Now, if you turn with me to John chapter 17, page 1085, we return to this prayer, often
! known as the High Princely Prayer of Jesus. And we hear him in verse 2 and 3 pray about eternal life.
We'll again read the first five verses. After Jesus said this, he looked towards heaven and prayed,
Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him
authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
Now, this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father,
glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
So, we're thinking about eternal life. And let's paint a picture as much as we can to create a
sense of longing, to build anticipation, and to give focus. It's something we do in everyday life. We
have summer holidays coming soon, perhaps. So, at some point, we will look at the holiday brochures,
we will check TripAdvisor, or we're going to the cinema. So, we might find ourselves looking at the
reviews of new films, watching trailers, or maybe we've got just a day trip planned. So, we'll check
the weather. We'll make sure we've got our picnic supplies. There are things that we do that create
longing, that build anticipation, that give focus. And it's really important for us as Christians that
we do that with eternal life. This really lies at the heart of our faith. So, what is eternal life?
At one level, it's the promise, the reality of a happy life forever. A life where there are no
troubles or fears, where there will be no losses, there'll be no unmet longings, there will be no
intermissions or intervals to break our perfect happiness forever. It is also going to be a
glorious life forever. It is a future reality without disease or death. There will be no aching joints or
chronic ailments. Every single person will have a perfect, glorified body, and that picture will never
fade forever. Eternal life also speaks to us of a loving life forever. It is a community where there
will be no envy, no gossip, no arguments. Nobody will ever be misunderstood. No one will ever be slandered.
We will never find ourselves crossing the street to avoid that awkward neighbor. Rather, everyone will be
sharing perfect, open, loving relationships. Even as we begin to paint the picture, who doesn't want this?
There is a goodness to this that we all recognize, and the book of Ecclesiastes tells us why.
Speaking of God, the author says, you have set eternity in our hearts. That's why we ache
for joy like this. That's why we find ourselves searching. That's why we have sadness when those
good things go in this life. And Jesus says to us that when we find our joy in Him, we find joy that
lasts forever. But we need to push further in our picture of eternal life and give it greater focus,
because the Bible also says eternal life will be a holy life forever. It will be a life forever set
free from sin. When we've been called and set apart for God and His worship, and we will find our joy
in living perfectly in His ways forever. And we'll have no sense that that limits our freedom or our joy.
eternal life will also be a God-centered life forever. The Lord Jesus, God our Father, they will always be the
object of our love and joy and delight. They are what make heaven heaven for His people. When we come to
know in a whole new way, we know in a whole new way that He alone, Psalm 73, can truly satisfy our souls.
And the truth is that made in God's image as we are, nothing else truly satisfies except life in Jesus.
So when Jesus prays about eternal life, we need to recognize that He is praying for our eternal
and ultimate joy. Jesus loves us, and so He prays for us. And what He prays for us is for our ultimate
good. Just to remind ourselves of the logic of Jesus' prayer, so we began remembering the wonderful
promise that Jesus prays for us. He is our mediator between us and God, and He's also our role model.
He teaches us how to pray, but He prays for us and for our good. And we were thinking last week,
as Jesus was praying about glory, that through His death on the cross, glory would come to Himself,
God the Son, for completing the work of salvation. And in so doing, glory would also come to God the
Father through the saving work of Jesus on the cross. And Jesus prayed that He would return to His
rightful place of glory in heaven because He is the God of eternal glory. Well, this week,
we see that glory belongs to Jesus because He is the one who gives the gift of eternal life to His people.
Glory belongs to Jesus because He brings us into life with God Himself.
And again, we'll never understand Christianity and its goal without Jesus' prayer.
We need to recognize the concern of Jesus here. His concern for our good is so great
that nothing less than our perfect eternal joy is His aim. And to understand that He prays this prayer
heading towards the cross, He will go to the cross to purchase in His death our eternal life.
So, Jesus works and Jesus prays so that you and I, by God's grace and through faith, might enjoy
relationship with God today and to enjoy that perfectly in heaven for all eternity.
So, two things, and they're very much related, and then a couple of points of application at each point.
First of all, Jesus gives eternal life. Look at chapter 17, verse 2.
For you granted Him authority. That's Jesus speaking of Himself. The Father granted Jesus authority over all
people that He might give eternal life to all those you have given Him. So, we're thinking about eternal life.
So, let's begin here with the reality that God is eternal. Psalm 90, from everlasting to everlasting,
You are God. And within this prayer, we're reminded that Jesus, as the Son of God, He is also eternal.
So, verse 5, glorify me with the glory I had before the world began. He is the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end. In verse 2, we're also reminded that Jesus has been given authority over all
people. So, we're getting that sense that through His death on the cross, then His resurrection and His
return to heaven, He is going to be appointed King of kings and Lord of lords. We've already heard Him say
that the Father has given Jesus authority to judge all people. So, He is the King and the judge overall,
whether we recognize it or not. And Jesus goes on to say that from that position of authority,
He grants eternal life to all those that the Father gave to Him. And so, we have the wonderful
interconnection between the Father and the Son. So, the Father and the Son planned an eternity past,
the way of salvation. And an eternity past, the Father knows that the Son is going to come
and Jesus will be obedient to His Father all the way to death. And because of Jesus' loving obedience,
the Father grants Him authority, a wonderful authority to then be the giver of eternal life.
And He is given this privilege because He lays down His life for us. So, His giving of eternal life
is rooted in the fact that He goes to His hour, He goes to suffer and die in our place for our sins.
And this gift of eternal life is a gift of God's grace given by Jesus to those given to Him by God,
His Father. It's gift all the way along. Salvation is a work of God. And so, here is Jesus praying that
glory will come to God the Father, glory will come to Him as the Son, as His chosen people trust Him,
and as they receive this gift of eternal life.
So, God is eternal and His Son is eternal. The plan of salvation is eternal.
But we also need to recognize that when Jesus is praying about eternal life,
it reminds us that we too, we're not eternal, but we are made to live forever.
C.S. Lewis captured it in a really striking way when he said,
there are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.
And Jesus in John's gospel gives us a lot of teaching about eternity.
And from the standpoint of eternity, Jesus will say, basically, there are two types of people.
So, we heard Him in John chapter 5.
There are those people who hear Jesus and they believe.
Or in chapter 10, the image is the same.
It's there are sheep who belong to Jesus and they hear and they obey His voice.
But there are also those who are not His sheep.
There are those who don't hear and believe.
But from eternity's standpoint, there's basically those two types of people.
And we've been hearing from Jesus, there are two different eternal destinies,
but both are eternal destinies.
So, John 3.16.
There is the wonderful prospect of eternal life in the presence and the joy of Jesus.
But chapter 3.16, John chapter 10, also speaks about a different destiny.
The destiny, the destiny of eternal perishing in the misery of the judgment of Jesus.
Two types of people and two eternal destinies.
Turn with me to John chapter 10 and let's look at it more closely.
The context for what Jesus is saying, verses 22 to 24, Jesus is surrounded by opponents.
Nehemiah this morning, surrounded by opponents.
So is Jesus.
They have a question.
If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.
But they want to trap Him because they've already decided He's not sent by God.
He is a false Messiah and so they're seeking a reason to kill Him.
Jesus knows this.
Look at Jesus' answer.
Jesus answered, on the question of Messiah, I did tell you, but you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father's name testify about me.
So Jesus is saying to them, every time I did a miracle,
every leper that was healed, every paralyzed person that walked, every blind person that
was made to see, every sinner that was granted forgiveness is an indication from God Himself,
a testimony that Jesus really is God's chosen Messiah, Savior, King.
Every miracle was a powerful, wonderful work of God to display the glory of God and to give
a window into the kingdom of God.
That world free of sin and sickness and death and suffering.
We get a glimpse in Jesus' ministry.
But Jesus said to them in verse 26,
But you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
Some of us are familiar with the idea of common grazing.
There's land where many flocks or cattle can be there to graze.
And so if a farmer comes and he gives the command to his sheep to come,
well, the rest will not bother because they don't recognize that farmer.
They don't recognize his voice.
Now, Jesus is saying there are some who do not recognize me, who do not listen to my voice.
But why do some listen to Jesus?
Why do some become his sheep?
He goes on, verse 27,
My sheep listen to my voice.
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life.
Jesus gives eternal life.
It is God's grace at work in a person's heart that causes them to be able to hear and to respond to the voice of Jesus.
It's a gracious work of God.
It's that work promised in the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 31, the new covenant.
That great open heart surgery that God would do in the gospel that he would take our hearts of stone,
unwilling and unable to choose to respond towards God, to do what is good,
to take out our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh,
to give us the willingness to listen and to obey,
to place his spirit within us,
to write and to inscribe his law on our hearts,
to hear the voice of Jesus and to respond.
That's not natural.
It's a wonderful work of God.
It's a miracle of God's grace.
Achieved by Jesus' death on the cross,
that new covenant in his blood.
Left to ourselves,
we would never listen.
We would never follow.
We would never obey.
Rather, to use the language of R.C. Sproul,
we are those who violate his holiness.
We insult his justice.
We make light of his grace.
These things can hardly please him.
Like the Pharisees in Jesus' day,
we can easily flatter ourselves.
We're not that bad.
We don't really need a savior,
or we don't merit God's wrath.
And when we do that,
we ignore God's holiness.
We ignore the depth of our own rebellion.
But Jesus, when he says he gives eternal life,
presents us with that humbling,
but also wonderful reality
that he has come to give that gift.
So we need the work of our good shepherd,
and he has come,
and he has completed the work of the good shepherd
in laying down his life for us.
We need him to do that.
We need him to break the chains of sin and death,
and he is willing to do that
if we will trust him
and ask him to do it in our hearts.
He is the one who has come to exchange that stubborn heart
for a heart made willing to love and follow him.
He must act in power
so that we would become his sheep
and listen to his voice,
and he is willing,
he is ready and willing to act in power.
So there is a connection that Jesus must die
so he might receive the gift of eternal life.
And so Jesus looks at the hour of the cross,
and he is willing to go there
because he knows it will bring us salvation.
So that instead of death,
we might know life.
Now, death is not something
that we like to think about very much.
The Bible is really clear.
It is our last great enemy.
Death brings with it real fear,
and it brings with it real sadness.
But it is something we need to use
to go back to Ecclesiastes.
It's better to go to the house of mourning
than the house of laughter.
It's really important for us to think about eternity.
Now, as a society,
we don't like to think about death.
We certainly don't like to think about eternity,
so we treat it as that taboo thing.
We spend a lot of time and energy
trying to be distracted from
the great realities of life and death.
Or we try and make light of death.
We turn funerals into celebrations
rather than times of mourning.
And in this context,
the church must be different.
We must both live in light of eternity,
but also be willing to speak about death and eternity.
And when we do,
for us as the people of God,
I would suggest that there are two things that follow.
As we think about the fact
that Jesus gives eternal life,
as we think about eternity and eternal life,
it leads us to worship.
I'm thinking about it this week.
It's one of the things that makes Christian funerals
really special.
Because there we find ourselves
at a place of sorrow and grieving,
but also a time of worship.
We're praising the sovereign God
who is faithful in life
and faithful into eternity.
That collectively as God's people,
we grieve, but we grieve with hope.
We find hope as we claim the promises of the gospel,
the promise of resurrection and of new creation.
We worship as we recognize Jesus,
the one who left eternal glory,
to become one of us,
to give God glory by granting his people eternal life.
The one who paid the ultimate cost
to give his bride the ultimate gift.
That Jesus came into this world
and he suffered and died
and then he returned to the glory of heaven
to prepare for us
an eternal home,
an eternal joy
that we can scarcely imagine.
And so there's a wonderful source of worship
that are truths to make our hearts sing,
to give us hope
even in the depths of sorrow
as we consider the promise of eternal life.
But here's the second thing
that I think considering eternal life does for us.
It does something in terms of our mission.
I spent part of Monday afternoon
on a prayer walk around the neighborhood
and doing that at the same time
as asking God to be glorified in this community.
Thinking about the various types of people
that live here, thinking about the various churches.
But when you're thinking about eternity,
doesn't it give a sense of weight
to our mission
and a sense of urgency
to our mission
as we represent the one who came
to give the gift of eternal life?
Does it give us a motivation
for that ongoing task of making Jesus known?
I was reminded of C.T. Studd's words,
one of the missionaries to China.
He put it very poetically.
He said,
Some wish to live within the sound of church
or chapel bell.
I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of hell.
For C.T. Studd,
the realities of eternity
drove his mission,
caused him to leave behind
affluent England
to go to China
to minister there,
to seek,
to make Jesus known.
The realities of eternity
are so important
for fueling our kingdom mission.
And it's important for us,
I think,
then regularly to ask,
What is God leading me to do
for his kingdom?
Maybe not like C.T. Studd
to go to China,
maybe,
but what is he asking us to do
as we share the gospel?
We share the gospel,
the good news
that while we are made
in the image of God
and we are made for relationship,
but that tragically and persistently
we sin and rebel,
God loved us
and he sent his son,
the Lord Jesus,
and Jesus laid down his life
as a sacrifice for us.
And through his death
on our behalf,
we can know forgiveness
and peace
and adoption
and eternal life
with never-ending glory.
We have good news
and we have really important news.
And so we pray
and so we proclaim
and we ask people,
Will you believe?
Will you hear Jesus' voice?
And will you follow?
Because Jesus is the one
who gives us eternal life.
Second thing to think about,
and as I said,
it's related,
is that Jesus gives us life with God.
Look back at John 17, verse 3.
Jesus says,
Now this is eternal life,
that they know you,
the only true God
and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent.
So the beauty of eternal life
is that it's not just a quantity,
but it's also a quality.
It's the gift of knowing
and being known by God himself.
Jesus gives us everlasting life
with the everlasting God of love.
And this knowing that Jesus speaks of,
it's not a mere head knowledge,
well, I know about God.
I've read the Bible.
I've come to church.
I know about Him.
I know about the Trinity.
I know that Jesus died on the cross.
I know that God is.
It's a personal experience
of a personal relationship.
It says,
I know Him
as my Father.
I've come to know that He is good
and that He is for me
and I trust Him
and I listen to Him.
He loves me
and He leads me
and He listens to me
when I pray
and He looks after me every day.
It's a different quality of knowing.
It's the knowing
of personal relationship.
Let me use this
by way of a poor analogy.
It's a difference maybe
sometimes you might see
in an airport.
So imagine
you're in a busy airport
and you're waiting
for a loved one.
Maybe you haven't seen them
for weeks or for months
and you know
the plane is about to arrive.
And so while you're waiting
at the arrivals gate
eager to be reunited,
you see a celebrity
and you know that celebrity.
But I imagine most of us,
unless we're slightly extreme,
the most we're going to do
is maybe give an awkward smile.
Maybe if we're really confident,
we might ask for a selfie.
But the difference between
that knowing of the celebrity
where we kind of keep our distance
and then the knowing
when we see our family member
and we run to embrace them
and there's joy
and there's tears.
That's the kind of knowing
that Jesus brings for us
with our God.
That we are known
and loved deeply.
That we enjoy
a deeply personal relationship
with God the Father,
with Jesus the Son,
through the Spirit,
forever.
And so as Jesus prays
about eternal life,
Jesus is really asking
that we would shift attention
from temporary pleasures
that can take up so much attention
but will always leave us restless
to the eternal enjoyment
of God that brings rest.
Jesus came to give eternal joy
to His people
as we are welcomed
into the loving arms
of our everlasting God.
So let's explore two things
about eternal life
with God together.
First, let's think about
the protection
that Jesus talks about.
Back to John chapter 10
and verse 28 to 30.
I'm just going to read them again
and listen to how definite
and definitive Jesus is.
There is no room for doubt
in His words.
I give them eternal life
and they shall never perish.
No one will snatch them
out of my hand.
My Father who has given them to me
is greater than all.
No one can snatch them
out of my Father's hand.
I and the Father are one.
Did you hear it?
Jesus, what's the strongest force
in the universe?
The strongest force
in the universe
is the hands of God
and those hands of God
keep us safe
from here
to eternity.
That's what Jesus prays
and that's what Jesus works for.
So the promise
of eternal life
that Jesus gives to us
is secure.
Our salvation
salvation is secure
because not only
is it the work of God
but also that we are kept
by God the Father
and God the Son.
Think about Jesus
in His ministry.
The same Jesus
who took Peter
by the hand
when He was going
under the water
as His faith was shaken
and raised Him up to safety.
The same Jesus
who took Jairus' daughter
by the hand
and raised her from death
is the same Jesus
who grips and guards
His people
in His power
and in His love.
He is the good shepherd
and He makes sure
that His sheep listen
and He never loses one.
Last weekend
we took a trip
to Dalscon Farm.
I recommend
if you like farms
and farm parks.
A couple of things
as I was sort of
thinking about this text
and then thinking
about Dalscon.
One point in the middle
of the afternoon
so Dalscon's full of
lots of very cute
baby goats
baby lambs
some cute baby donkeys
as well
really busy
full of animals
but there's one point
where I was looking
and I saw the farmer's wife
and she spotted something
and she jumped over a fence
and then she signaled
to her husband
and he also jumped
over the fence
and so I was immediately
interested in what
was happening
and they were looking
to sort of corral
and catch this one sheep
and the reason why
they were looking
to catch that one sheep
was because it had got
a horn tangled
in some bailing rope
and so they were keen
to set it free.
That's what shepherds do.
Also
on that farm park
some of us will know
the story of Fiona
the loneliest sheep
in the world.
Remember that story
the sheep
near Brora
fell off a cliff
was there for ages
until it got kind of
airlifted up
had lived in isolation.
Do you know what
Fiona's not lonely anymore?
She's got two lambs
with her this year
and again
why is that?
Because of the love
and care
of the farmers
at Dalscon.
Just tiny windows
whenever we look
at a good shepherd
or a good farmer
into the much greater
love and goodness
of Jesus
our good shepherd.
God
and what he promises
to us
here in John 10
is that we are
entirely safe
and secure
in the double grip
of God.
Now Hollywood
loves
and it's great
the tension
and the drama
that you see
so often
usually in some
kind of action movie
maybe there's been
a car crash
and the car is heading
towards the cliff
and the person
gets out just in time
and they're grabbing
on by their fingertips
and you ask yourself
are they going to
survive or not
and maybe somebody
comes and catches
their hand
and still the question
remains
is it going to
turn out okay
or not?
And you know
from whether it's
a good character
or a bad character
how it's going to go.
Hollywood loves
the tension
and it makes
for great TV
but we need
to understand
it makes
for terrible theology
because when we
respond in faith
to the call
of Jesus
we have the promise
that he holds us
firm
he will not
lose one
of those
that have been
given to him
the father
assures us
that he will not
lose his grip
look at verse 30
Jesus says
I and the father
are one
they are one
because they're both
God
but they're also
one in purpose
and their purpose
is to protect
Christians
until we fully
enjoy eternal life
Jesus prays
for the gift
of eternal life
to be given
and he will
shortly lay down
his life
to secure it
for us
and he continues
to work for us
now
holding us
in his grip
so that none
of us
who are trusting
in him
will ever be lost
the hands
that hold us
firm
are the hands
that were nailed
to our Roman cross
to bear away
our guilt
and shame
to secure
our reconciliation
to God
to pay in full
our record
of debt
and with him
that is the gift
of eternal life
so there is
protection
we are secure
in the eternal life
we're given
by Jesus
and so the second
thing
as we think
about Jesus
giving us life
with God
is to think
about praise
now I wonder
as we think
about eternal life
if we were
being honest
does eternity
ever sound
a little bit
dull
do we ever
find ourselves
asking the question
won't we get
tired of it
you know we're so
used to things
being temporary
the idea of
something that
lasts forever
that's really
hard to imagine
our capacity
for joy
in God
our hearts
as it were
are so
limited
that it
may not
excite us
like it
should
the reality
of eternity
millions
billions
trillions
of years
to enjoy
Jesus
and to
worship him
together
one day
we might
find that
to be
the most
mind-blowing
and exciting
reality in the
world
and the
very next
day
it might
seem
so
mundane
I think
to help
us
we are
to remember
who it
is that
is praying
for the gift
of eternal
life
here is
Jesus
the eternal
son of
God
who has
spent all
eternity
enjoying
life with
his father
sharing the
glory of
his father
sharing of
perfect goodness
and glory
and beauty
and truth
nothing lacking
in eternal
life
and it's
as the
eternal
and powerful
son of
God
he prays
the one
with infinite
wisdom
and power
and goodness
he prays
wanting the
very best
that he could
ever give
to his people
he prays
desiring that
we would have
life and life
to the full
he prays
that we would
know eternal
life
with him
forever
and for that
to capture
our hearts
I think we need
to keep
considering the
Jesus that we
meet in the
gospels
the nature
of the
friendship
that he
shared with
his disciples
the transformation
he worked
in people's
lives
the love
that he
demonstrated
that changed
people's
identity
and destiny
that the
one who
prays for us
is the one
who is
love
and he
prays
and he
works
so we
can share
this love
of God
forever
as
Christians
Jesus
has
destined
us
for eternal
happiness
there is
an eternal
weight
of glory
beyond
compare
there is
a life
free
of sin
and sickness
despair
and death
a life
lived
with
Jesus
and as
he prays
he invites
us to
turn from
sin
to know
him
to trust
him
to live
in light
of eternity
to live
lives
of eternal
significance
to live
lives
of joyful
praise
because
Jesus
has invited
us
into
eternal
life
to know
the only
true God
and Jesus
Christ
the one
whom he
sent
well in that
spirit
let's pray
together