Sermon
Eternal Life, Abundantly Yours
December 4, 2005
Pastor Donald Sheley

The other day my wife and I were out of town and we visited a Christian bookstore and I noticed these beautiful banners hanging from the ceiling - gorgeous - so I said to the owner of the store, do you have those for sale? And he said no. He said those were a part of a publicity program that we ordered early in the summer, and he said those were just part of the decorations of the package. I said do you think that where they came from that they might have some more? He said well let's phone, so he phoned Florida and they didn't have any. They were all out. So I said well then can I buy yours? and he said no. And I said then can I just buy one? He said I'll give it to you pastor.

And so he gave it to me and I brought it home and presented it to our artist, the gal who puts all of our advertising together, and I said take that down and let's duplicate it, and then we'll have some for the people of the church. So we're having that beautifully duplicated, but the reason why I was attracted to it was this: it just simply said, Christmas begins with Christ. I said how can you say it more succinctly than that? Christmas begins with Christ.

And then I thought to myself what a marvelous time of the year for Christians to share their faith with others, because so many don't understand that Christ is the center of Christmas and it's everything else to them. But surely there are a lot of people who really would like to know about our Christ, and you know it's our responsibility as Christians to share our faith with others so that they can hear about Christ too. But you know, many times, and in many cases, people say, but pastor, I don't know how to share. And I often feel that we as pastors lay a guilt trip on our congregations telling them to do something and then not giving them the opportunity or the ability or at least the method of doing it; of some help to doing it.

So I'm suggesting that all of us make it our goal this Christmastime to share Jesus Christ, and what I have done is we have a very practical approach to helping you to do that. Thirty years ago we had a wonderful pastor in our church who loved going out into the highways in the byways, and Pastor Hinman wrote this booklet about 30 years ago. It's been printed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of times, used by hundreds of churches across the nation. It's in other languages as well. But it's a marvelous simple way of telling somebody why you're a Christian and what it means to be a Christian, and how they can become a Christian. It's entitled Eternal Life, Abundantly Yours.

I'm going to take from our theme where Pastor Leighton left off today in his communion message as Moses lifted up the serpent. It's John chapter 3 verse 14 and this is where Pastor was talking to us from just a few minutes ago: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

Now the verse, of course, which is the very hub of the gospel is that verse that most of us learned when we were in Sunday school: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Let's open our little booklet. In other words, here was my thought...if I can put something in your hands or into your purse that's available and then you have the opportunity somehow, some way, maybe at a gathering, you pull this out of your purse or out of your pocket and say, you know, at church the other day we got a little booklet that talks about what it means to be Christian, what it means to put our trust in Christ and just open the book. And you know many times we have done this and we've had many, many people come to Christ just as they listen and as you explain.

Let's go to page 4 and just one paragraph out of the introduction there, Pastor Nelken was our helper in this booklet and he writes: When we receive the gift of Eternal Life, it is but the beginning of a new and wonderful life-style. Jesus said, "I am come that you may have life, and that you might have it more abundantly," and he was speaking of Eternal Life. To experience Eternal Life is to experience God's life in you. It is not simply life in unending quantity, but also life in unsurpassed quality. It is the very nature of God; it is life as God has it; it is the God quality of life. It is nothing less than the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit of the Eternal God. It is the equivalent of being "born again" or "saved". One's experience of Eternal Life is both immediate and progressive. That is, it is initially experienced here in this life and it continues to grow, uninterrupted by death, through eternity in heaven. Its benefits are both present and future.

So the subject is enjoying the very life of God within us as human beings. So let's go to page 6. Here's the gospel in a capsule. Eternal Life is received by the simple act of committing yourself in loving trust to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus said, "Whosoever puts his trust in the Son has Eternal Life. But, whosoever rejects the Son will not see life." And in John 3:3 the experience is described as being "born again." Through the miracle of a spiritual birth, you are "born" into the Family of God. This is the most important experience of your entire life. It is a completely "new beginning" for you, and when a person accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, the Bible says that he becomes a "new creation; the old is gone, the new has come."

Now it's essential for you to understand the basis for receiving Eternal Life, for in the Bible there are five great concepts which deal with this subject.

Pause - maybe you are here today and you are searching for God. You know people that are Christians and you wonder why and how they became a Christian, and what's it all about? I want you to follow along and listen very intently and maybe at the close of our reading you'll personally want to make a decision for Christ...so follow along.

It is essential, he says, for in the Bible there are five great concepts which deal with this subject.

1. Eternal Life is a free gift; it is not earned or deserved. The Bible says that, "The gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord" and because it is a free gift, Eternal Life cannot be earned, merited, deserved or worked for. The Bible says, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy." If we could work for it, Eternal Life would be wages; if we could buy it, Eternal Life would be ours by right of purchase; if we deserved it, Eternal Life would be an award. But instead, Eternal Life is a free gift. And to understand why this is the only way it can be, we need to see what the Bible says about man.

The Bible clearly says that man is a sinner and he cannot save himself. It teaches us that all of us are sinful, for in Romans 3:23 we are told, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Now the word "sinned" in this verse was an archery term. It meant "missing the mark," and we've all done that. In our thoughts, our words, and our deeds, we've missed the mark. We have sinned. We have fallen short of God's demands, and so it is not the quantity or quality of sin, but the fact of sin that's our problem. And the problem of sin becomes even more complicated when we recognize that man cannot save himself.

If we were to try to be good enough to get into heaven, we would have to be perfect. For Jesus said, "Be perfect...as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Now that's God's standard-perfection. We might call it the passing grade, and God doesn't "grade on a curve." Many people believe they must be good enough to deserve entrance into Heaven. But, that won't do. The Bible says, "Not by works, so that no man can boast."

Now the seriousness of man's problem is more clearly understood when we see what the Bible says about God; that God is both merciful and God is just. He is loving and merciful, therefore does not want to punish us. The Bible says that "I have loved you with an everlasting love." And David reminds us that "His mercy endures forever." You see, God does love us, not because of what we are, but because of who He is. But God is holy, He's righteous, and He's just, and He must punish us for our sin. And the Bible teaches that God will judge the entire world. The sentence is clearly stated in Ezekiel 18:4: "The soul that sins shall surely die." We've all sinned so death is the judgment for our sin.

Now the problem of sin poses a great dilemma: God loves us and does not want to punish us, but He must deal with our sinfulness. The problem can be compared to that of a physician who discovers that a beloved patient has terminal cancer. The doctor does not hate the patient because he has terminal cancer. He loves the patient but hates the disease and will do anything he can to affect a cure. God loves us, but He hates our sin because sin separates us from Him. He solved that dilemma by coming into the world in human form, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the answer. To understand this we need to know who He is and what He did. Jesus is the Infinite God/man. The Bible speaks of Him as "the Word, and says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God...and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So Jesus Christ is God in human form. That's the marvel of this season folks.

He was also unique in another way. He lived a perfect life. The Bible says that "He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth." Because He was perfect, holy and righteous, He was called, "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." And, this is what He did: He came into the world to pay the penalty of our sins. That is why He suffered as He did and died upon the cross. The Bible vividly describes what happened in Isaiah 53:6: "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all."

So think of it folks, two thousand years ago God took our iniquities and laid them on Christ and it was there He died, paid the penalty for our sin; that's the marvel of Calvary. All of our sins were laid on Him. His suffering and death were God's judgment on Him, not for His sins, but for ours. After His death He was buried, but rose from the grave on the third day and then ascended back to heaven, and by this great "transaction" Jesus purchased Eternal Life for us-both for this life and forever. He offers Eternal Life to us as a free gift, and we receive it by "saving faith."

Now saving faith is the key to receiving Eternal Life, and the Bible says it is by grace that we have been saved through faith, that is not from your selves, it is the gift of God.

Since we can only receive this gift through "saving faith," it is necessary to understand its meaning, and we best can define it by first looking at what saving faith is not. It is not mere intellectual assent to historical facts about the life of Jesus Christ. Neither is it temporal faith. That is, having "Saving faith" is spoken of in Acts 16:31, where we are told, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

Now to understand the meaning of saving faith then it's necessary to define both believe and saved as used in this Bible reference. The word, believe, means to fully commit yourself in loving trust to the very person of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And the word, saved, means to be made whole, and also refers to the divine act by which God, through the death and resurrection of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, brings us into a perfect relationship with Himself and by which we receive the free gift of Eternal Life and complete forgiveness for our sins.

Summing it up in a sentence, saving faith means, "trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for the gift of Eternal Life." Now when you sincerely do this, that is, when you commit yourself in loving trust to Jesus as Lord and Savior, and as the resurrected, living Christ, you receive the gift of Eternal Life and become a member of God's Family. Now that's the Good News of the gospel.

Now while it's necessary to understand the basis for receiving Eternal Life, it is also necessary to apply this understanding. How do you, or how do we put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone? That's a vitally important question.

Now according to the Bible five steps are involved. When you "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" you are literally transferring your trust from yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ and to what He has done for you. Now let's look at these five steps for clarification: Transferring your trust includes repentance. Repentance is a necessary response to God's offer of the free gift of Eternal Life. The Bible clearly says, "The goodness of God leads you to repentance"

Indeed, Jesus said, "Repent and believe the Gospel." And the word repentance means to turn from your own way and sinfulness, you turn to God. In other words, to turn from what you have been doing that is not pleasing to Him and to follow Him as He reveals His will through the Bible.

Secondly, transferring your trust also includes acknowledging and commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. The Bible says, "If you will confess (acknowledge) Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Now the word "Lord" is Jesus' title for deity, and He is God in human form and His rightful place is on the throne of your heart and the Master of your life. He died for us, in our place, paying the penalty for our sins on the cross. He knows that we cannot receive Eternal Life and go to heaven on our own, so He has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. For when we put our trust in Him we are surrendering ourselves to Him as the Lord and the Master of our lives.

Thirdly, transferring your trust includes accepting the Lord Jesus as Savior. Jesus is called Savior many times in the New Testament. The word means "deliverer" or the one who delivers from sin. So the Bible says, "He was delivered over to death for our sins and He was raised to life for justification." What's that big word justification? It just simply means so that we appear before God just as if we had never sinned. It's total forgiveness.

As Savior, He forgives and cleanses those who trust in Him from the guilt and power of sin. This is the only way it can be! Indeed, the Bible says, "There is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among man by and in which we must be saved."

Fourthly, transferring your trust also includes receiving the Lord Jesus as the resurrected living Christ. Jesus Christ not only died for our sins. He also was raised from the dead and is alive today, and when you put your trust in Him you are inviting Him to come into your heart and to take charge of your life. The Bible described Him as standing outside the door of your heart, saying, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with Him and he with Me." And so, to receive Eternal Life is to receive the AUTHOR of Eternal Life Himself-Jesus.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." So Jesus offers himself as Lord, Savior, and as the resurrected living Christ. He wants to have fellowship with you-and you with Him. Indeed, He wants you to be a member of His eternal family.

Pause - You remember what it says? It says God hates sin because it separates us from Him. He created us to have fellowship with us and sin blocks off that communication line, and what God wants to do is forgive us remove the sin, so that we once again, as Adam and Eve had in the garden, have fellowship with God. That's what He really wants. He wants to be our friend. Let's read on.

Transferring your trust then is accomplished through a prayer of faith. The Bible says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." The transfer of trust is accomplished through the means of prayer. Prayer is simply expressing your thoughts to God. As an example, here is a simple format which can serve as your prayer of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's pause there before we pray. Let's go back and review it.

God created us for friendship. Man chose to negate that and to end that friendship by disobeying God in the garden, and thus, we are all born sinners. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and sin brings with it its judgment. For God had declared the person who sins will die; not only physically but spiritually. He sends His Son in the fullness of time, Jesus Christ, who goes to the cross. He's perfectly sinless, no guile was found in His mouth, no one could accuse Him of sin, and as a sinless sacrifice He goes to the cross and assumes the penalty for the sins of all the world; your sins and mine.

It's almost too much to try to comprehend with our mind that on Jesus Christ there at that cross He bore the sins of all mankind. I mean, you start adding them end up, some of the worst sinners of history, Stalin and Hitler. No wonder the world turned dark at noonday. And He cries out, my God, my God, why have You forsaken Me? It was in that moment, paying the penalty, that Jesus Christ who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might have the righteousness of God.

They put Him in a grave, He came out in three days, He ascended back to heaven where He is right now watching this scene. And what He is saying is I've done all I can do; I died for you, and all you need to do is turn from your sin, let Me forgive you, and be your Savior. That's the heart of the gospel.

Now we are all going to pray this prayer together. Maybe you're here and you say Pastor, I've never prayed a prayer receiving Christ into my heart. I now understand. I'll go home...and many came to me after the service and said Pastor I appreciate it, I'm going to go home and reread this so I really understand. But here's the prayer - we're all going to pray together - and if this is the morning you'd like to put your trust in Jesus Christ just join us in this prayer, would you do that? We're all going to pray it out loud.

Let's pray: "Lord Jesus Christ, I put my trust in You and in You alone today for the gift of Eternal Life. In repentance and love I accept You as my Lord and as my personal Savior. Forgive and cleanse me from my sin and take charge of my life. I receive You into my heart as the resurrected, living Christ. Help me to forsake my own ways and to follow You, and to become a responsible member of Your eternal family. I thank you for the gift of Eternal Life. Amen."

This has been a great moment. Maybe this is the moment you've said, Jesus, this is the morning that I personally receive You as my Savior. I understand what You did at Calvary and why it was necessary for You to do it. You took my penalty for my sins so I could have life, and I want that life today, Your eternal life. If that's been your prayer why don't you just raise your hand to God signifying, God today has been the day that decision has been made for time and for eternity. If you would just like to raise your hand to God...yes...yes...a great number of folks.

It's a great a spiritual moment folks, for you that raised your hand, it's something that happens deep within our heart as the Holy Spirit works within our heart and makes us to know that this day Jesus heard our prayer. This could be the day where He fills your heart with peace and assurance. I'm going to pray for that now. Lord Jesus, this entire service of worship today has been focused upon lifting You up; everything we've sung and everything we've done. And Lord Jesus You've observed the hands of many who honestly and sincerely simply raised their hand and said, Jesus this is the day I open my heart to You.

Now Lord Jesus may it be even as these folks leave the sanctuary, may Your peace and Your joy of the knowledge of sins forgiven and the fact that You are their Savior and they are a part of Your eternal family, may that joy so overwhelm them, and may the Holy Spirit give such assurance that they'll never question ever again...this is the day the spiritual miracle happened in my life when Jesus Christ became my Savior. May this be a glorious day for all of these folks. Thank you Jesus, thank you very much...and everybody said, amen.