Eternal Life: Knowing God

Sermon Summary of my sermon on John 17:1-5 found here.

Introduction:
When we hear the term “eternal life,” we often think of life after death or immortality. However, the concept of eternal life is more profound than just a future destination; it is a present reality of knowing God personally through Jesus Christ. Let’s explore what eternal life means, its impact on our lives, and how we can obtain it.

I. The Significance of Knowing God Personally:
Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the Father and Himself (John 17:3). This definition shifts our perspective from a future destination to a meaningful relationship. When we know God personally, our faith deepens, intimacy with Him nurtures, and assurance of salvation strengthens.

How can we foster a closer relationship with God and experience eternal life in the present?

II. Embracing the Mission of the Kingdom on Earth:
Eternal life isn’t just about our future destiny; it calls us to participate in God’s kingdom work here on earth. Jesus came on a mission to reveal the Father and establish a right relationship with Him. As believers, we are vessels for His work, called to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth.

How can we actively participate in God’s kingdom mission and make a difference in the world around us?

III. Living with Purpose and Hope:
Knowing God gives us purpose and hope. He transforms us into new creations, and we begin living with a sense of mission. As we grow closer to Him, we understand our lives have eternal significance in light of God’s mission for the world.

How does knowing God personally influence the way we view our lives and live with purpose and hope?

IV. Walking in Intimacy with God:
Mary Magdalene’s life is an example of encountering the risen Christ and embracing a personal relationship with Him. Like her, we can experience a deep, intimate walk with God, seeking to foster that personal connection with the Creator and Savior.

How can we cultivate a closer and more intimate walk with God in our daily lives?

V. Sharing the Good News:
As believers, we are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. The Great Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. Our love for God and others compels us to share His transforming love and offer the gift of eternal life.

How can we overcome fears and boldly share our faith with others, knowing that eternal life is available to all who believe in Jesus Christ?

Conclusion:
Eternal life is not just a distant hope but a present reality in knowing God personally through Jesus Christ. It transforms us, gives us purpose, and calls us to participate in God’s mission for the world. As we cultivate an intimate walk with God, we discover the joy of sharing His love and the promise of eternal life with those around us. Let’s embrace the cheat code to eternal life—knowing God the Father and His Son—and live with passion and hope in the present, knowing that eternity begins when we believe and are saved in Christ.

Finding Hope in the Gospel of John

As we continue our journey through the Gospel of John, we encounter profound truths and transformative encounters with Jesus. In this blog post, we will explore four pivotal verses from John’s Gospel—John 17:3, John 18:36, John 20:17, and John 20:31—and discover the faith and hope they inspire within us. These verses not only reveal the depth of Jesus’ identity and mission but also call us to embrace a life-changing relationship with Him.

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. - John 17:3

A Glimpse of Eternal Life:

In John 17:3, Jesus shares a powerful insight into what eternal life is. He declares that eternal life is not merely an unending existence but rather, it is knowing the one true God the Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent. This verse reminds us that eternal life isn’t some distant future only to be experienced after death, but it is a present reality through our relationship with Jesus.

How does the concept of eternal life being rooted in knowing God impact your understanding of salvation and life’s purpose?

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” - John 18:36

A Kingdom Beyond This World:

In John 18:36, Jesus proclaims that His kingdom is not of this world. His kingship transcends earthly powers, and His mission is beyond any sort of worldly ambitions. This verse invites us to reassess our values and seek a kingdom that aligns with the eternal purposes of Christ.

In what ways can we actively prioritize the values of Christ’s kingdom in our daily lives and interactions with the world?

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” - John 20:17

From Mourning to Mission:

In John 20:17, we witness a powerful encounter between Jesus and Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Jesus instructs her not to cling to Him but to go and tell His disciples. This moment marks the transformation from mourning to mission— it was a call for Mary to share the good news of the resurrected Savior. As we shared last night, the relationship had changed. There was still work to do.

How can Mary Magdalene’s response to Jesus’ instruction inspire us to be active messengers of the gospel, bringing hope and life to those around us?

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:31

Believing for Life:

John states the purpose of writing his Gospel: “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31, ESV) This verse is the heart of the Gospel of John—to lead us to faith in Jesus as the source of life and the Son of God. Believing this brings about our salvation.

How has encountering the various signs, miracles, and teachings of Jesus in this Gospel influenced your perception of His identity and divine mission? How does John’s Gospel inspire you to place your faith in Jesus and experience the abundant life He offers?

Conclusion:

In the Gospel of John, we find an invitation to know Jesus in a deeply personal way—to know Him intimately and experience His redemption power. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we access the eternal life that begins here and now—a life rooted in knowing the Father and the Son.

As we meditate on these verses, let us reflect on the richness of Christ’s identity and mission. He offers us a kingdom that transcends this world and calls us to embrace a life of purpose and mission. Just as Mary Magdalene was commissioned to share the good news, we too are called to be bearers of hope and agents of God’s love in the world.

Questions for further reflection:

How can we cultivate a deeper intimacy with Jesus and experience the reality of eternal life in our daily walk with Him?
In what ways can we align our lives with the values and mission of Christ’s kingdom, even amidst the challenges and pressures of the world?
How can we respond actively to Jesus’ call to be messengers of hope and life, sharing the transformative power of the gospel with those around us?
How does the purpose of John’s Gospel, as stated in John 20:31, inspire you to believe in Jesus as the Christ and experience life in His name?

May the Gospel of John continue to inspire us, strengthen our faith, and fill us with hope as we walk with the risen Savior and follow His leading in every aspect of life.

Don’t Just Stand There!

Sermon notes for the video teaching – 05/21/2023

How many times have you been mesmerized by something, so captured by it that it was like you were in a trance?

The word “mesmerize” dates back to an 18th-century Austrian physician named Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815). He established a theory of illness that involved internal magnetic forces, which he called animal magnetism. (It would later be known as mesmerism.)

Mesmer believed that good physical and psychological health came from properly aligned magnetic forces; bad health, then, resulted from forces essentially being out of whack. He noticed a treatment that seemed to work particularly well in correcting these misaligned forces.

It involved giving his patients medications with high doses of iron and then moving magnets over their bodies (Goodwin, 1999). During these treatments, Mesmer’s patients would go into a trance-like state and emerge feeling better. He saw this as substantiating the success of his therapy.

Of course, the medical community eventually debunked Mesmer’s belief that this was some sort of medical power or treatment, but still, we can find ourselves today in a state of trance about some things.

Often, we may find that we don’t know how to break free of this trance state.

Imagine yourself on the shore of the lake with the disciples of Jesus when Jesus ascends into Heaven. Can you imagine standing there in a trance-like state, not being able to make yourself move?

Let’s read today’s Word and we’ll see where this leads us.

Scripture

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

The Ascension

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:1-11 ESV

Background of Acts

First off, this is the beginning of a new writing by Luke, a physician, and companion of the Apostle Paul. He is likely a gentile man, and his writing dates back to around 60 A.D.

He’s actually writing a letter to a friend, possibly a high-level Greek named, Theophilus.

He even mentions that this is his second book, referencing that he had already dealt with all that Jesus had said and done until His ascension. And in Acts 1 he begins there telling Theophilus of Jesus’s death and resurrection and His appearing during 40 days time to the disciples.

Within this letter, he tells the story of the beginning of the Church and his and Paul’s activities, along with the other disciples in these early days following Jesus’s ascension into heaven.

Jesus’s Words

Jesus, tells the disciples before ascending, to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will come upon them giving them power. And He says “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

So He says:

“Stay where you’re at until you receive the Holy Spirit.”
“You will receive power.”
“Then you will be MY witnesses.”
“To Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Trance

Luke then says that while Jesus was ascending into Heaven, the disciples watched and were left “gazing” into Heaven while He went.

I’ll call this their trance phase.

It isn’t until the two men appear next to them asking, “Why do you stand here looking into heaven?”

Notice, the men didn’t give the disciples any further direction, they just asked the disciples why they were still standing there. But the intent in their question was likely to get the attention, or to help the disciples “snap out of it.”

It’s like you telling someone to do something and when you go back to them a couple of minutes later their attention is still affixed on what they were doing when you gave them the task to do.

Like me hearing Allison ask me to do something but I sit there another minute or two to finish a segment of a TV show and she has to come back in and remind me. If she hadn’t come remind me, what might I have done?

I would have forgotten! I would have remained mesmerized, or in a trance focused on what I was into and not her needs.

Jesus Told Them

So without saying it, these two men, in their question, were reminding these entranced disciples, “He told you what to do, so get to it.”

If it weren’t for these men capturing the attention of the disciples, they might still be there today! Probably not.

However, it is true in our own Christian lives, that we too can become mesmerized with being in the faith to the point of not sharing, or doing the work of the faith.

We can get stuck in just trying to draw closer to Christ through knowledge, and trying to know more about Him, to the point of not actually living for Him.

Even the new believer can come to Christ for salvation and have this great desire to grow closer to Christ through delving into the bible.

There’s nothing wrong with these things either, as I too suggest these activities for new and old believers. We must be in the Word. We must know that it is an important part of growing in our faith.

However, we mustn’t get stuck there.

This was one of the problems of the Pharisees. They’d become obsessed with the Law, which in itself wasn’t bad, but to the point where they missed the relationship with God, the work of God in loving others and doing good works for others.

Their concern had become about not doing bad things to the extent of not doing the good works God had planned for them, and neglecting to do good deeds for the community of believers.

Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus told these disciples…

After they were to receive the Holy Spirit they would have work to do. They would be witnesses “to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In essence, this was from their hometown, their home state, their nation, and to the rest of the world. And this is the same command, and way, you and I are to work towards spreading the Gospel.

WE Have Work To DO

Jesus doesn’t say, “Keep to yourself. Keep your faith silent, it’s just between you and me, no one else can know.”

No, He says GO! Do! Make and baptize disciples in the Great Commission as we looked at last week. In other words, “Be My witnesses, at home, in your community, in your city, in your state, and progressively support or make me known to the rest of the world.”

What’s God’s Will for My Life?

Many of us, at some point or another, are asking this very question. Of course, many of us are more concerned about our own everyday life than the “ultimate/non-specifically us-defined” purpose or will.

You’re not going to find your future mate or future career listed in God’s Word most likely. But you will find things such as the traits you should have and you should seek in your future mate, or your future career.

What you will also find are explicit commands in how you are to live, and how you are to serve the Lord, being a witness in all you do.

Listen to these words:

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Romans 12:11 ESV

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

James 1:22 ESV

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

1 Peter 4:10 ESV

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

The One Anothers

Love one another (John 13:34-35; John 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 23; 1 John 4:7, 11-12).

Serve one another (Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 4:10).

Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 10:24-25).

Pray for one another (James 5:16).

Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).

Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).

Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9).

Bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13).

Teach and admonish one another (Colossians 3:16).

Jesus teaches to care for and to do for the least of these…the poor, the lonely, the homeless, the outcast.

He says when we do these things we do them to Him.

What better witness is there than that?

When starting Innovate Church, doing what the Scripture say for us to do was to be the DNA of our church. We were, and are, to be in the world doing these commands Jesus has given us, making a difference in local communities as His witnesses.

Paul reminds us to carry each other’s burdens, to pray for one another, to share with one another, and not merely look after our own interests but to the interest of others.

And the Bible is so clear on so many other things, as Paul reminds us:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV

You Have a Purpose, You Have Work to Do

Every one of us, no matter our situation, no matter if we are homebound or free to go where ever we desire, has work to do. We have been given a purpose to live out.

Our purpose is to make Him known to the world by being His witness, by doing the works He commands in His Scriptures, to those nearest to us to those we may never see face to face on this side of eternity.

We cannot be a Holy huddle, we have to move out of the proverbial building, and into the streets and workplaces to spread the Gospel, to do good deeds, so that others may know and become part of the Kingdom of God as you and I are.

Let us hear the call of the two witnesses at Jesus’s ascension calling out to the disciples, “Why do you stand there looking to the heavens?” Go! Do! Make Him known. Be witnesses in all that you do, and do it with purpose.

His Return

Jesus will be returning soon. It may not be in my lifetime or yours but the truth is, as we see stated here to the disciples, He will come again.

When the Master returns He shall find His servants being about His work.

Don’t Make the Same Mistake!

4 years ago today was our last day serving the youth ministry at our home church.

My wife and I had volunteered for nearly twenty years before I had taken the director of youth ministry position eight months prior. I didn’t plan to go out the way it happened, that choice was taken away from me. Therein lies the reason for these tips for churches, their pastors, and their boards.

1. Support those being called into a different ministry from your church.

As churches we are to equip and send out. The command for all Christians is to “go into the world.” Don’t allow fear of losing people to overcome your commitment to sending out your folks. Even if you’re a struggling church, support anyone that has a true gifting and calling to serve others. It isn’t a competition.

2. Ask how you can help those being called to fulfill their calling?

Pastors, you have experience you can share. Truths can warn them about. You know the tools needed, the stresses faced, and the reality of the calling. Give them the time to learn from you, to be mentored by you.

When I told my pastor I was leaving, in 7 months, to follow this new calling, I expected to be allowed to continue the work I was doing, as well as hopeful I might gain some insight from him. He was a great man, and had served many years. It wasn’t fully his decision to send me out there door a little more than two weeks later, it was a board decision.

3. Pray for their success, their faith, their families during this time of transformation.

It is often a very difficult and stressful decision to follow the Lord’s calling to any ministry, most definitely pastoral ministry.

For me, I had this youth ministry calling for some ten years or more and continued to serve and be there for every single thing the former director scheduled for the youth. I loved what we did, and then when I had the opportunity to be the director, I made all the changes I thought were needed to make the ministry more successful, to serve and help grow the faith of the youth and include them in the life of the church. So it wasn’t an easy decision to follow the Lord’s calling to leave and start something new. I cried, I wrestled, I cried out to God, and my wife did as well.

4. Let them leave well.

It should be the right of that person to announce their calling and leaving to the church family. It isn’t for you to make yourself look good by offering praise of them from the stage but not allowing them to address the folks themselves.

I know every situation is different. For my wife and I, we’d spent more than twenty years serving our church in many facets. However, the decision was made for me not to be the one to share this new calling with the congregation, and I was barely able to tell the kids myself that same evening. This caused a lot of hurt, bitterness, and some others chose to leave that church because of what they witnessed. It could have gone so much better and would have been a witness to all of what it means to send out the faithful that desire to live out the Lord’s calling.

5. Support their families.

Show love to their family. Don’t forget the impact of picking up and moving from a beloved church family to step into the wilderness on the spouse, (and family). The family matters and needs support as much or maybe more than the one being called. They are left trusting their spouse’s word and the Lord’s revelation to their spouse. They don’t have the personal experience of “hearing/feeling” the calling.

This was the toughest part and what hurt the most. My wife was removed from supporting a youth in their faith journey. My wife wasn’t seen as nothing more than, well, I don’t know honestly. It was simply wrong. No love was given, just the removal of her existence from the church she grew up in by those “in control” at the time.

You have an opportunity.

Make the best of it no matter how hurt, scared, you may feel. If the person is in good standing with you, you should surely not ruin the experience by being self focused and fearful. I pray you get it right!

As for my wife and I today, we are blessed. It wasn’t long before I saw God redeem the situation for me and our future ministry at the time. He called, and I, (we), have tried to be as obedient as possible since. I left what I loved, a dream position and passion, to begin the journey to what He called me to in that season. Even now, He has molded and moved us, and our ministry, into what He desires, and that is my only hope and prayer for Him to do.