Go with me back to Matthew 22. Matthew 22, this message came about because of some recent activities that made me have this thought. We are not going to live forever. We're not gonna live forever. Now, as soon as I thought that, this thought came to my mind. That's not true. In Christ, we are going to live forever. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we are literally going to live forever. We may move from this house to that house, but we're going to live forever. With that thought, immediately this verse of scripture came to my mind. It's Matthew 22, verse 32, it says, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Our Lord Jesus Christ is saying two things in that.

Number one, he's saying those three men are alive and well. Those three men are alive and well. That is mind-blowing to me. They are not dead. They're not dead. He said, God is not the God of dead people. That makes good sense to me. God is not the God of dead people. God is the God of alive, living people. Those three men are alive and well right now. They are alive and well right now. And the second thing he's saying is, I am the God who is the God of the living. It's me.

Verse 31 says, but as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying? Have you not read? It's written. That was written by Moses. Moses is the one who wrote this. And in another place, our Lord said, Moses wrote of me. Moses was talking about me. Have you not read, it's written, verse 32, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. That makes my heart laugh. God is the God of the living and he said, I am that God. Now, I just want us to focus on that for a minute and be encouraged by that. I've titled this message, Eternal Life. I hope the thought of eternal life is an encouragement to you, because that's what this message is on, eternal life. I'm the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Turn with me over to John chapter eight. We're going to turn a little bit in this message. John 8 verse 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, if a man is caused to believe my words, if a man is caused to cling to, to hold to the promise of my words, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Never. Look at John 11. John 11, verse 21.

Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know that even now whatsoever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life.

He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Never die. Look at John 14. John 14 verse 19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but you see me. Because I live, you shall live also. Because I live, you shall live. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Verse 22, 1 Corinthians 15 verse 22, it says, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Every soul in Adam is dead. And every soul in Christ is alive. Now, how can this be? Why is this? Why is this? How can this eternal life live forever, never die? How can this be? Here's the answer. Turn to Galatians 2. Verse 20. Galatians 2 verse 20.

I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. That's how this can be. That's why this is. When Christ died for his people, he put an end to the death of his people. When he died for his people, He put an end to the death of His people.

It was appointed unto His people once to die because of their sin. And His people died that one time. It's appointed unto man once to die because of sin. And His people died that one time in Him on the cross of Calvary. By the death of Christ, our sin debt is paid. He paid the sin debt, which was death. The wages of sin is death. And He paid that sin debt for every one of His elect souls. And with that debt of death being paid by Him for us in our place, Death is no more. Death is no more for us, for every soul that he died for. He died for them. He died for them. You had to die. I had to die. He died for us. I like to consider that good news. He died for us.

That's what 2 Timothy 1 says. Turn over to 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2nd Timothy 1 verse 8 it says be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God who hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death."

That's what he did. By the sacrifice of himself on the cross of Calvary for the sins of his people, he abolished death. That's what he did. In Revelation 1 verse 18, he said, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. in the victorious death of the Lord Jesus Christ, he secured eternal life for his people.

And our Lord confirmed that in our text by saying this. He confirmed it by saying this. Go back to Matthew 22. Our Lord said this, what we're looking at, he said this because some Sadducees came to him and asked him a ridiculous question. And a lot of religion is full of ridiculous questions. But they brought one.

They said, a woman was married multiple times and in heaven whose wife will she be? And in verse 29, Jesus answered and said unto them, you do err not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry, they don't marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. They're as the angels of God in heaven. He said, my people are going to live for all of eternity as the angels live in heaven. How do the angels live in heaven? How do they live in glory?

Well, in glory, and there's a lot of things said about them and given to them on earth, but in glory, don't turn, but Psalm 103, verse 20 says, they spend their time blessing the Lord. Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength. Bless the Lord, bless the Lord, let everything bless the Lord. Psalm 148, verse two says, they praise the Lord. Praise ye Him, all His angels.

Matthew 18, verse 10 says, they spend their time. It says they are always, always beholding the face. of the Lord God beholding the face of the Father. Where's the face of God our Father? It's in Christ. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. The angels get to spend eternity beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

They just they bless him. They praise him. They just behold him. That's how they spend eternity. Somebody would hear that and say, well, that sounds like a boring eternity. God's people don't say that. Just beholding his face, just looking to his face. I've told you this before, but this was one of the most impressive, just awe-inspiring things that I've ever seen. This is alongside one of the most awe-inspiring things I've ever seen. Quite a few years ago now at John Adams Elementary School, my girls were in elementary school. And they had a field day. And the parents could come, so Hannah and I went.

And one of the activities was they were going to do a police canine demonstration. And two police officers were there with their German Shepherd canine, whatever kind of dog he was. And before it started, that dog was just having a ball, running out there in the yard of the school. And he would throw a ball, and the dog would fetch, and wagging its tail. And the kids were interacting with the dog. And it was just all fun. And then the police officer told the kids, OK, you all go sit down over there. And he gave the command.

And that dog stopped in his tracks and looked at his face. And I had it in my mind, I was thinking about this, you know, he drew his pistol, and I thought that dog was gonna be out in front of that officer, just kind of checking things out to see, is anybody about to harm my master? I'm gonna find any danger, and I'm gonna take care of it. That's not what happened at all. That dog never stopped looking at his face. Pistols pointed out this way, all the troubles out there, and the whole time that dog is just looking at his face. And that man, if he'd stepped to the side, the dog was right with him. Forward, the dog was right with him. Back, the dog was right with him. He never took his eyes off of that man's face. Never. Until the other police officer who was wearing the victim suit. Until the command went forth.

Go get him. Almighty love, arrest that man. That's what happens in grace. We're in the big dummy suit. It's irresistible. Man fell to the ground. And then whenever the officer said, come back, he came right back and just beholding his face, beholding his face.

What a blessed privilege. That's what the angels get to do. We get to sit and stare at his face to wait on his command. We get to bless him, we get to praise him, we get to behold his face. Luke 15 verse 10 says that the angels rejoice in him. There's joy in heaven amongst the angels every time he says to one of his sinners, repent. They're watching him and they see the words, repent. Joy breaks out in him.

Hebrews 1 verse 6 says they worship him. Revelation 7 verse 11 says, they fall before him on their faces, bowing, worshiping, crying, amen, blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might be unto our God forever and ever, amen.

He said that's what the angels do. And that's what my people are going to do. And he said, they're going to get to do that forever. We're going to get to do this forever. Because they're going to be as the angels forever. Now, let me show you the reality of something, and I hope this will be an encouragement and a blessing to you. I hope it will be.

Go with me to Genesis three. Genesis 3 verse 22. You know, Adam and Eve sinned right here. In Genesis 3 verse 22, the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil. And now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.

Now, I don't specifically know what a cherubim is, but the name means an angelic being. A form of an angel. This is the first time angels were mentioned in the scripture. And this was 6,000 years ago. All right. 6,000 years ago. Now turn with me to Genesis 18.

Genesis 18, the heading at the top of my page says, Abraham entertaineth three angels. Verse one, and the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day, and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground.

This was our Lord along with Two angels, all right? Our Lord and two angels. Our Lord came to tell Abraham and Sarah that they were going to have a son. And the Lord stayed with Abraham and the two angels went on. Look at chapter 19, verse 1. And there came two angels to Sodom. They left and went on and went to Sodom. Now this was 4,000 years ago. What we read in Genesis 3 was 6,000 years ago. And this right here was 4,000 years ago. And our Lord said in our text that angels don't marry. They don't marry. They don't get married. They don't have offspring. They don't have generations of newly born angels like people do.

They were created one time. And they kept on living. We know that there were a group of fallen angels, but there's no record of one angel dying. The scripture speaks of a condemnation of second death, you know, for the adversary and his angels. But to this point, there's no record of any angel dying. There's elect angels and fallen angels. But they were created and they just kept on living. So this right here was 4,000 years ago. 6,000 years? 4,000 years?

See if you can find Daniel chapter 9. It's after Ezekiel. Page 1120 in my Bible. Daniel chapter 9. Daniel here is praying to the Lord, begging God to have mercy on Israel and forgive Israel. And Daniel 9 verse 20, it says, Daniel said, and whilst I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yea, whilst I was speaking in prayer, even the man, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation, and he informed me and talked with me and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. Being caused to fly swiftly, a man fly?

That's an angel. He said, my name is Gabriel. That right there was 2,500 years ago. At this point, Gabriel was at least 3,500 years old. Turn to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1 verse 18, And Zechariah said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee these glad tidings.

That right there was 2,000 years ago. He's at least 4,000 years old at this point. But I say that in human terms because in glory there's no time. It's just eternal life. This is the point I'm trying to show in reality. It's just eternal life with Christ. Eternal existence. And the way that is for God's angels, That's the way it is for God's people. Eternal life with Christ. Eternal life. And one more, okay? We'll close with this one. Go to 1 Thessalonians 4. 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 13.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Every soul that has already moved from this house to that house, God is going to bring them with him when he comes back to gather all of his people to himself. Verse 15, for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. The archangel is coming. Matthew 25 verse 31 says all the holy angels are coming when he comes back with all his holy angels. And Hebrews 12 says it's an unnumberable amount of angels. An unnumberable amount of angels are coming back with Christ to get his unnumberable amount of people. Innumerable angels, innumerable people. You talk about a host.

Verse 16, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. So shall we ever. forever, eternally, be, live with the Lord, our God, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. I used to, I've told you this so many times too, but I'll tell you again, I used to, I used to be disappointed thinking, and our Lord could come back before I finished this sentence, but I used to think he's probably not coming back in my lifetime. And I didn't wanna miss this, you know, seeing him, you know, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound, the Lord, I didn't wanna miss it. And then I finally realized that those sleeping are coming back first.

We're all gonna stand here together. And then it's gonna happen. So either way, all of God's people are gonna see it. We're not gonna miss it. We're gonna be carried up to be with him. in His innumerable company of angels and cherubims and seraphims and whatever they may be. And as we just sang, our eye will behold none of those things. We'll be taken up with Christ. We'll forever be with the Lord.

It's not about heaven, it's about Him. Verse 18 says, wherefore, comfort one another with these words. I pray that is a comfort. Eternal life, that's such a comfort to me. Eternal life, by Him, in Him, through Him, with Him, forever. I like being redundant sometimes. Eternal, forever. Amen.