that we will die. John 11:25, holds the answer. Jesus speaking to Martha about the subject of life, tells her concerning Lazarus: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. This is it. Eternal life means though you die, yet you shall live. Life doesn’t end at death. It continues. Death, if you like is just another phase of life. It’s an entry into a spiritual life of eternity. Life that never ends. That is what eternal life is.

Now eternal life is often treated as both quantitative, that is how long. And qualitative, that is how good. And so far, I have spoken about the quantitative—the perpertuity of the length of life which never ends. Let’s now look at the quality of eternal life. Is it only about waiting to die before it kicks in? No, for the believer, eternal life begins when they come to faith. It is Salvation from sin and destruction. Once someone comes to faith in Christ, they have received eternal life. They have received the peace of God. They have been justified – that is they stand right before God without condemnation (Romans 5:1, 8:1). Look at verse 10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

In this verse we see a contrast between the destructive nature of the thief, the bad shepherds of God’s people and the good shepherd. While the theif destroys, the Good Shepherd Jesus restores. He gives peace, he gives comfort, he gives joy. This is what you have in Christ. This is the benefit he provides for you as his sheep.

Now, though the abundant life described here is more than material blessings, we will also not gloss over the fact that God cares for his people. He provides for them. The analogy of the Shepherd is important because the shepherd provides for his sheep. See verse 9: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” That word pasture is the picture of the shepherd in Psalm 23 in whom David lacks nothing—I shall not want: Think plenty, think abundance. He is the shepherd who makes David lies in green pastures—think God’s Provision. He cares for his own. He provides for them. He is the shepherd who restores David’s soul—think God’s peace.

The Source Of Eternal Life

Do you have any needs? Undoubtedly, all of us have needs. And as sheep of Christ, he is the one we are to turn to and look upon.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face…. Will you? Bring your burdens to him. He gives life.

God, Paul says provides for us “far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Now eternal life, can only be found in Jesus: “I give them eternal life…” I, that is Jesus speaking. He is the one who gives eternal life to his sheep. He is The Source of Eternal life: both now and in future. One of the beautiful phrases of the New Testament for me is the phrase “In Him”, that is in Christ. I first fell in love with this phrase from Colossians. Then I was using the King James, so I will read from King James

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

See, there is no benefit in Christ to anyone who is not in him. All of the blessings of God, are administered to us in Christ. The New Testaments constantly puts this in our face

In Christ, Paul says in Eph 1:13, that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. In Christ, we have redemption through his blood (Eph 1:7). In Christ, the riches of his grace has been lavished on us (Eph 1:8). In Christ, we have an inheritance (Eph 1:11). In Christ, we have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. Our eternal future is guaranteed (Eph1:13). In Christ, we have been raised up from spiritual death and seated in heavenly places with Christ. In him we are loved greatly. In him we are a royal priesthood, chosen, a people of his own possession called out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9-10). In Christ, you are God’s child (John 1:12). In Christ you have eternal life (John 3:16). “In him we live, move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

Dear friends, all things are in him– In Christ. Every benefit the believer receives is a benefit in Christ. The sinner’s only hope of salvation and eternal life is in Christ

“In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this Cornerstone, this solid ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease;

my Comforter, my All in All;

here in the love of Christ I stand”

Hear this also:

The Lord Jesus, by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, which He through the eternal Spirit once offered up to God, has fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father has given unto Him.

The Nature of Eternal Life

“no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

What is the nature of eternal life? At the risk of committing a circular fallacy, the nature of eternal life is eternal. It never ends. But we have already seen that in my attempt to define what eternal life is. So we will move away from that. Now the nature of eternal life I want to point out to you is that it is Secure” “no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

To say something is secure is to say, it is safe. It is guaranteed. In Reformed Theology, we call this Persevearance of the Saints or Eternal security. This simply means that, those Jesus gives eternal life to, will never lose their salvation. Salvation is not something you have today and tomorrow it’s is lost or taken away from you. No, the one who gave you that salvation is the same one who is keeping you.

Our friends on the other side, downplay the power of God and say a believer can lose their salvation. How weak a god they serve. Anyone who believes salvation can be lost has Jesus to argue with: “no one will snatch them out of my hand.” See, our salvation is guaranteed. All of us who are saved can be hopeful in this life that we belong to Christ forever. There is no doubts about this.

Now you are not only secured in the hands of Christ. You ae also kept by the father: “no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (v.29). This looks like a double protection. You are kept by the Son and kept by the Father. This dear friends must give all of us great hope. Look, we are not making things up by believing a Christian cannot lose their salvation. We are just repeating what Scripture speaks about.

Never ever come to a point as a believer, where you think God has abandoned you or left you because of events happening in your life. He has saved you and will ensure you get to heaven safely.

The Opposite Side Of Eternal Life

If you don’t have eternal life, what do you have? It’s simple. You have eternal death. Eternal destruction. You will perish in all eternity. You don’t have the life of Christ. Now this is the state of everyone who has not come to faith in Christ. We are all sinners right? We have all broken the law of God and are guilty to be sent into eternal damnation and condemnation. Sinners are bound for hell. You are going to perish if you don’t receive the gift of eternal salvation. It’s all wrapped in Christ and when we come to him in faith, he gives us eternal life.