Words Of Eternal Life

Where does our hope come from? In a world full of hopelessness and helplessness, we need hope. Without hope we may as well just give up on life and so many people every day do just that.

Now you’re probably sitting there and you know what I’m going to say. You know the answer to the question. You are guessing that I am going to say Jesus Christ is the source of our hope and you would be right, but why is He the source. Why do we place all our hope in him?

A number of people today say that they have looked to Jesus for hope only to be disappointed; and they’ve left Jesus disgruntled. Even some of Jesus early followers turned away from him.

Turn to John 6

Context: Miracles, Healings. Feeding the multitude (5000), healed the man at the pool walking on water. They had seen Jesus’ power. Jesus began to teach them a hard teaching which really referred to sharing in His death and many could not take it. Pick up the story from verse 60.

60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

Jesus turns to his closest followers and asks:

67“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter realized that Jesus was the only source of hope. Where else would he go. The Holy Spirit had opened his eyes to see a little of who Jesus was. And with Peter’s recognition came a change.

Matt 16

15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

You see Peter realized that Jesus had the words of eternal life, that He was the Son of the Living God. And it seems that in that recognition Jesus has placed within Peter the words of eternal life. There is an authority given to spread the power of the Kingdom of Heaven. Peter’s realization came before Jesus had died and risen again obviously, but after Jesus had ascended to heaven we see a powerful transformation in Peter’s life.

Acts 2 14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy.

19 I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

21 And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Acts 3: 1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.