Is Eternal Life Enough For You?
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I. Introduction:
A. First century saints were told: “And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life” (I John 2:25).
- The hope is laid up in Heaven (Colossians 1:3-6).
- That promise is older than the earth (Titus 1:1-3).
- In instructions about slaves and masters, there was a statement made about being “partakers of the benefit” (I Timothy 6:1-2; cf. I Peter 5:1).
- Just remember the “if” (Hebrews 3:1; 3:12-14).
II. Body: At The End, For The Faithful, Eternal Life Is It (Romans 6:21-23).
A. Yet, there is certainly the problem of those who think there is something more valuable than eternal life (Mark 8:34-38). *Looked at Matthew’s account in last week’s lesson (Matthew 16:24-27).
- For this reason, MANY choose to fatally set their minds on earthly things (Philippians 3:18-19).
- Think about what Jesus said to those who followed Him to get food (John 6:26-27).
- It is certainly wise to avoid Hell [Sheol/Hades in this verse] (Proverbs 15:24).
- Yet, if you’re ONLY running from something you're not necessarily running to something. Consider Israel’s paralyzing fear that kept them from the will of God and their inheritance (Deuteronomy 1:19-38).
- In the here and now we don’t want to live in a manner that causes our Father grief as others have in the past (Genesis 6:5-6, Psalms 78:36-40, and Isaiah 63:7-10).
- We need to be motived by hope of the there and then, to be with our Father (I John 3:1-3).
- Though the point is carnal, think about Proverbs 28:7 with our spiritual Father (cf. Romans 2:17-24).
- A relationship that may have started with some fear (Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, and Proverbs 9:10) and still has a place for fear (Philippians 2:12), but has to have grown to be rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17-19).
- We have a Father that doesn’t leave us (Hebrews 13:5-6).
- In addition to having a Father, we have a family (Ephesians 3:15).
- We have peace that is beyond physical comprehension (Philippians 4:7 and Colossians 3:15).
- No matter our past, we can know we are washed (I Corinthians 6:9-11).
- We have a clear conscience from the things we have sinfully done in the past after our proper conversion (Hebrews 10:22).
- We have a revealed wisdom that is pure, peaceable, etc. (Proverbs 2:1-12 and James 3:13-18).
- We are partakers of the divine nature (II Peter 1:3-4; cf. Ephesians 5:1-2).
- An otherworldly citizenship [conversation] and the promise of better clothing (Philippians 3:20-21).
- And on we could go…
III. Conclusion: The Offer Is Amazing (Revelation 3:21). Is it enough for you?
© 1999-2021 Brian A. Yeager