How you can rest assured that you have eternal life
By Trent McEntyre - Originally deliverd at Campus Crusade for Christ's Miami Summer Project
May 29, 2009
There I was sitting at a high stakes poker table with Mike the math freak, Bob the bookie, and Richie the billionaire. It was my call. The problem was I not really certain how to play poker. I looked again at my hand. (photo)
I had to decide whether to see ‘em, raise ‘em, or fold ‘em. I wasn’t sure. I decided hold off.
I wasn’t sure.
Bill Bright, the man who started Campus Crusade for Christ in Hollywood, CA back in 1951 discovered as he counseled students and adults in the community that thousands of people who were actively a part of the Christian community and had at some point in their life “received Christ” were still not sure of their relationship with God. They were not assured that they had eternal life.
He saw the vital importance of assurance of eternal life. We need to be sure of our relationship with God or else we will hedge our bets. We won’t likely risk comfort, security, or approval for God’s sake or for others. We will hold back. We won’t live all in.
It might be that you yourself have some uncertainty of your relationship with God even though you may have grown up in a Christian environment and have “believed” in Him and in his Son for years? If you were to die this very moment, do you know for sure where you would spend eternity? Do you have the assurance right now that the Lord Jesus is in your life and that you are a child of God? Or perhaps you have only recently received Christ and are still not sure that anything has really happened—you don’t have a strong assurance of your salvation and have doubts about your standing with God. If you are seeking, still looking for God, this issue could be one of the most important one you will ever consider.
I want to look into scriptures and see how we can rest assured that we have eternal life. I want us to discover and begin to master the Biblical reasons we can have assurance.
The New Testament apostle John was very aware that “wolves” would come and threaten the security of the sheep. So much of what God inspired him to write in scriptures can help us with this issue. Consider John 10: 1-30. Jesus spoke these words in the presence of both those who most strongly opposed him and those who were most eager to believe in him. In fact he had just performed a significant miracle in healing a man born blind. (Read John 10:1-30)
One of the main promises we learn from this passage is that everyone in the grip of the good shepherd should rest assured that they have eternal life.
Let me show you briefly from this passage how you can be sure. First, we can be sure that we have eternal life because the Good Shepherd is able to give it to anyone. You see this in verse 9 where Jesus describes himself as the gate to the protective sheep coral. He says boldly, that “whoever enters through me will be saved.” Because Jesus has the ability and the right to grant access to life and life eternal, whoever enters through him can be sure they’re in!
A simple illustration, If I offer you one million dollars to babysit my children, you probably are sure I’m serious. If you do it, you totally think I’m exaggerating. You are not sure I am able. But if Bill and Melinda Gates offered it to you, you’d jerk his arm off! Jesus says I am the gate. I am the one legitimate way into eternal life. It is not about who enters, it is about who they enter through.
Another reason you can be sure is that the Good shepherd is willing to give you eternal life. What more could he say to demonstrate this than in verse 10? “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” I’ve talked with people who somehow think that it is a virtue to not feel certain that you are in a completely good relationship with God or to presume that you have eternal life. But when Jesus says, I am the Good Shepherd, the reason I came to earth is to give my sheep eternal life. We can rest assured that He is willing, he wants us to have assurance that we have eternal life.
And finally, you can be sure because the Good shepherd has already done it. Look at what he says in verse 11, “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” When he said this, he might have been misunderstood. Maybe he will down some time? Maybe he will lay down a good example? No, we know now that he was talking about his perfect life in the cruel death of the cross. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. He rose victoriously. He has written all this down so that we can be sure that if we trust in Him we can be sure that we will never die. We can rest assured that we have eternal life.
This is why everyone in the grip of the good shepherd should rest assured that they have eternal life. You will face wolves, threats to your assurance from the inside and from the outside, so you need to master this truth. We need to master it for one another and for those who do not yet know the Good Shepherd.
At this point I would like for you to look into the scripture yourself. Campus Crusade has a series of Bible studies, used around the world in our ministries, our current American version is called Life Concepts. The first one is on this topic, assurance or confidence in your relationship with God. I want to you to pick a partner. One of you take the role of the mentor and one the mentored. I’d like for you to go through this page of the Bible study on 1 John, carefully but quickly answering the questions.
What is eternal life?
Does John believe that we can know that we have eternal life?
II. Alright, switch roles with your partner. You’ll need a Bible this time to look up some verses. Again go through this page of this study. Answer the questions carefully but quickly.
Alright – let’s look back at 1 John 5:11-13
When you were talking about the sketch, where did you see yourself? Honestly, on a scale of 0-100%, how sure are you that you have eternal life?
If you are not sure, then I want to invite you put yourself in the hands of the Good Shepherd. Does this mean you are becoming a Christian for the first time? I don’t know and it does not matter – no matter what we all need to do the same two things, repent of trying find assurance and life in other pastures or trying to be our own shepherd and believe in Christ alone for life now and all time.
If you are sure, then I want you to master this lesson so that you bring others to the assurance of eternal life in Christ. Can you imagine the security and confidence we can experience when we face the wolves here in Miami, or Mississippi State, or wherever God calls us. Everyone in the grip of the Good Shepherd can rest assured that they have eternal life and then spread that assurance to others.
Let me pray for us and then I have a special assignment for us.
Father, thank you for sending the eternal Son to live the life we should have lived, and die the death we should have died so we, sinful and needy sheep, might enter in to a right relationship with you and rest assured that we have eternal life. Lord, for those of us who are not sure, help us look to You our Good Shepherd and find total assurance of our relationship with you now and for all eternity.
In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
Here is your assignment – since everyone in the grip of the Good Shepherd can rest assured that they have eternal life – this is something we need to dig into this a little further and share our reflections on this topic so that you will be sure to take this away with you when you leave the Bay. So, we have created a blog – takeawayfromthebay.blogspot.com. I want you to read my post on the blog and reply to the questions in the next 24 hours.
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