If you will, let us turn in our
Bibles today to 1 John chapter 2. We do welcome those of you who are
visiting with us today. Pray the Lord will bless you
and us together as we worship Him. 1 John chapter 2 and beginning
with verse 18. Little children, it is the last
time. And as you have heard that antichrists
shall come, even now are there many antichrists, whereby we
know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they
were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out, that
they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us.
But you have an unction from the Holy One, and you know all
things. I have not written unto you,
because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and
that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar, but he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth
the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the
same hath not the Father. But he that acknowledgeth the
Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you
which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you
have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also
shall continue in the Son and in the Father. And this is the
promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. I want to speak to us from this
last verse that I just read, verse 25. The Apostle John declares
unto us that God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He
has promised eternal life. Some people say this is the promise
of all promises, eternal life. He promised. Notice it is in
the past tense. This is the promise that he hath
promised eternal life. The Apostle Paul tells us when
God promised and that was before the foundation of the world. We read that in Titus chapter
1 and verse 2, in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie
promised before the world began. I'm thankful today that God is
a God of promise as well as a God of command. He is God who commands
and he is God who has commanded us, thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all
thy mind and thy neighbor as thyself. The Lord Jesus said
that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. And I do not believe that there's
anyone here this morning who is so deceived that you believe
that you could keep that command. To love God. Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and
with all thy mind. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. Surely no one here is so deceived
as to believe that you could obey that command. Because obedience
to this command means perfect obedience, perfectly to love
God in thought, in word, and in deed, and to love our neighbor
as ourself. Some people, and I'm sure you've
met some, they foolishly believe that if God commands something,
then that means man surely has the ability to obey the command. But people who think like that,
who reason like that, they overlook the fact that when God gave the
command to man, man could obey. Because man originally was created
in the image of God. That moral image of God. He was
perfect. He came from the hands of his
Creator. Perfect. Perfect. He could, in that state, obey
God with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind, and love
his neighbor as himself. But once he disobeyed, And we
don't know how long it was before Adam did disobey God. But we do know this, that once
he disobeyed, he lost the ability. And we all come into this world
born, not in the image in which Adam was created, in the image
of God, but we come into this world born after the image of
fallen Adam. Now when man, here's the thing,
when man lost his ability to keep God's command, that doesn't
mean that God lost his right of command. And the command has
never changed. It never shall change. Every
one of us here this morning, we are commanded To love God
with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and love our
neighbor as ourself. And yet, we freely, at least
I do, and I'm sure most of you here do, we freely confess, Lord,
I can't keep that command. I've never kept that command.
From my earliest recognition, Lord, I confess I have failed. I have disobeyed God just like
my father Adam disobeyed you. But I'm thankful, as I said.
I'm thankful that God is not only the God of command, but
He is the God of promise. He's the God of promise. Think
about these questions. What has He promised? Eternal
life. When did he make the promise?
Before the world began. Why should we believe the promise? Because he is faithful that promised. And in whom is the promise given? In Christ. In Christ. You know, a promise is only as
good as the one who makes it. I'm sure I've promised some people
some things and maybe I had good intentions, but the promise didn't
turn out to be good. And I doubt that there's anyone
here this morning who could not and would not confess the same
thing. We've made some promises that
we were not able to keep. A promise is only as good as
the promiser. God, he is the one, this is what
our text declares unto us. This is a promise that he, God,
this is a promise that he hath made. He hath promised us eternal life. Now, as we go through this this
morning, I want us to consider some truths about God, the one
who made this promise. You see it on the pages of your
Bible. He promised eternal life. Now,
I want us to look at some things about God and this promise that
should encourage those of us who have already believed the
promise, already believed God, and maybe those who are here
this morning who as yet have never believed God, have never
trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. First of all,
God's nature in reference to the promise. His nature. Now who are we talking about
here? When we speak about the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The scripture says this, if we
believe not, yet He is faithful. If we believe not, yet He abideth
faithful. Now listen, He cannot deny Himself. There's only four things in the
Word of God you ever read that God cannot do. And I believe
they're all drawn together in this one statement,
He cannot deny Himself. God cannot deny Himself. That's the nature of God. We
know and we believe God's nature is that He's all-powerful. He
spoke the worlds into existence. If He were a weak God, He would
be unworthy to be called God. The prophet Jeremiah said this,
Ah, Lord God, behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth
by Thy power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too
hard for Thee. There'd be no God at all if He
were not all-powerful. We know that's true of Him. We're
looking at the nature of the One who promised eternal life. He cannot deny Himself. And the
same that we said about His power is also true of His faithfulness
and His truthfulness. They actually are one. I know
many times we read about the fact that He is truth, that He's
truthful, He's faithful. They go together. His faithfulness
is His truthfulness. His truthfulness is His faithfulness. An unfaithful, untruthful God
is an idol. That's not God. Who would ever
believe? Who would ever worship one who's
not faithful? Who's one who's not true? And
that's one of those things the scripture says God cannot lie. He cannot lie. Because he is
truthful. Because he is faithful. You'll
never catch God in a lie. I read one time of a comedian,
when he was on his deathbed, someone went in to see him, and
he had a Bible in his hands, and this man was never known
for being religious, and someone asked him, what are you doing?
He said, I'm looking for a loophole. I'm looking for a loophole here.
Well, you're not going to find it in the Word of God. There
are no loopholes. God is truthful. God is faithful. In 1 Thessalonians, the Apostle
Paul said, Faithful is he that calleth you who will also do
it. Has he called you? Well, I know
he's called you by my voice. I know he's called you by the
gospel being preached in all the world. But has he called
you personally? How will he do that? through preaching, just like
I'm doing here today. You're not going to hear a voice
from heaven. You're not going to see a sign in the heavens.
Oh, no. But when God calls His people,
they know His voice. Scripture said, My sheep know
My voice, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal
life. Faithful is He that calleth you,
who will also do it. And then in Hebrews chapter 10,
the scripture says, He is faithful that promised. This is His promise. He that promised eternal life. He that promised is faithful.
And think about this attribute of God. I love this attribute.
I love them all. But I especially like to think
about His immutability. God cannot change. What he is today, he was yesterday,
and he shall be forever. He cannot change. James tells
us that with him, now listen to this, with God is no variableness,
no shadow of turning. Not with God. He is immutable. That's an attribute that only
God has. It cannot be communicated to
man. And one thing that is always
true of man is change. I was speaking to someone just
a few minutes ago about their vacation that they're not going
to have this year. And this lady told me, we've
done this since 1982. We can't do it this year. And
I said to her, well, that's life, isn't it? Change. That's all
this world is, is change. Change and decay in all around
I see. O thou that changest not, abide
with me. It has rightly been said that
change is only possible two ways. You may either change from bad
to good or get good to bad. You see why God cannot change?
Because He's perfect. He's perfect. Always has been,
always shall be. This is the one who made this
promise. This is the promise that He hath
made. God who's all-powerful, nothing
can happen that will hinder Him in giving what He promised. He's faithful, nothing will hinder
Him, and He cannot change. Now here's the second thing for
us to consider. Consider the place of grace. Grace in reference to this promise. God promised eternal life. God
who cannot lie, cannot change, who is all-powerful, who is faithful. He promised eternal life. The
place of grace in reference to this promise. The promise of
eternal life sprung up out of God's grace. Let that sink in. God promised
eternal life. That's what the scripture says,
isn't it? Well, where did this promise come from? Where did
it generate? This promise of eternal life
sprung up out of God's grace. Out of God's grace. That's the
reason that we refer to God's grace so often. Surely, no fallen
son of Adam would imagine that God's promise of eternal life
is based upon some merit. some dessert that he sees in
his creatures. Oh no! This promise of eternal
life sprung up out of God's grace, purely His grace, His sovereign
grace, His free grace. There's a verse in Romans chapter
4, verse 16. If you want to turn, okay. If
not, just listen as I read it. Romans 4, verse 16. The Apostle
Paul says, Therefore it, and by it he has reference to justification,
being declared righteous before God, by God, therefore it is
a faith that Now listen, justification is a faith that in order that
it might be sure that it might be by grace to
the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed. The only way that the promise
might be sure to all the seed is that it be by grace. If this promise of eternal life
was based or made on the ground of any condition that man had
to meet, then it would not and it could not be sure. Let me read that scripture again. Therefore it, justification,
is of faith that it might be by grace to the end that the
promise might be sure to all the seed. Not only did the promise
of eternal life spring up out of God's grace, but listen, it's
all for the glory of God's grace. Man is not going to get glory
for his salvation. You can be sure of that. Everyone
who shall Enjoy eternal life. We'll be singing the same song.
We'll be praising the same Lord. It's not of merit. It's not of
works. It is of grace. For by grace
are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It
is a gift of God, lest any man should boast. You know men love
to boast, don't we? We love to take credit for things,
and we get upset when we do something and someone else takes credit
for it. But not this. All of God's children, we freely
acknowledge that all the credit, all the glory, all the praise
belongs unto Christ our Lord, to the grace of God. Can you
imagine, and I hope sometimes you just take the time to turn
off the lights, and sit in the dark, close your eyes, and think. Meditate for just a few minutes. But can you imagine what it will
be like when all of God's elect are gathered together and the
promise of eternal life is fulfilled and making them to be conformed
to the image of His Son. And that's what the scripture
says. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he, that is Christ,
might be the firstborn of many brethren. Can you imagine what
it will be like when all of those whom God chose and Christ redeemed
and the Holy Spirit called, when we are all gathered around the
throne, what it will be. One old preacher said this, let
me quote this. He said, then the question will
be this. Why? Why has God done this? Why? Why has God done all this? Why has he rescued and scraped,
as it were, a company of vile sinners out of the bottom of
hell, to fill them with so much glory, and that to all eternity. All to the glory of His grace,
wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. All to the glory
of His grace. God promised eternal life and
this promise sprung up out of God's grace. Now, third, the
place of Christ in reference to this promise. If you still
have your Bible open to 1 John, turn over just a few pages to
chapter 5. The place of Christ in reference
to the promise. In chapter 5, And verse 10 and 11 we read,
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. He that believeth not God hath
made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave
of his Son. And this is the record. Now this is God's record. And
this is the record. God hath given to us eternal
life. and this life is in the Son. He that hath the Son hath life
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. The place that Christ has in
this promise. God promised eternal life before
the world began and he promised this life in Christ. You know
in Isaiah chapter 42 and verse 6 we read, I the Lord have called
thee in righteousness and will hold thy hand. Now this is God
speaking to Christ. And will hold thy hand and will
keep thee. Now listen, and will give thee
for a covenant of the people for a light to the Gentiles.
Someone might ask, well why is Christ there called the covenant? will give thee for a covenant.
Why is Christ, God's servant, here called the covenant? Because
it all concerns Christ. That's the reason. That's the
reason Christ Himself is called the covenant. Because it all
concerns Him. The same is true, my friend,
about this promise of eternal life. It all concerns Christ. Zachariah, the father of John
the Baptist, when John was born, he said this about the one that
he would announce, that God would perform the mercy promised to
our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. The promise of
eternal life is in Christ. He that hath the Son hath life. Eternal life! He that hath not
the Son hath not life. And he that has not the Son has
not the Father. For they are one. I want you
to turn to this place. This will be the last place I
have us turn, I believe. But let's look in 2 Corinthians chapter 1. 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 18, but as God is true,
our word toward you was not yea and nay. You see, a man who preaches
the gospel, who preaches Christ, he doesn't say on one hand it
may be like this and on the other hand it may be like this. In
other words, there may be different ways for a person to know God. There may be different ways for
a person to approach unto God. That's what the religions of
this world say, isn't it? They have God as though he were
on top of a mountain on all of these various roads around the
mountain, but they all lead to God. Liar! Liar! That's not true. There's only
one way to God. And Christ is that way. Paul
says, As God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay. Yes and no. Yes and no. No, no,
no. That's not the way we preached. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was preached among you by us, even by me, and Silas and
Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in Him was yea. In Christ
was yes. Yes. Now notice, for all, A-L-L,
for all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him amen,
unto the glory of God by us. All the promises, there's many
different promises, but we're looking at only one, the promise
of eternal life. But they are all, the apostle
says, all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen
unto the glory of God. Eternal life is one of the promises
that is yea and amen in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ was lifted
up on a tree. And he said this, he said this,
He was lifted up on a tree like the serpent was lifted up on
that pole in the days of Moses. That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have eternal life. The promise of eternal life was
made to him and those chosen in him for he only existed when
this promise was made before the world began. He's the surety
of the covenant, who by the shedding of His blood, bought all the
blessings that were promised in that covenant. And one of
those promises is eternal life. When Christ shed his blood on
the cross, he sealed the covenant. He said, this is my blood of
the new covenant, or the New Testament, which is shed for
many for the remission of sins. He sealed the covenant, and the
promises come to those who are named in this covenant. Let me close this morning by
asking, what is eternal life? Have you ever thought about that?
What is eternal life? Well, we would say there's two
parts. There's two parts. One part deals with the quantity. And that's what we most often
think of, the quantity. And that's the reason many times
in the scripture, rather than eternal life, it is translated
everlasting life. That's part of eternal life. It shall never end. But there's
another part. Quality. Quality. What is eternal life? The Lord
Jesus Christ said this is eternal life. Speaking to His Father,
that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom He has sent. Eternal life is knowing God. It's being in the presence of
God. It's being with God. It's being
like God. It's enjoying God. And not for
a day, or for an hour, or for a week, but forever and ever. There's no way really that we
can describe eternal life. We think of eternal life as we
believe that when we die, those of us who trust in Christ, every person here this morning
who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, that when we die, could
be today, could be ten years from now, but whenever, when
we die, We will go immediately into the presence of God. We
will close our eyes here in death and open them looking upon the
person of Jesus Christ our Lord. We believe that. I believe that.
And I believe that this body that's left here will turn back
to dust. The worms will feast upon it.
And as Job said, the worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh I shall
see God. We believe that there's coming
a day when the trump shall sound and the archangel shall shout
and all that are in the graves are going to come forth. This
body that's turned back to dust, it's going to be raised a glorified
body like unto His glorious body. And we believe that our soul
that has been with the Lord shall be reunited with our glorified
bodies. And that we shall be with Christ. We shall be with him. And the
psalmist said, in thy presence are pleasures forevermore. And we will serve him. We will
serve Him. That's what the scripture says
in the book of Revelation. Oh, aren't you thankful today
that God has promised eternal life? And He's made that promise
to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. Our Lord said, I know
my sheep and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life. Please rid yourself of any thought
of deserving, of meriting eternal life. And believe that for Christ's
sake you may have eternal life. Whosoever hath the Son hath life. I pray that the Lord would bless
this word to all of us here today. Want to close with a hymn number
329.