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Do You Possess Eternal Life? - 1

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• The message I'm going to begin today is entitled, "Do You Possess Eternal Life?" This is going to be part one.

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• Next Sunday, Lord willing, will be part two. And the main message will be next Sunday, Lord willing. And because I had to give a lot of information to lead up to that. So do you possess eternal life? Look in Matthew 19 and verse 16. The Bible says, "And behold, one came and said unto him, Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" Now, if you look at Mark chapter 10 and verse 17, once again, you see this rich young ruler, Mark chapter 10, verse 17. Here's the same question. Mark 10:17, "And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled him and asked him, Good master, What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Then if you look at Luke chapter 10 and verse 25, Luke 10 verse 25. In this passage, once again, the Bible says, "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And then in Luke 18 and verse 18, once again, you have the rich young ruler. And here is what is asked, "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

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• So the question is, do you possess eternal life? And you could explain what a question and the truth of the matter is this, in fact, it is the most important question you will ever be asked. So when I ask you, do you possess eternal life? What is your answer? Now, listen carefully. If your answer is one of the following, "I think so," "I hope so," "maybe so," "we will see," or "I'm working on it," in all probability, you do not possess eternal life.

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• Now, someone has humorously and aptly said, "If you can be saved and not know it, then you can lose it and not miss it." Someone also has humorously and aptly said, "Everybody that's talking about heaven ain't going there." Well, that's true. But just stop and think about this question. Do you possess eternal life? Now, many think that eternal life is simply living forever. Well, if eternal life can be defined that simply, then you could also say that the unsaved have eternal life because they're going to live forever in torments. I mean, if all eternal life is is living forever, then they would have it as well. So eternal life is not just simply living forever. Another fallacy that most people think about eternal life is this. They somehow think that they're going to get eternal life only when they die. Now, let me make a statement, and I'm going to prove it to you before this day and, Lord willing, next Sunday is over as well, if the Lord allows us all to live. And the truth is this, that if one does not possess eternal life before he dies, he will never have it after he dies.

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• Now, most people wish to live an unholy, an ungodly life. And then they die, and presto, somehow, in a moment of time, they're transformed into holy beings. It just simply does not work like that. Most people are like Balaam. Balaam was a wicked, covetous, ungodly man. But Balaam said, "Let me die the death of the righteous." Now, he didn't want to live the life of the righteous, but he wanted to die the death of the righteous. And the truth is, you cannot die righteously unless you live righteously. So when I talk about eternal life and the fact that usually if you do not have it before you're dying, you certainly not going to have it after you die. When you talk about eternal life, someone inevitably comes up and says, "Well, what about the thief on the cross?" Well, let me just tell you something about the thief on the cross.

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• First of all, he is the exception and not the rule. Now, let me ask a simple question. Do you know how many deathbed conversions there are recorded in Scripture? Do you know how many deathbed conversions that are recorded in Scripture? The answer is one. The thief on the cross.

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• Now, as one old Puritan aptly pointed out, there is one and one only so that none may despair, but one and one only so that none may presume. Now, the interesting thing is this. I believe before I finish the study, you're going to see the absolute necessity not only of having eternal life before you die, but the manifestation of eternal life is going to be rather clear and plain to you as well. Now, the phrase "eternal life" occurs 26 times in the New Testament. The phrase "life eternal" occurs four times in the New Testament. So in order to answer the question properly, "Do you possess eternal life?" then you and I must mine the scriptures and find out what eternal life really and genuinely and truly is so that we may answer the question properly. Now, why did I read four texts?

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• Let me tell you why. I chose each of these four texts for a very simple reason. Three of these texts refer to the rich young ruler. Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18. And Luke 10, of course, it refers to a lawyer. But each of these individuals ask the same question. And that question is, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

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• Now, they were both concerned about eternal life and each of them wanted to do something in order to make sure that they had it and they were willing to do anything seemingly to get it. Interestingly enough, our Lord gave both the same answer. He answered the rich young ruler and he answered the lawyer when they asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said, "Keep the commandments." Ah, isn't that interesting?

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• He did not say repent and believe. He responded, "Keep the commandments."

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• Now, why would he give that answer? Well, you see, both the rich young ruler and that lawyer had been taught by the Jewish teachers that men must do something or by their work somehow they were to earn and merit eternal life. That was a religious system. That's what they had been taught. The rich young ruler had lived seemingly a blameless life when our Lord told him, "Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, honour thy father and thy mother."

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• His response was, "These things am I kept from my youth up." So outwardly, he was seemingly blameless, and yet he was anxious because he knew something was wrong, and he knew that somehow that he might not have eternal life, and therefore he was willing to do something to get it. Now my question is, why in the world did our Lord tell each of these men when they asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

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• Why did he say keep the commandments? Here's my question. Is keeping the commandments a way to eternal life?

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• Now, let me give you an answer. And I want you to think through this answer with me. Is keeping the commandments a way to eternal life? The answer is yes. And no. You say what? Well, remember the question. "What must I do? To inherit eternal life." Now, if you want to do something to merit and to earn eternal life. Then the answer is keep the commandments. You say, what are you talking about? Well, look in your Bible through the book of Galatians chapter three.

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• Go ahead and turn there. Let me explain it to you. Galatians chapter three and let's begin reading there with verse ten. Galatians three verse ten. Look what our Lord says. Galatians three verse ten: "For as many as of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law on the side of God, it is evident, for the just shall live by faith, and the law is not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them." Now look what he said in verse 10. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

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• Now, when I said, "Can you? It is salvation by keeping the commandments." I said you could answer yes, because they asked this question. "What must I do?" in other words they wanted to do something?

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• Now Lord said keep the commandments. Now look what the Bible says. When you put yourself under that, you also put yourself under the curse of the law. Why? Because the law demands three things. It demands a personal obedience, it demands a perfect obedience, and it demands a perpetual obedience. So the man then who is going to earn, or merit, or do something to earn his salvation, then he must keep God's law, and he must keep it personally, and he must keep it perfectly, and he must keep it perpetually.

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• Now my question is, can anyone do that? What's the answer? No.

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• Now, that's why God says you are under curse if you try to earn salvation by keeping the law. Now, let me go a little bit further. Let's suppose since Joe is visiting with us today, we'll use him for an example. Let's suppose Joe decides he's going to keep God's law. And let's suppose from this day forward, He never sins again. He never sins internally. He never sins externally. He is perfect from this day forward. He keeps the law of God personally. He keeps it perfectly. He keeps it perpetually. Does he earn salvation? No. What about those sins he committed before he got perfect? You follow me, he's still under the curse of God because he's still a sinner. And he still has not kept the law from birth, personally, perfectly, and perpetually. So the truth is, no one can be saved by keeping the law.

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• But if you ask the question, "What must I do?" in that sense of the word, if you really want to do something, the proper answer is keep the commandments of God. So why would he say that? To demonstrate to them that they cannot keep the commandments of God. And that rich young ruler, what did he say? He said, "All these have I kept for my youth." So just quoting the law of God was not sufficient for the rich young ruler. Our Lord then said, "All right, I'll tell you what you do if you want to be perfect."

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• You go and sell everything that you have. You give it to the poor and you take up your cross and follow me. What was the outcome? The rich young man went away exceedingly sorrowful, the Bible said, for he had great riches. Now, what did our Lord do when he said, "Go and sell everything you have, give to the poor, take up your cross and follow me"? Let me ask you, when God saved you, how many in this room sold everything they had and gave it to the poor? Not a person. Well, is that a requirement to be saved?

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• And the answer is no. Well, why did our Lord tell him that? What our Lord was doing was taking a straight pin and pricking his bubble, bursting his bubble, showing him that he thought he had kept the commandments. He hadn't even kept the first one. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," because his money was his God. So our Lord then, no longer quoting the commandments to the rich young ruler, he just applied the law to him to show him he had not kept the commandments.

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• So very obviously then, When you ask the question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" The answer is keep the commandments. But can you keep them? And the answer is absolutely no. God's law was really and truly never, ever given as a means for justification. Now, let's begin today. And I want to just show you three things today. First of all, I want you to consider with me the promise of eternal life. Have you ever asked yourself to whom The promise of eternal life was given. And have you ever considered when the promise of eternal life was given? It may surprise you, turning your Bibles to the book of Titus, chapter one, and let's look at verses one and two. Titus, chapter one, verses one and two. Watch carefully, Titus, chapter one, verse one.

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• "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Now let me ask you a question. When did God promise eternal life? Before the world began. Now, obviously it could not have been promised to you and I individually at this particular time. Why? Because we did not have an existence before the world began. But the Bible says very plainly that God promised eternal life before the world began. Now the phrase "before the world began" is a contracted expression literally for purpose before the world began or before the ages of time. Eternal life was something that was purposed and promised by God before the world began. It's a gift of grace and it's the result of the eternal purpose before the world began. Now if eternal life is a promise It is therefore free grace and not by the works of the law. The works of the law are inconsistent with a promise.

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• In fact, that's what Paul argues in the book of Galatians there, very obviously. And this promise then was given to us by a God who cannot lie. Since God then cannot lie, since He cannot deceive, nor be deceived, and since this promise was made before the foundation of the world, it has to be made with a mediator, someone who was set up to be the Redeemer before the world ever began.

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• Now, look in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews, chapter 13 and verse 20. Hebrews 13, verse 20. Because the Bible says very plainly that this eternal life was promised before the world began. Well, to whom was it promised? Look in Hebrews 13 and verse 20. Hebrews 13, verse 20.

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• "Now, the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Now, I want you to underline that in your Bibles. Through the blood of the what covenant? The everlasting covenant or the eternal covenant.

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• Now, what in the world are we talking about in Hebrews 13 in verse 20? There was a covenant that was entered into between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost before the world ever began. What did God the Father do? God the Father gave to God the Son a people. You say, show me that in the Bible. Well, hold Hebrews 13, but turn back in your Bibles to John chapter 17. Let me show it to you, and we're going to come back and reread this passage a little bit later. So if you want to mark John 17, do so. Look in John 17 in verse six. Look at what our Lord says. John 17, verse six. "I have manifested by name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word." Look in verse 11. "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are one."

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• Look, if you would please, in verse 24. "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am." Note there were men given to Jesus Christ. So what did the Father do? The father gave a gift then to Jesus Christ. What did our Lord then agree to do in this covenant? He agreed to become their substitute. And to redeem them, turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians 4 and look at verses 4 and 5. Here it is. Galatians 4 verses 4 and 5. Watch carefully.

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• "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Why did Jesus Christ come? He came to redeem us. He came as our substitute. So the Father has now given to God the Son a gift of people. And God the Son has agreed to come and die and redeem those people. What in the world has the Holy Spirit agreed to do? The Holy Spirit has agreed to regenerate and convert those people. Look in verse 6. "And because you were sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." So you have this covenant then between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. God the Father gave to God the Son of people, God the Son agreed to redeem those people, and God the Holy Spirit agreed to convert those people. Thus far the Bible says in Titus 3 verse 5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by his own mercy he saved us by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Ghost."

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• Now, if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Ephesians chapter one, I want to show you how beautifully what I have just told you is spelled out in this passage. Look in Ephesians chapter one, beginning there with verse four, and we'll come back to this verse in a moment. Ephesians 1 verse 4, "According as he, that is God the Father, hath chosen us in him, that is in God the Son, before the foundation of the world, that we should behold him without blame before him in love. As God the Father chose us, he gave us to Christ, watch, having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He, that is, God the Father, hath made us accepted in the Beloved, that is, in Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Ah! The work of the Father was given us to the Son.

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• The work of the Son is redeeming us. Now, skip down, if you would, please. Verse 12, "That we should be to the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ and whom you also trust after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and whom also after that you believe you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." So those whom the Father gave to the Son, the Son redeemed, those whom the Son redeemed, the Holy Spirit of God then regenerated. Now, we must conclude then primarily that the promise of eternal life was given peculiarly to God the Son in the everlasting covenant. Now, what happened when Jesus Christ finished His work?

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• Look back in your Bibles to John chapter 17. This is the high priestly prayer of Christ. And I want you to note what Christ prays for specifically. Look in verse 4. Look what He says. John 17, verse 4. "I have glorified thee on earth. What does our Lord say? I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were. Thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word."

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• "Now they have not known. Now they have known all those things whatsoever thou hast given me are thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out of thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine."

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• What did our Lord say? Our Lord said, "We entered into a covenant. You gave me a work to do. I finished that work. Now, Lord, let me have my reward." And His reward, of course, was the conversion and the regeneration of his people.

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• Now, there is another aspect of this promise. It is true that the promise was given to Jesus Christ peculiarly. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the mediator. Because Jesus Christ is the federal head and representative of his people. He was the second party in that everlasting covenant. That is true. And we did not have a physical existence before the foundation of the world. But if you look in your Bibles once again to Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 4, watch carefully these words. Ephesians 1 and verse 4. Look what the Bible says. "According as He, that is God the Father, hath chosen us in Him, that is in Christ, before the foundation of the world." Now although we did not have a physical existence before the foundation of the world, we did have an existence in the mind and in the purpose of God before the foundation of the world. Now what is clearly implied in Ephesians 1:4 is said very emphatically in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9. So if you'll turn to 2 Timothy 1 and look at verse 9, you're going to see how the promise was made to Jesus Christ peculiarly, and yet at the same time, it was given to us in a particular way in that we were in Christ.

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• 2 Timothy 1 and verse 9. In fact, let's read verse 8 just so you can see the context. "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord," says Paul, "nor of me as prisoner, but be thou a partaker of the affliction of the gospel according to the power of God." Now he's going to tell you some things about the power of God. Look in verse 9. "Who have saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works." Have you stopped there to think about this?

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• Not one thing you ever did earned or merited God's attention. What does he say? "Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works." Are you looking at it? "But according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

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• Now, let me ask you a question. When did you and I receive grace? Before the world began. But only in Jesus Christ. Only through Jesus Christ. So the question is, When were you given grace? The answer is before the world began. So we conclude then that the promise was made to Christ in a peculiar manner since he was the second party in the eternal covenant. And since he is our federal head and representative, but it was also given us particularly in the fact that we were in him and God chose us in him. So here, then, First and foremost is the promise of eternal life. It was promised to Christ as the head of the people, and it was given particularly to those who were in him. Then secondly, I want you to look at the presentation of eternal life.

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• Go back in your Bibles to Titus chapter one. And let's look at verses one through three, Titus one verses one through three. "Paul, a servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness." Now look at this passage. "In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began." What happened now? God made this promise before the world began. But look in verse 3. "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching which is Committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior." Now notice he says in verse 3, he made the promise, or in verse 2, he made the promise before the world began, but in verse 3 he says he has in due times manifested that promise through the preaching of the gospel. So what was promised in eternity is now manifested in time and in history through the promise are through the preaching of the gospel. Now this promise was manifested through the preaching of the Apostle Paul, the other apostles, and the prophets, hence we have an absolute assurance of its veracity and its accuracy.

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• So this eternal life, and it was promised before the world again, is actually given in time and history, it is actually presented and bestowed upon individuals in time and in history. Now let me say this again, I've already said it, but eternal life is not something that can be earned or merited or worked for, neither can it be received as a reward by you and I. It is simply a gift. I'm going to explain what that gift is next week, but let me just go on. It is a gift given in grace based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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• Therefore, the promise is only manifested. Our promise was only given in eternity, it is manifested in time and in history.

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• Now, let me just show you what I mean when I say it is a gift. Look in your Bible to John 10, verse 28. Very quickly, several passages. John 10, verse 28. Look at what our Lord says. This is a great passage where the Lord is the shepherd of the sheep. He's the good shepherd. He gives his life for the sheep. Look at verse 27. Our Lord says, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life."

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• "And they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Now, look what he said. I what? I give unto them eternal life. Eternal life is a gift. It is something that God gives. Look in your Bibles to Romans 5 and verse 21. Romans 5 verse 21. Romans 5 verse 21.

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• "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life." Now look, "by or through Jesus Christ our Lord." Righteousness is to reign unto eternal life by or through Jesus Christ our Lord. Look in Romans 6 verse 23, you can quote this one I know, "...for the wages of sin is death, but The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord." Notice it's a gift. Look in First John. Chapter two and verse twenty five. First John two, verse twenty five, just demonstrating that eternal life is preeminently a gift. First John two and verse twenty five, the word of God says this, "And this is the promise. That he promised us even eternal life."

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• Now stop and think about this. John says that this is the promise that he promised us even eternal life. What did he promise us eternal life before the world began? John said, here it is in time and in history, it's real, it's genuine. Now look in your Bibles to John 5, 1 John 5. Since you're there, 1 John 5, let's begin reading with verse 11. I'm going to show you why eternal life is a gift. 1 John 5 verse 11, "And this is the record that God had given to us eternal life. And this life is where? In his son." Now let me just stop there. This life is in his son. The only source of eternal life is Jesus Christ. It's not found anywhere else. It's not found in Allah. It's not found in Shintoism or Buddhism or Hinduism. It's not found in Judaism. The only source of eternal life is Jesus Christ. Now watch. "And this is the record that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

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• Now watch verse 12. "He that hath the Son hath life." That is eternal life. "He that hath not the Son of God hath not eternal life. These things have I written unto 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." Isn't that interesting? Eternal life is a gift. Is because Jesus Christ is eternal life. And what did the Apostle Paul say in reference to the father giving us his son? He said, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." Jesus Christ is indeed eternal life.

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• Now the point is very direct. I want you to go back in your Bibles to John 17. The only way that anyone can receive eternal life. Is. As a gift from Christ, because Christ is eternal life, look in John 17. And verse two, we're going to come back to this first, because I know you're going to have questions, but look at it. John 17, verse two. In fact, let's read verse one just so that you can see that Jesus Christ is in the context. "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify my Son, that my Son also may glorify Thee, as Thou hast given Him, that is Christ, power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him." Note that He should give eternal life. The same Christ who gives repentance and faith is the same Christ who gives eternal life. He is eternal life, and that life is in Him. Without Him, there is no life.

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• And we can have absolute assurance that we have eternal life when we have Jesus Christ, for He is life. And there is no other source of life. So the promise of eternal life was first and foremost given to Christ, peculiarly And then to us particularly who were chosen in him, the presentation of eternal life is the fact that it is a gift not only from God the Father in Christ, but it is also a gift from Christ to his people.

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• And then thirdly today, I'm going to spend the rest of my time on this point. I want you to see the possessors of eternal life. I haven't yet told you what eternal life is, and I won't until next Sunday. But I'm going to tell you, it's absolutely phenomenal when you see it. OK? Possessors of eternal life. Those who possess eternal life are identified in the scriptures in various ways.

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• Sometimes you will read the phrase, "my elect." Sometimes it's John 10, "the sheep." Sometimes it's Ephesians 5, "the church." Sometimes it's "those who believe." Sometimes, like in Revelation 17 verse 14, they're called "the chosen" or "the faithful." There are various names given to identify the individuals who possess eternal life. However, what we can do, just for simplicity, is this. We can reduce the point basically to two distinct views.

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• I've tried to teach you over the years that when you study the Bible, you must remember that every positive has a negative. That means every negative has a positive. But you must also look at things from the divine side, and for a better word, you must also look at it from the human side as well. What most people do, they will always look at it from man's side, and they never look at it from God's side. But there is a divine side of truth, just like there is a human side of truth.

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• Now, what I want to do is show you the possessors of eternal life. I want to show you the divine side to begin with and then conclude with the human side. So the possessors of eternal life are those, number one, from the divine side, those who were given by the Father to Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world.

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• Now, go back in your Bibles, or you should already be there, John 17. Look once again. I tell you what, before we read that again, go back to John 6. Go back to John 6. Look in John 6 and verse 37. We'll start there and go forward. John 6, verse 37. John 6, verse 37. Look what our Lord says. John 6 verse 37. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." Now look what he said. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." There was indeed a people given to Christ by the Father. He said so. Look in verse 39. "And this is the Father's will who had sent me, that of all which He had given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Isn't that plain? Now go back in your Bible to John 17. Let's read it again. Verse 6. Look what he says. John 17, verse 6.

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• "I manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, thou gavest them me." Twice he says that in verse 6. Look in verse 11. "But now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." And then in verse 24, "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me."

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• Now, I don't know how you can read a passage like that and say, "Well, there were none given to Christ." Yes, there were there were some given to Christ. Before the foundation of the world. I don't know who they are. I don't know how many there are, but there were a people given to Christ before the foundation of the world. The Bible says so over and over.

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• Now to demonstrate that, go back in your Bibles. Since you're in John 17, look first of all at verse 9. Look at what our Lord said in verse nine. After he gets through saying about all these that the Father has given him, he says, "I pray for them. I pray not for the world. But for them, which thou hast given me, for they are thine." Did you hear what he said? "I pray for them." I'm praying for someone specifically, that is, those whom thou hast given me. I'm not praying for the world. Now, Go back to John 17 and look at verse two, and then I want to ask you several questions. Look in John 17, verse two, our Lord says, "As God has given him, that is Christ power over all flesh. That he should give eternal life to as many as God has given him." Well, let me ask you several questions first. How much power? authority and jurisdiction has been given to Jesus Christ. All. Matthew 28, verse 18, he said, "All authority in heaven and earth is given unto me."

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• 1 Peter 3, verse 22, "All authorities and principalities and powers are put under him." Jesus Christ has all authority in heaven and in earth. If He has all, there's none left to anyone else. OK? My second question is this. Are there any individuals over which Christ does not have authority? No. He has power over all flesh. Thirdly, here's my question. Does not Christ have sufficient power to save all?

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• And the answer is yes. He's omnipotent, He's God, He's all-powerful, there's no limitation. But fourthly, and you've got to ask yourself this question, how many will Christ save? The answer is, as many as the Father has given to Him. You say, well, we don't see that. Go back to verse two, John 17, verse two, "As that has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life." Now, how many are how many are going to receive eternal life? "To as many as thou has given him." You say, who are they? How would I know? I wasn't there. If that's not plain enough, look in your Bibles, Acts 13, verse 48. Acts 13, verse 48. Acts 13, verse 48. Watch carefully. Acts 13, verse 48.

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• "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Now, someone tell me how many believed. As many as were ordained to eternal life.

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• Now let me just show you something very quickly. Look at the phrase in verse 48 "and as many as." And if you go back to John 17 verse two, you'll see that same phrase "as thou has given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as." I hope everyone in this room understands that that phrase "as many as" implies a limitation. It implies a certain number. There is no one in this room that's going to say, "Brother Weaver, everybody's going to be saved" unless you're a universalist. You know as well as I do, not everybody's going to be saved. What did our Lord say?

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• "These shall go away in everlasting punishment." Now, look in your Bibles very quickly So Matthew 14, verse 36, let me just show you that there is a limitation when you hear the term "as many as." Matthew 14, verse 36. Matthew 14, verse 36, "And we saw him that they might only touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Was everyone made perfectly whole? No, just as many as touched him. "As many as" implies a limitation.

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• Do you remember John 1? "He came unto his own, but his own received him not, but to as many as received him. to them gave he power to become the sons of God." "As many as" is a limiting term. I could say as many as go to old times buffet after service day, Henry will buy their dinner. Now, if you don't go, you're not in that "as many as" are you? It's a limited number. Thankfully, we're eating here today, Henry. You're off the hook. All right.

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• Now, but you understand what I'm saying. Now, so very obviously, the Bible says that our Lord is going to give eternal life to whom? To as many as the Father's given him.

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• Now, don't come here with this kind of stuff and say, "Now, Brother Weaver, if I believe that, then I wouldn't even preach." Well, if you're a preacher and God's called you to preach, number one, you better believe it. And number two, who does he tell us to preach the gospel to? Every creature. Whether they believe or not is immaterial. We must preach because God commanded it. Let me tell you something, folks. I don't believe that everybody is going to be saved. But I do believe and I do know that some will be saved by God's grace. You say, "Well, if I believe that, I just preach to the elect." I tell you what, if you can put a little black mark on their forehead, I might just do that. But no, I wouldn't even do that because God told me to preach to every creature. I don't know who they are. Neither do you.

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• But the Bible says from the divine side now that Christ will give eternal life to as many as the Father has given him. Now, let's take it from the human side. Understand that God's gift of a people to Christ does not negate responsibility. The evidence. The evidence that we have been given to Christ in eternity past is that we will come to him in time and in history. Let me just quote.

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• I'm not going to ask that you turn back there. John 6 verse 37. What does the Bible say? Our Lord said "All that the Father given me shall Come on to me." And I don't know why I scratched him out. Let me tell you something, folks. We are not only invited to Christ. We must come to Christ. And we must come to him in repentance and faith. In coming to Christ in repentance, we leave our sins, we leave our rebellion, our self-worth, our self-righteousness. And in coming to Him in faith, we believe only in Him, embrace Him, and trust Him alone as the Savior and the salvation of man. We must come to Christ. We've been commanded to come to Christ. I'm going to explain this over the next several weeks because I've been asked by several individuals to Explain a few concepts and I'm going to take a whole message, but do you know the Bible says? That we've been commanded to repent Now I'm going to tell you very quickly repentance is God's gift and you can't repent without him giving you the gift of repentance But you're responsible then to seek him for repentance if you've been commanded to repent You follow me The Bible says 1 John 3 and

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• verse 23, "And this is His commandment that we believe on His Son Jesus Christ." If we've been commanded to believe on His Son Jesus Christ, that means we must seek Him for faith. That's responsibility.

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• Now, the Bible says that God has commanded all men to repent. Now, are all men going to repent? No. Are all men going to believe? No. But they still have a responsibility. Do you realize we are God's creatures? God is still sovereign over his creation. He still has the right to command. Moreover, we're sinners and we owe him repentance and we owe him faith. We have a responsibility to turn from our sins and turn from our rebellion, because we've sinned against a gracious creator and a loving, merciful God.

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• Now, let me show you. Turn in your Bibles to First Thessalonians, Chapter 1. First Thessalonians, Chapter 1. Let me show you how this works so beautifully in Scripture. First Thessalonians, Chapter 1. And I want you to see what the Apostle Paul says. In fact, verse two, First Thessalonians, chapter one, he says, "We give thanks to God always for you all." See, Paul was a southerner. "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labored love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, our Father. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." Hold it. Stop right there. Paul is writing these Thessalonians and Christians, and he says, "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." How did Paul know that these Thessalonian believers were God's elect?

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• Did he get a long ladder and climb up into heaven and look in the Lamb's Book of Life? No. How did Paul know that these were God's elect which he chose before the foundation of the world? How? Well, the answer is given to us in the rest of the chapter. Look at verse 4. "Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God." Paul, how do you know they're God's elect?

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• "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power. and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sakes. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word of the Lord in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were examples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God were to spread abroad, so that we need not speak anything, for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turned to"

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• "God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers from the wrath to come." Now, how did Paul know they were God's elect? Paul said, "I can tell you how I know you're God's elect, because when we preached to you, the Word of God came in power, and you were converted. And you became followers of us out of the word of the Lord."

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• "And you received it in much affliction." That is, when you were persecuted, you never gave up the word. You held on to the faith. Moreover, "for from you sounded out the word of God." You preached and taught and shared the word of God. And you turned from your sins. And you embraced the one true and the living God. And you're eagerly waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. Now, here's my question.

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• How did Paul know that they were God's elect? And the answer is because they repented and believed and came to Christ in time and in history and evidenced that in their lives. Do you understand? If our lives are in line with the word of God, If we've been converted, regenerated, if our lives are lives of obedience, why are we like that? Only because Christ has given us eternal life. Huh?

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• That demonstrates that we're one of those who was chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. I was preaching in New Orleans And I had a woman come up to me after service one night, and she was weeping profusely. And I never even dealt with this subject, but it was really bothering her. And I asked her, I said, "Well, what is your problem?" She said, "I just don't know whether or not I'm one of God's elect."

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• And she said, "I want to be." She said, "I want to be holy. I want to be godly. I want to love him. I want to serve him." And I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing in her face. You said, "Well, we've got nothing to laugh about." But let me tell you something, folks. If you have a longing to be holy and obedient and serve Christ, if you were not his elect, you wouldn't even be concerned about it. You follow me? The very fact that she was concerned.

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• Because those who hate him Never, ever give him a thought. Now, before I close, I want to try to tie something together for you. I want you to turn your Bibles. To 2nd Kings chapter 7.

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• Now, Lord willing, I'm going to explain some things more fully next Sunday. But I want you to see. That God's eternal purpose Does not negate our responsibility. OK. Look at 2nd Kings chapter 7 and let's begin reading the verse 3. Now in this passage. You've got to understand that the Syrians. Had. Encompassed Samaria. And the Samaritans Well, I say Samaria, the Samaritans, the Israelites. Samaria was the capital of Israel at that time. And the Israelites who were inside the city could not go outside. If they went outside, the Syrians would kill them. If, of course, they stayed inside the city, they would starve to death.

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• So they were in a predicament. Now, watch. "And there were four leprous men at the entering into the gate, and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? And if we say we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we shall die also."

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• "Now therefore, come and let us fall into the host of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live. If they will kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight to go into the camp of the Syrians. And when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host. And they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us. Wherefore, they rose and fled to the twilight and left their tents and their horses and their axes, even the camp as it was, and they fled for their lives. And when the lepers were coming to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank and carried that silver and gold and rammed it and went and hid it and came again and entered another tent and carried this also and went and hid it."

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• "And then they said one to another, we do not dwell. This day is a day of good tidings and we hold our peace. If we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us."

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• "Now, therefore, come that we may go and tell the king's household." Now, let me just stop. Here it is. The Syrians have surrounded Samaria. If you come out of the city, you're killed. Starvation is stalking the city. If I were to read the whole part of this, you'll find it was so bad that they were not only eating doves' dung, but women were killing and eating their own children. So it was bad. Here are these four lepers sitting at the gate of the city. Why were they sitting at the gate? Because they could not go in the city. How did the lepers live? They ate the garbage that was being thrown over the city walls. Well, if there's a famine in the city, there's no garbage being thrown over. And here are these four lepers, and look for what they say.

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• "Why sit we here till we die? If we go into the city, we'll die. If we sit here, we'll die. Come, let us fall to the Syrians. They may save us a life, but if they kill us, we won't be any more dead then than we are now." Doesn't that make good sense? They said, "What's the difference? We can die by the sword as easy as we can die by starvation. But it may be they would save us alive."

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• Now, let me just show you that argument and its application. Here are sinners. Here are people who do not know Christ. Here are people who are unsaved. And they sit back and say, "Well, if God gave to Christ the people before the foundation of the world, I may not be in that people. How in the world would I know and why in the world should I go?" Well, let me ask you a question.

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• If you're lost, doomed and damned and on your way to hell, if you went to Christ and begged him for mercy and begged him for repentance and begged him for faith, and let's suppose he said no. Would you be any more damned than you already are? The answer is no. But you know what? When you go to Christ and beg Him for repentance and faith, guess what?

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• John 6, verse 37, "All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me, and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." And when you come and beg Him for repentance and faith, and He gives you repentance and faith, you're going to say, "Thank God. The Father gave some to Christ. Because I'm in it now." You see, most people try to confuse God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Man is always responsible. God is always sovereign. And if you come to Christ in true repentance and true faith, I don't care who you are, I can assure you, Christ will not cast you out. What did he say? "All that the Father giveth me," that's the divine side, "shall come unto me. And he that cometh unto me," that's the human side, "and he that cometh unto me, I shall in no wise cast out." So if you're unconverted, why sit you there till you die? Seek Christ. And when you seek Him, you'll find that he saves sinners and receives all that come unto him in repentance and faith.

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• And when you come, you'll find out you're one of those that was given to him before the foundation of the world. Let's pray. Father, we ask that you speak to our hearts today, that you would teach us, build us up in the most holy faith, give us grace to serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear, And help us, Lord, help us, Lord, to worship Thee and to praise Thee for Your infinite grace and mercy. In Christ's name we ask, Amen.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:52:44Z