Eternal Life: Do You Want It? – Dr. Charles Stanley

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in touch the Teaching Ministry of Dr

Charles Stanley reaching the world with

the Gospel of Jesus Christ next on in

touch eternal life do you want

it there is an Ever growing and very

strong interest these days in longevity

that is the duration of our life in fact

if you’ll think about all the emphasis

we hear today on good health and you

look around on the television you see

all these ads about things you can do to

strengthen your life and maybe lengthen

your life the same thing as through the

radio all the presses come book after

book after book about

Health magazine articles are filled with

ideas about health that can prolong your

life supposedly or at least make your

life a higher quality and of course the

environmentalist always telling us

things that are dangerous for us and

they’re probably in fact I’m sure there

are more people buying nutritional

supplements today than ever before in

the history of our nation we have this

awesome sense of interest in living long

which is natural and Living Well of a

high quality of life and so we are more

concerned about the quality of our food

we’re more concerned about our exercise

and more concerned now we’ve added

meditation to it we could have told them

that a long time ago you spend time with

the Lord and being quiet with him of

course a lot of this meditation today

has nothing to do with God but it’s

meditation and somewhere along the way

way someone’s come up with the idea that

this will help lengthen your life or at

least make it a better quality but one

of the things that I’ve noticed about

all of

this all of this emphasis on living and

there’s nothing wrong with that all this

emphasis on living is in the here and

now it’s all sort of Earthbound it’s uh

how can I live better now live longer

now better quality of life now which is

certainly natural and normal but you

know you don’t hear much about about

what about the next life because you see

you’re going to die that is absolutely

inevitable the Bible says it is

appointed the man once to die and after

this the Judgment but there doesn’t seem

to be a whole lot of interest a lot of

people’s minds about that most of their

interest and their time and their

reading and their studying and their

discipline is taken up with the here and

now living good now living long now

living as best as you can but you know

when I read the scriptures

the emphasis is certainly on living a

Godly life now but there’s warning after

warning reminder after reminder that

there’s a life beyond this there is a

life beyond death and the issue is are

we ready for that one or do we have any

real interest in eternal life and so I

would just simply ask you this question

are you interested in eternal life do

you know what it is do you know how to

possess

it do

you realize that once you have it you

can absolutely be sure of it well that’s

what I want to talk about in this

message simply this eternal life do you

want it and I want you to turn if you

will to 1 John chapter

5 John makes it very very clear as to

how you and I can have eternal life if

you’ll notice in verse

11 and the witness is this that God has

given us eternal life and the first

thing I simply want to say is this that

is eternal life is a gift of God eternal

life is a gift of God for example he

says it here and then that passage that

all of us know so well in Romans chapter

6 23 when he says the wages of sin is

death but the gift of God is eternal

life through Jesus Christ Our Lord and

it’s very clear all through the

scriptures that eternal life is a gift

of God it isn’t something we work for

something we pay for something we

worship for it is a gift of God from God

well when I think about the fact that

it’s a gift certainly ought to stir up

somebody’s interest this isn’t listen no

why in the Bible does it

say if you work so many years you will

earn the gift of eternal

life if you pay so much you will be able

to purchase eternal life now listen

carefully not being critical I’m just

saying this is the way it is there’s so

much go there’s so much supposedly truth

that goes on out there that has a subtle

mixture and here’s the mixture you’ll

hear the message is saved by grace not

by works but then if you keep listening

often times the next thing you hear is

the fact though it’s not said but it’s

implied but in order to stay saved

here’s what you got to do you must do

the following things you must give so

much and you must serve God you must do

all these things listen serving God and

giving and praying and worshiping are

all part of the Christian life and it’s

what all of us who have S it’s what we

want to do we love God we want to do

that but how does that listen how does a

person come to eternal life the Bible

says it’s a gift now watch this it

cannot be it cannot be the result of

what I did and a gift at the same time

it’s either going to be a gift or it’s

going to be Wages that’s why the Bible

says the wages of sin is death but the

gift of God is eternal life listen

nowhere does the bible say that you get

it by works not by works of

righteousness which uh which we’ve done

but according to his Mercy his Mercy he

saved us he’s forgiven us and so person

says well sure you mean to tell me that

as wicked as I’ve been that if I ask God

that he’ll give me the gift of eternal

life well let me ask you this what are

you going to do for it you can’t answer

that question how long are you going to

do it how much could you pay how much

could you serve I think there are people

who get into the ministry because they

have such guilt over what has happened

in their past life that somehow they’ve

got to pay God back my friend you can’t

pay God back let me tell you how

absolute that is God has made the

statement so absolute that you can’t pay

him back that’s the reason he sent his

only begotten son who is God in human

flesh walking among men the only perfect

man he sent him as a substitute for you

and me because you and I absolutely

could not pay for our own sin except we

die and be eternally separated from God

he said the soul that sin it it shall

die it just Crystal Clear there’s

nothing foggy and hazy and cloudy about

the scripture it’s just Crystal Clear

Point than a man wants to die after this

the Judgment except a man be born again

he cannot see the kingdom of God believe

on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt

be saved absent from the body present

with the Lord Crystal Clear very very

clear it is man who does not want to

believe the truth that tries to fog it

up and make it foggy and make it hazy

very clear eternal life is a gift that

dur listen that endless duration of life

in the presence of and fellowship with

him and intimacy with almighty God in a

place listen finally in a place called

Heaven because eternal life is the gift

of God when do you get it you get it now

when does it start it begins right now

eternal life isn’t something I’m going

to get at you under after I die eternal

life begins the moment that this

experience I’m about to share the moment

this experience takes place you have it

right then and how long does it last

forever and ever and ever and listen no

one can tamper with your gift of eternal

life otherwise it wouldn’t necessarily

be

Eternal Eternal means it’s never ending

now the big question

is

how how can I possess eternal life

well the two very simple again two

absolutes Bible’s not hazy about this

two absolutes number one in order to

possess eternal life I must agree with

God about who his son

is listen I must agree with God’s

witness about who his son Jesus is now

listen to these passages if you

will verse 10 the one who believes in

the Son of God has the witness in

himself I’m coming back to that now the

one who does not believe God has made

him a liar because he has not believed

in the witness that God has born

concerning his son that is what did God

say about his son and the witness is

this that God has given us eternal life

and this life is in his son he who has

the son has the life he who does not

have the Son of God does not have life

so what is the testimony what is the

witness of almighty God about his son he

says his son listen his son Jesus Christ

is the Son of God Jesus said if you’ve

seen me you’ve seen the father I’m the

father one Jesus is deity even as God

the father is deity and so people who

say to you well now wait a minute you

know I believe in God you mean to tell

me that if I believe in God and I don’t

believe in Jesus that I don’t have

eternal life well you listen to what he

said he who has the son has life he who

does does not have the Son of God does

not have

life that doesn’t leave any question

there can be no doubt about that

whatsoever what what he’s saying here is

this in order for me to have the gift of

eternal life I must agree with God about

who he says his son is and he says his

son Jesus Christ is his son his eternal

son the Son of God Jesus confessed to

being the Son of God Peter said Thou Art

the Christ the son of the Living God

and all through the gospels he was

identified as the Son of God if you’ve

seen me he says you’ve seen the father

I’m the father one if you’ve seen him

you’ve seen the father he and the father

were one he is

deity and when a person says well I I I

do believe in God but I don’t believe in

Jesus then my friend no matter what else

you believe in life if you do not

believe that Jesus Christ is divine that

he is deity if you do not believe that

he is the Eternal Son of God then let me

ask you a

question why did he die

because if he were just the man he had

to be a sinner now listen to this you

can’t have it the way the world wants it

you just can’t have it this way let me

show you why you can’t have it that

Jesus was a good man wonderful man good

teacher great philosopher healer uh a

great a great person in history but he

was not the Son of God and he certainly

was not God now if you you can’t have it

that way you say yes I can no you can’t

because Jesus Christ could not be a good

man he could not be just a philosoph he

couldn’t be all of that if he’s not the

Son of God and if he is not God walking

in human flesh if he is not seated the

father’s right hand making intercession

for us then he was a liar he was an

impostor he was a counterfeit he was a

fraud you can’t have a good Jesus unless

he’s God the resurrection go listen the

father’s way of of putting value and

absolute certainty but before the whole

world this is not just another religious

leader not just the philosopher not just

the teacher not just the preacher not

just the Theologian this is the Living

God coming out listen coming out of that

tomb because death could not hold God

the son validating everything he said

and giving you and me the assurance that

we need that when we when the Bible says

absent from the body present with the

Lord suppose he was still in the grave

suppose he’s like all other religious

leaders we’d have no assurance

whatsoever we have absolute Assurance

Rose from the grave validated gave us

Blessed assurance that he’s everything

he says is well first of all you got to

believe who he is he’s the son of God

the Eternal Son of God who came in the

world to die on the cross know that your

sins and mine may be forgiven but

there’s a second thing the second thing

is you must be willing to accept him as

your personal savior you must be willing

to accept him as your personal savior

now when I think about um the whole idea

of accepting him as your personal Savior

and what people think about that

so I I I believe in Jesus well I want

you to think about

something eternal life is

irretrievably

irrevocably

immutably linked to the person of Jesus

you can’t have one without having the

other listen to this he who has the son

has the light not just life but the the

life that’s eternal life he who does not

have the Son of God does not have the

life now you say well here’s what I

believe that has nothing to do with it

God says that in order for you to have

eternal life you must have the

son it’s not a matter whether I like it

not whether I I could question all kind

of things he who has the son has the

life he who does not have the Son of God

does not have the life period that’s

it so the reason I make this emphasis is

because people say well now let me tell

you something I believe in God I live a

good life and I believe that when I die

I’m going to heaven because I’ve lived a

good life notice what they say I believe

I believe I believe I believe if you ask

me here’s what I’m going to tell you

here’s what God says you say is that

just your interpretation well you’re

welcome to read it here’s what it says

he who has the son has life he who does

not have the Son of God does not have

life period it’s not what I said it’s

what God

Said So what does it what are we talking

about when we talk about this whole idea

of believing he

says to as many as believed in him to

them gave he the right the authority the

power to become the sons of

God as many as believed in him receive

him as many as received him by faith now

what does it mean to receive Jesus it

mean watch this carefully it means that

I accept the testimony of God the Father

God the son I accept the testimony of

scripture about who he is

that he is man’s only hope that he’s

man’s savior that that’s the way

forgiveness comes if I receive Jesus

Christ as my personal savior that means

I accept personally that his that who he

is is Christ’s son God the father Jesus

his his the father son Jesus Christ I

accept who he is I accept what he did in

my behalf that he died for my sins I

accept that and apply that to my own

life by faith I accept who he is and I

accept what he did and I accept the fact

that God said if I do so if I believe

him I’ll be saved so let me Define what

believe means to believe in Jesus means

that I have a confident

conviction it means that I have a

confident

conviction that Jesus is who he says he

is listen I have a confident conviction

that Jesus is who he says he

is and upon placing my trust in

him

as my

savior I enter

into a personal and eternal relationship

with

him it is a confident conviction that

Jesus is who he says he is and upon

placing my trust in him I believe you

who you say you

are placing my trust in

him which would include that I believe

what he did at Calvary my behalf I enter

into by faith I enter into a personal

Eternal relationship with him therefore

when a person says well I believe about

Jesus that’s not believing in Jesus one

of these days you’re going to come to

the end of

life what you’ve believed all these

years isn’t going to make any difference

whatsoever if you have rejected Jesus

all these

years you see I understand this may be a

little difficult for you because maybe

somewhere you’ve come from in Life or

whatever your religion may be I have

nothing personal in

mind I’m interested in one thing that

you simply know the truth that when it

comes the time when you close your eyes

on this

life and you open them on the next one I

just want you to be

sure that it will not be a fearful

time a tragic

time a tormenting

moment a

moment when you become

hysterically

uncontrollable because you know when you

take your last breath you’re going into

an

endless uncertain

unknown

eternity that you know nothing

about there’s only one way to to avoid

that this is the way it

is to accept what God the father said

about his son there’s only one

Jesus he’s God the father’s only

begotten son who came into this world

and his sinless Perfection for the

purpose of dying for your sins so that

the moment you ask him to forgive you of

your

sin on the basis of who he is the great

forgiver the basis of what he did he

paid you sin debt and full placing your

trust in him you become a child of God

your Eternal future is secure forever he

comes to live on the inside of you to

enable you to live a very Godly life

that’s what this is all about the gift

of eternal life is yours for the asking

and yours for the believing do you want

it if you’re wise you’ll take it I’m

simply going to pray a short prayer but

it’ll be sufficient if you want to pray

this prayer and mean it with all of your

heart no matter who you are mean it with

all of your heart if you’re uncertain

you can make certain just like that if

you know in your heart you’ve never

received the gift of eternal life you

can have it in these next few moments if

you will accept the fact the truth that

God’s son is who we’ve said he is he is

indeed the Son of God Jesus the

Christ if you willing to believe that

the testimony of scripture about him in

these next few moments listen your

whole future Destiny can be

changed the moment you say yes I do

believe that Jesus Christ is a Son of

God and died on the cross for my sin and

I accept him as my personal savior let’s

pray

father I pray the Holy

Spirit has penetrated every single

single

heart that has heard this

message for those who are full of doubts

we want to ask you to settle those

doubts right now for those who know in

their heart there’s never been a time

when they made this momentous decision

that affects their whole

Destiny grant them the courage and the

simple Faith to pray this prayer to you

believing with all their heart because

there’s no reason to doubt it that

you’ve

heard and that you’ve answered even

while they’re

praying if you will pray this prayer

heavenly

father I know I’ve sinned against

you I’m asking you to forgive me of my

sin I do believe that Jesus Christ is

your

son I believe that when he went to the

cross at

Calvary he paid my sin debt in

full by

faith I receive Jesus as my personal

savior here and now I accept your

forgiveness and the gift of eternal

life through Jesus Christ

Christ the lord and now my Lord in his

name I

pray

amen if you prayed that prayer you can

ever be the

same and my friends you don’t have to

worry about

death because when it hits you things

are going to get better instantly

because you have the gift of eternal

life