I think one of the most simple
passages in all of scripture is found in the first epistle
of John the Beloved. If you would turn with me to
1 John chapter 5. 1 John chapter 5. I'll make two
verses here in my text this morning, beginning in verse 11. John writes, and this is the
record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life
is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. I love the simplicity of the
gospel. It's so simple that religion
tries to complicate it, It says, if folks think there has to be
more to it than what we just read. John simply proclaims what
only the inspired heart, the revealed heart will believe.
And he starts verse 11 by saying, this is the record. Did you know
that that word record means evidence? This is the evidence. It means
testimony. John is saying, this is the testimony.
This is the truth of God. Are you interested? Do you have
any interest at all in the truth of God? You might ask, well,
what is the record of God? What is the report and the testimony
that God gives? This is the record that God has
given unto us eternal life. That's good news. Are you interested
in eternal life? A lot of folks have a different
opinion as to how you obtain eternal life. Most people think
that they obtain eternal life by something that they do. Growing
up and attending church most of my life, I heard over and
over and over again that I needed to make Jesus Lord of my life. Have you ever heard that kind
of language? You need to make Jesus Lord. There are some immediate
problems with that. First of all, I'm dead in trespasses
and sin, and being spiritually dead by nature, I can't make
or do anything. Christ said, without me you can
do nothing. You see, the vine has to give
life to the branches. Secondly, you can't make Jesus
Christ what He already is. He's already Lord over all. God
made Him Lord before the foundation of the world. David said this
before Christ was ever born. He said, the Lord said unto my
Lord, sit thou at my right hand. Before Christ ever came into
the world, the scriptures say that Abraham rejoiced to see
Christ's day. And he saw it and was glad. And
when Christ told the Jews that, they said, you're not even 50
years old. How have you seen Abraham? And how did Abraham
see you? You weren't even born yet. And
the Lord said this, he said, verily, verily, I say unto you,
before Abraham was, I am. I am. Before Abraham was ever born,
Christ was the great I am. And you can't make Christ what
he already is. Well, I can make him Lord over
my life. No, you cannot. No, you cannot. God's word is very clear. We
have no power except it be given from above. Our Lord said, all
power is given unto me in heaven and earth. Go ye therefore. The
only power we have is that which Christ gives us. And with Christ's
effectual command, we are enabled. He says, go, come, do. This is the record, John said,
that God has given to us eternal life. He didn't sell it to us.
He didn't lend it to us. It wasn't something that we earned
or something that we merited. Certainly wasn't something that
we deserved. He gave it to us. It was a gift. God's word tells us that over
and over and over again in the scriptures. Will sinners ever
believe that salvation is a gift? Why do sinners think that they
have to add something to what God freely gives? As if it wasn't
enough. We looked in the first hour at
that verse that everyone knows in John 3.16, for God so loved
the world that he gave. He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, all being God's elect, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Now look at the
text again. This is the record that God hath
given unto us eternal life. And this life, this eternal life
that John's talking about is in His Son. Isn't that plain
and simple? It's in His Son. And then to
reiterate and to emphasize and even try to make clearer what
he had just said, John added, he that hath the Son hath life.
And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. God's witness, God's testimony,
God's record, God's truth, God's evidence of his love has something
to do with him giving someone eternal life. John calls them
us. Verse one informs us who the
us is. It is whosoever believes that
Jesus is the Christ. They are the ones who have this
life, which is eternal. And those that don't have Christ
God's Son don't have this life. Isn't that simple? Now there's
some valuable truths for us to learn here. I will try to be
brief in giving them to you. Eternal life is in Jesus Christ. This life is in His Son. Eternal
life is found in Christ, nowhere else. He is the one way. He is the way. There is no other. Without Christ, it's not even
possible to have life. Life eternal. For it pleased
the Father, the scripture says, it pleased the Father that in
Him should all fullness dwell. The fullness of life, the fullness
of grace, the fullness of mercy and love. In Christ all fullness
dwells, resides. In Christ is the habitation of
mercy and grace. That's where mercy and grace
lives, in Him. In Christ are all the fountains
of God's blessings. Every blessing from God flows
through Him. Christ is the source of all life. It's all in Him. There's no possibility
of eternal life apart from Jesus Christ. Do you believe that? That's the record that God gives.
Men give a different record. Men testify something different.
But let God be true and every man a liar. God has given His
people eternal life, and this life is in His Son. God said,
this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him.
And I'm telling you, we better hear Him. We better listen. We had, because in Him is the
only place that you're gonna find life eternal. When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall we appear with Him
in glory. Christ is our life. When Christ,
our life, and if you look at that passage, the words who is
are italicized, so really it reads Christ, our life. Christ
our life. When He shall appear, then we
shall appear with Him. Where? In glory. Are you interested
in appearing with Christ in glory? No one except those with eternal
life will appear with Him in glory. Our Lord said, I am the
way, I am the truth, and I am what? I am the life. And no man
cometh to the Father but by Me. Brother Dave, you say that all
the time. I intend to. I intend to. He is the way, the
truth, and the life. And no man comes to God. No man
comes to the Father but by Him. No possibility of coming to God
for life apart from Christ. For several weeks now, we've
been studying John chapter 3. In John chapter 3 verse 14 we
read, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have eternal life. That's what
we're talking about. This is God's record. Eternal
life is in His Son. that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but what? Have everlasting life. Isn't that so clear? God loved
and God gave. Those who look to Christ high
and lifted up. Those who look to Him in faith
believing. That's what faith is. It's believing
that God is God and that Christ is the Savior of sinners. Those
have eternal life. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son hath not life. But I go to church
every Sunday and every Wednesday. Life is not in the church. But
I've been to the altar and I had a wonderful experience. Life
is not in the altar. Life is not coming to the front
of a church. Life is not moving from one place
to another. Life is not in the sacraments.
Life is not in baptism. Life is not in communion. Eternal
life is not in the law. This life is in God's Son, in
Christ. Secondly, there's peace with
God. Listen to this scripture in Colossians
1.20, and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him. By who? Jesus Christ. By Him
to reconcile all things unto Himself. By Him. God's gonna make sure we understand
that this peace is through the blood of His cross and it's in,
by, and through Him alone. He said, by Him, I say, whether
they be things in earth or things in heaven. 2 Corinthians 5 verse
19 says that God was in Christ reconciling. When you talk about
reconciling, that means that there's a problem. That means
that there's an alienation, there's a separation. A married couple
separates and then gets back together and we say they reconciled
their differences. Many couples get divorced and
the grounds for their divorce is said to be irreconcilable
differences. That means their differences
can't be reconciled. But when it comes to the differences,
the alienation, the separation between God and certain men and
women, God was in Christ reconciling. You don't reconcile friends.
You reconcile those who have been separated. Those that have
been alienated from one another. God was in Christ reconciling
lost but chosen sinners because there's anger, there's wrath,
there's enmity between God and sinful men and women. There's
only one mediator. Where is that mediator? Between
God and men. There's only one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. What did he do? He gave himself
a ransom to reconcile those whom God gave Christ. I recently heard
someone say at a funeral service about the deceased, they said,
he made his peace with God. I've heard that saying all my
life. He made, she made their peace with God. How did he do
it? I want to know how he did it.
Did he erase the wrath of God against him? Did he do something
to appease God's holy wrath? Did he do something to satisfy
God's holy justice? How did he make his peace with
God? Not long ago, someone said to me, he said, I've made my
peace with God. But did you? Oh, the Lord exposed
that kind of peace through the prophet Jeremiah. God said, they
cry, peace, peace, where there is no peace. There's no peace
apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I'm endeavoring to
say to you this morning. There's none. Peace comes from
the Prince of Peace. Christ said, my peace I give
unto you. The peace of God is that peace
that passes all understanding. The peace of God is the only
peace that shall keep your hearts and your minds, how? Through
Christ Jesus. And we read it over and over
again, in, by, through the Lord Jesus Christ. No peace apart
from Him. None at all. Christ made peace
through the blood of His cross. Sinners need to understand that
we're not the ones who decide whether or not there's peace
with God. God is the one who determined the terms of peace.
And they were made through the blood of Christ on the cross.
Therefore being justified by faith. Faith in what? No, faith
in who? Faith in Christ. We have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Over and over again we
read those words. That's where peace is. Peace
is in, by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, let me show
you a scripture. Go ahead and stick your marker
here, but let me show you a scripture you may have forgotten about.
I haven't considered this scripture for some time. It's in Isaiah
chapter 59. Turn there with me. Isaiah chapter
59. In verse one, we read, behold,
the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save. God can
save. You better believe he can. Neither
his ear heavy that he cannot hear. God can hear. But here's
the problem. We see the problem in verse two.
He says, but your iniquities have separated between you and
your God. and your sins have hid his face
from you that he will not hear." The problem between us and God
is our iniquities. Your sins have hid his face from
you that he will not hear. Our iniquities are the problem.
Our sin is the problem. So regardless of what men and
women think, no matter what men and women say and do, there's
a problem between us and God. And that trouble is iniquity.
That trouble is our sin. Our sin has come between us and
God. And because of that, He's hid
His face from us. Because of that, He will not
hear. We need someone, now listen, we need someone to go to God
for us. We certainly can't approach Him
in our sin. No sir, he's angry with the wicked every day. I
heard my friend John Chapman recently say in a message that
God is a consuming fire and that we're wood, hay, and stubble.
The two don't go together very well. We need someone to go to
God for us. Paul told the church at Galatia,
he said, now a mediator is not a mediator of one, What did he
mean by that? Well, if there's a mediator needed,
first of all, that means that there's a problem between two
parties. One person don't need a mediator.
A mediator is one who mediates between two parties. You call a mediator, that means
that if you call one, that means something's wrong. A mediator
is called because two sides can't get together. That's why we need
a mediator. That's why we need an advocate.
What is an advocate? It's one who pleads for us. It's
one who pleads our cause and our case. Have you ever had to
hire a lawyer? Well, if you have, you didn't
forget, you haven't forgotten it. I can assure you of that.
A lawyer is one who takes up your cause and your case. And
there is no peace with God apart from that advocate, that mediator. Only a fool goes into a court
without an advocate. Only a fool would dare represent
themself before God. Now if any man sin, the scripture
tells us, we have an advocate with the Father. That should
interest all of us because we're all sin. Sin's what we are. If any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father. Who is it? Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2.1, our advocate must
be righteous. He's got to be. He cannot have
any sins of his own. If he has any sin of his own,
he can't help us. Why? Because God will only accept
perfection. It's got to be perfect to be
accepted. We can't provide what God requires, but our advocate
can. Our mediator can. Our substitute
can. He must be perfect to be accepted.
And the gospel is, is that Christ has no sin. He's perfect. He's
not only willing, but he's able to plead for us. My lawyer has
something to plead. Trust me. My advocate has something
to plead. He pleads that he took the sins
of his people and paid for them. He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
Therefore, there's no charge against us. Why? Because they've been paid for.
God's justice has been satisfied. Who can lay anything to the charge
of God's elect? It's God that justifies. It's
God who decides if His justice against us has been satisfied
or not. Who is He that condemns God's chosen? It's Christ that
died. It was the perfect One who provided
in my stead everything that God required and demanded of me.
He's got something to plead. That's why Christ rose again. That's why He's at the right
hand of God making intercession for His people. Death couldn't
hold Him. Why? Because He was perfect.
The grave couldn't keep Him. Hell couldn't keep Him. He has
both the keys to hell and death, Revelation 118. Matter of fact,
we're to ask, O death, where is thy stain? When that day comes
that they put me in the ground, I can say before God, O death,
where is thy stain? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. There it is again.
1 Corinthians 15 57. Did you hear your verdict in
the court of heaven? The verdict's in. Did you hear
it? Case dismissed. Not guilty. That's the most amazing
thing ever. I'm telling you it is. I have
peace with God because I'm not guilty. My advocate is guilty
in my stead. My substitute met all the requirements
of God. All of them. All that God demanded,
my sacrifice, was a sweet-smelling saber unto God. My advocate blotted
out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us, which was
contrary to us, and he took them out of the way, nailing them
to the cross. Colossians 2.14. Is that not
the best news you've ever heard? Well, I want to give you some
quick things here to consider, and then I'll finish. Number
one, there is a holy God whom I cannot please. There's a holy
God that you cannot please. God is infinitely, eternally,
unspeakably holy. In my flesh dwells no good thing. In my flesh, no man, no woman
can please God in their flesh. But my mediator did. My advocate
did. And God is well pleased with
the son. And because of that, God is well
pleased with me. Second thing, there's a holy
law that I cannot keep. People say foolish things like,
well, I never killed anybody. Maybe not with a gun or a knife
you didn't, but in your heart you have. I've never stolen anything. Well, have you ever coveted something
of someone else's? If you did, then you stole it
in your heart. You see, there's a holy law, there's a spiritual
law that reaches not just to the act, but to the attitude.
It reaches not just to the deed, but to the thoughts of the heart.
Paul said, when the law, the commandment came to me with all
its spiritual demands, he said, sin revived and I died. Paul
thought that the law saved him by his keeping of it. But when
the law, the commandment came and in power and it came by revelation
of the spirit, it killed Paul. He said, sin revived and I died. It showed him that his righteousness,
self-righteousness, that's all it was. We had no righteousness. Our righteousness, filthy rags.
But it showed him that his righteousness was nothing but that, filthy
rags. He couldn't provide what God
required. And neither can you, and neither
can I. He couldn't fulfill or keep what
God's law demanded, but Christ did. Did our Lord not say, think not
that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets? I'm not
come to destroy, but to fulfill. I came to keep it and he came
to keep it for you, child of God. Thirdly, there's a righteousness
that I cannot produce. Brother Mahan once said that
he could jump over a barn if you'd let him build the barn.
I can be perfectly holy if you let me determine what holiness
is. I can be perfectly righteous if you let me set the standard
of what righteousness is. But when God builds a barn, it's
too high. When God determines what holiness
is, it's too holy. When God sets the standard of
righteousness, we see that our righteousness is what? Filthy. Filthy. There's a righteousness
that I cannot produce. But He was made to be sin for
me. He that knew no sin was made to be sin for me that I might
be made, what? The righteousness of God in Him.
And there again, in Him. Isn't it amazing how the Holy
Spirit never lets us forget from whom our salvation comes? Fourth
thing. There is a sin, not sins, not
plural, that we do, but a sin, singular, sin being what I am,
there's a sin that I cannot put away. I can't put it away. I've come to a time in my life
where I know time is growing shorter for me every day, that
I wished I could, but I can't put it away. Remember what we
read here in Isaiah 59? Our sin has hid God's face from
us. Our sin has separated us from
God. I can't put away this sin. Our sin is ever before us, but
Jesus Christ, our champion, oh, I'm telling you, in the end of
the world, hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. Now God says, your sins and your
iniquities, I remember no more. He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree, and He put them away forever to be remembered
no more. Even God can't remember what
He's abolished. They're separated as far as the
east from the west. Now let me say it again. I pray
that God enable you to believe it. In Christ, you have no sin. None. Fifth thing, there's a
death for sin that I cannot escape. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. No way to beat that rap. The
soul that sinneth shall die. Have you ever sinned? If you
have, you're gonna die. But wait a minute. What's that
that we read in Paul's letter to the church at Corinth? He
who knew no sin was made sin for us. He who suffered the just
for the unjust did so that we might not die. He died for the
ungodly. So that the curse of God's broken
law, that judgment for sin, would not fall on us. Do you know why?
Because it fell on Him. He died the just for the unjust.
For what reason? To bring us to God. Holy and
without blame. Unblameable in Christ. I can't
be blamed. Why? Because I'm not guilty.
In Christ I'm unreprovable. In Christ I'm above reproof.
Why? Because I'm perfect in the eyes
of God. in His sight. That even sounds weird to say,
but it's true. The reason God doesn't hold my
sin against me anymore is because I don't have any. I've been made
the righteousness of God in Christ, therefore He died in my place
so that I don't have to. Sixth thing, there's a judgment
that I don't want to face, and neither do you. Everyone seems
to have something to say about Judgment Day, don't they? You
don't want to go to judgment. Trust me, you don't. John said,
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And
the books were opened. And another book was opened,
which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out
of those things, which were written in the books according to their
works. I don't want any part of that.
I don't want any part of that. I don't want to be judged according
to my works. I don't want to be judged out
of those books. Believers are going to miss that judgment.
Therefore there is now no condemnation. Do you know what that word condemnation
means? It means verdict. There is now
no verdict. No negative verdict anyway. There's
no judgment to them who are in Christ Jesus. That's the peace
that God's people now have. Do you have that peace? And the
last thing. There is an eternal glory that
I desire. I want to live eternally. Don't
you? Sure you do. I want to live in glory with
Christ forever. Well, I leave you with the words
of Paul. He wrote in Philippians chapter
three, verse 20. For our conversation, that word
means citizenship, our citizenship is in heaven. From whence also
we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change
our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body. When we see Him upon His return,
John said in the third chapter of his epistle, he said, we shall
be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. You see, we'll
see Him as He is because we are like Him. You know what I mean
by that? Well, for then we'll be without
seeing. Then we won't see through a glass
darkly like we do now, but then face to face, face to face with
Christ my Savior. Now we know in part, but then
we shall know even as we're known. Even as God knows us, we should
know him. All earthly distractions then
will be gone. All earthly fleshly doubts will
be put away. For then we shall know perfectly
and fully even as Christ knows. Let me have you look at our text
one more time. First John chapter five. Verse
11, and this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life. And this eternal life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life,
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. Look at
verse 13. These things have I written unto
you, that you believe on the name of the Son of God, that
you may know that ye have eternal life. and that ye may believe
on the name of the Son of God. That's why we preach the Gospel.
That's why God gave us His Gospel. That we might have eternal life
and see that eternal life is only in His Son. All you are
yet without Christ. I don't know who you are, but
you do. It's my prayer that God may enable
you to believe on the name of the Son of God, and know that
by doing so, you may know that you have eternal life. Amen.