Eternal Life Through Christ

July 2, 2006

1 John 4:7-21

Opening Story

Monday Night -

Just hiked up Heliotrope Ridge.

Just walked thru waterfalls.

on snow.

up to last dirt spot.

Fabulous Day

Pesto Pasta - creek - hot cocoa

Got into the tent and read our passage and 1 verse stuck out.

v. 9 - repeat it after me.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

God sent his son so that we might live through him.

2 - Aspects - eternal and

present

Eternal - 1 John 5:11, 12 - "God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son, he who has the son has life . . ."

I live eternally through Christ.

Life can be lived after death thru belief in Jesus.

Romans - Free gift of God is eternal life.

This is a foundational promise for Christians.

It is otherworldly.

or after this world

or not yet - but later

But there is a present aspect as well.

That is now

here

in this world

currently/presently

And this verse seems to indicate that it is conditional.

Whereas the eternal gift of life after death through Jesus Christ is:

guaranteed

promised

a given

Life now in the here and now is conditional.

It depends on us.

The word before "live" is "might."

God sent his Son into the world that we "might" live through him.

This is a choice.

a decision.

So a question could be:

Is your faith in Jesus Christ so that you can have heaven entrance/salvation after you die? Is your faith like a ticket that gets you into heaven? Is your faith only something that kicks in when you die or is it something that helps us live now?

Jesus was sent so that we could live well now.

Your life is too precious to put on hold to eternity.

The lives of your loved ones are to precious for you to only see Jesus as a ticket for only yourself.

When I got back to the office I began to read on this one verse. A man named William Barclay wrote, "There is a world of difference between existence and life. All people have existence, but not all have life." I don’t want to merely exist - I want to live life now and eternally.

Cruise Control

There are times for cruise control and not times.

Kansas Mountain roads

Nebraska Whistler

Montana Chuckanut Drive.

For too many live their life on cruise control.

flat land

same scenery

no curves ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒË straight road to heaven

no dips no worries

But John says God sent his Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is not a mere existence kind of life.

Life without curves.

dips

detours

Life of giving, sharing and loving others.

Biggest heroes in faith could have lived on cruise control

But God calls them to live.

to not do that.

Abraham - when Abram was 75, God called him to

leave home

land

people etc.

Disciples - cruise control - catch fish

collect taxes ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒ¿ƒË catch men.

Moses - began life crying in the Nile River. God called him to live life depending on him.

John tells us this is why God sent Jesus - that we might live through him.

Last night when Deb and I talked over this, we both said - yeah - we don’t only want to exist as partners.

merely survive as parents.

only fill up space and breath air.

We want to live.

And then based upon the examples of people like Abraham who was 75, the disciples, Moses and others, we believed that the way into life through Jesus is to say yeas every time he calls.

Jesus will lead me/us into life. I do not have to be in charge of this. In fact it is best when I am not. When we respond yes Lord to his word

to his questions.

to his desire to have us

serve

love

humble ourselves

we truly live.