Our Eternal Life Starts Now
Eternal life doesn’t start when you die and go to heaven (John 3:36) “he that believes
on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abides on him”. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). It says on earth as it is in
heaven, not when you get to heaven. He has given us the keys of the kingdom, and
we are supposed to bind and loose the things we want on earth and heaven will back
us up. John writes in I John 5:13 “these things have I written to you that believe on the
name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you
may believe on the name of the Son of God”. The word have is a present tense word.
In fact eternal life means more than eternal existence (Daniel 12:2) “many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt”. Everyone will live forever somewhere.
Eternal life starts when you come to Jesus (John 1:12), He gives us the right to be
sons of God. God is our Father and we should come to Him as a child does. He tells
us to come boldly unto the throne of grace. As we mature we will realize who we are in
Christ, Romans 5:17 says “for if by one man’s (Adam) offence death reigned by one
man; much more they which receive abundance of grace of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ”, the problem is many are waiting to die and
reign in heaven, but the Bible says “the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s,
but the earth He has given the earth to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16); Romans
5:21 says “that as sin has reigned to death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”.
Remember we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us (Philippians 4:
13). I John 4:17 says “herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world”. We have the mind of
Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The Bible says “greater is He that lives
in you, than he that is in the world”. Acts 1:8 tells us that we shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we shall be witnesses to Him, yet many people
never witness to anyone.
Adam lived in paradise, he lacked nothing, all things on earth were at perfect peace,
until he fell into sin. Everything that Adam lost, Jesus came and defeated the devil
and took it back, and then gave it to us (II Corinthians 5:17-18) “therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation”. What Adam really lost was a
personal relationship with God. The quality of our eternal life will depend on our
relationship with our heavenly Father. God wanted all of Israel to come to the foot of
the mountain, so He could speak to them all, He wanted them to have the same
supernatural lifestyle as Moses had, but they were afraid, and told Moses to speak to
God and then tell them and they would obey, but they put their relationship on a third
person mindset. God wants that same kind of relationship with us, as He wanted with
Israel. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection tore the veil that separated us and we
can now go directly to God, our Father and speak to Him, one on one.
A person’s new and redeemed existence in Christ is granted by God as a gift to all
believers. It is a free gift (Romans 6:22-23) “but now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord”. It enables you to life the highest quality of life.
We have to let the Bible determine the meaning of eternal life, Jesus says “verily,
verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47) and “the
thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and
that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). John 17:1-3 says “these
words spoke Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is
come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. As You have given Him
power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given
Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent”. Knowing God is having a personal relationship with Him;
Adam walked with God in the cool of the day before the fall.
Our inheritance of eternal life, doesn’t start when we die, but it started when Jesus
died and left His will for us (Galatians 3:29) “and if you be Christ’s, then are you
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. We have a covenant with God
through the blood of Jesus (II Corinthians 1:20) “for all the promises of God in Him are
yea, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God by us”. Let us read His will (the Bible) and
see what have been left for us.
Eternal life refers to the quality of our new existence in Christ as well as the unending
character of that life. Zoe in the Greek means God’s kind of life. Remember the Bible
says “as He is, so are we in this world”. The early disciples lived this life style, they
knew who they were in Christ, and what they had in Christ. Peter and John met the
man lame from birth at the gate beautiful and said to him “silver and gold, I do not
have, but such as I have I give to you, rise up and walk”. They walked in the authority
that Jesus gave to them (Mark 16:15-18), we are told that these signs shall follow
them that believe, in His name, they shall cast out devils, they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover. As the world saw them walking in the power and
authority, many were healed and delivered and came to the Lord, and they turned the
world upside down.
Jesus speaks to the rich young ruler who asked Him “Good Master, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life? Jesus answered him, you know the commandments, do not commit
adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor you father and your
mother. And he said, all these have I kept from my youth up. Jesus looked at him and
said yet, lack you one thing, sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you
shall have treasures in heaven and come follow Me. The man left very sorrowful, for
he was very rich. You see the things that he had, really had him. Jesus said, how
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a
camel to go through a needle’s eye, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God. And as the disciples heard it, they said, who then can be saved? Then Peter
said lo, we have left all, and followed You. And he said to them, verily I say to you,
there is no man that has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for
the kingdom of God’s sake. Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time,
and in the world to come life everlasting (Luke 18:18-30).
The choice is yours, you can receive eternal life in its fullness and have heaven on
earth, right now or you can wait until you die and go to heaven.
Remember that God says in Psalms 82:1-6 “God stands in the congregation of the
mighty, He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the
persons of the wicked, Selah. Defend the poor and the fatherless, do justice to the
afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the
wicked. They know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness all the
foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, you are gods, and all of you
are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the
princes. Arise, O god, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all nations”. Let’s not die
as mere men, but let us take the authority which has been given us and do what God
told us to do.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 1, 2008
Eternal life doesn’t start when you die and go to heaven (John 3:36) “he that believes
on the Son has everlasting life, and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abides on him”. Jesus taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). It says on earth as it is in
heaven, not when you get to heaven. He has given us the keys of the kingdom, and
we are supposed to bind and loose the things we want on earth and heaven will back
us up. John writes in I John 5:13 “these things have I written to you that believe on the
name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you
may believe on the name of the Son of God”. The word have is a present tense word.
In fact eternal life means more than eternal existence (Daniel 12:2) “many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt”. Everyone will live forever somewhere.
Eternal life starts when you come to Jesus (John 1:12), He gives us the right to be
sons of God. God is our Father and we should come to Him as a child does. He tells
us to come boldly unto the throne of grace. As we mature we will realize who we are in
Christ, Romans 5:17 says “for if by one man’s (Adam) offence death reigned by one
man; much more they which receive abundance of grace of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ”, the problem is many are waiting to die and
reign in heaven, but the Bible says “the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s,
but the earth He has given the earth to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16); Romans
5:21 says “that as sin has reigned to death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”.
Remember we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us (Philippians 4:
13). I John 4:17 says “herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world”. We have the mind of
Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The Bible says “greater is He that lives
in you, than he that is in the world”. Acts 1:8 tells us that we shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we shall be witnesses to Him, yet many people
never witness to anyone.
Adam lived in paradise, he lacked nothing, all things on earth were at perfect peace,
until he fell into sin. Everything that Adam lost, Jesus came and defeated the devil
and took it back, and then gave it to us (II Corinthians 5:17-18) “therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation”. What Adam really lost was a
personal relationship with God. The quality of our eternal life will depend on our
relationship with our heavenly Father. God wanted all of Israel to come to the foot of
the mountain, so He could speak to them all, He wanted them to have the same
supernatural lifestyle as Moses had, but they were afraid, and told Moses to speak to
God and then tell them and they would obey, but they put their relationship on a third
person mindset. God wants that same kind of relationship with us, as He wanted with
Israel. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection tore the veil that separated us and we
can now go directly to God, our Father and speak to Him, one on one.
A person’s new and redeemed existence in Christ is granted by God as a gift to all
believers. It is a free gift (Romans 6:22-23) “but now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord”. It enables you to life the highest quality of life.
We have to let the Bible determine the meaning of eternal life, Jesus says “verily,
verily, I say to you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47) and “the
thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and
that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). John 17:1-3 says “these
words spoke Jesus and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is
come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. As You have given Him
power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given
Him. And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent”. Knowing God is having a personal relationship with Him;
Adam walked with God in the cool of the day before the fall.
Our inheritance of eternal life, doesn’t start when we die, but it started when Jesus
died and left His will for us (Galatians 3:29) “and if you be Christ’s, then are you
Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”. We have a covenant with God
through the blood of Jesus (II Corinthians 1:20) “for all the promises of God in Him are
yea, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God by us”. Let us read His will (the Bible) and
see what have been left for us.
Eternal life refers to the quality of our new existence in Christ as well as the unending
character of that life. Zoe in the Greek means God’s kind of life. Remember the Bible
says “as He is, so are we in this world”. The early disciples lived this life style, they
knew who they were in Christ, and what they had in Christ. Peter and John met the
man lame from birth at the gate beautiful and said to him “silver and gold, I do not
have, but such as I have I give to you, rise up and walk”. They walked in the authority
that Jesus gave to them (Mark 16:15-18), we are told that these signs shall follow
them that believe, in His name, they shall cast out devils, they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover. As the world saw them walking in the power and
authority, many were healed and delivered and came to the Lord, and they turned the
world upside down.
Jesus speaks to the rich young ruler who asked Him “Good Master, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life? Jesus answered him, you know the commandments, do not commit
adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor you father and your
mother. And he said, all these have I kept from my youth up. Jesus looked at him and
said yet, lack you one thing, sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you
shall have treasures in heaven and come follow Me. The man left very sorrowful, for
he was very rich. You see the things that he had, really had him. Jesus said, how
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a
camel to go through a needle’s eye, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God. And as the disciples heard it, they said, who then can be saved? Then Peter
said lo, we have left all, and followed You. And he said to them, verily I say to you,
there is no man that has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for
the kingdom of God’s sake. Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time,
and in the world to come life everlasting (Luke 18:18-30).
The choice is yours, you can receive eternal life in its fullness and have heaven on
earth, right now or you can wait until you die and go to heaven.
Remember that God says in Psalms 82:1-6 “God stands in the congregation of the
mighty, He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the
persons of the wicked, Selah. Defend the poor and the fatherless, do justice to the
afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the
wicked. They know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness all the
foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, you are gods, and all of you
are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the
princes. Arise, O god, judge the earth, for you shall inherit all nations”. Let’s not die
as mere men, but let us take the authority which has been given us and do what God
told us to do.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: August 1, 2008
