Text: John 11:25–26
Topic: What eternal life is and how to receive it

Introduction

• At first, few people will say that they want to live forever.

Eternal life is not measured in time but in quality of life.

• People often think of eternal life as process: days and years as they are on Earth.
• Jesus presents eternal life as product: the quality of life.
• John 17:3
• For Jesus, resurrection and eternity come with salvation: forever is now.

Eternal life is nothing like the life we have on Earth.

• Most secular people think of life as a living death.
• Only God can say to people, "Go to hell," and they must answer that the judgment is fair.
• Into a decaying, dying world burst the image of the invisible God, bringing the hope of eternal life.

Eternal life comes only through committing our lives now to Jesus Christ.

• We cannot save ourselves in a dying world; there is no hope other than Christ.
• John 5:24; John 6:35; John 11:23–24, 43
• When we commit our lives to Christ, we get a taste of eternity here and now.
• Romans 8:18
• Because Jesus lives, we can live—forever—and enjoy a foretaste of heaven.
• We must learn to live forever, knowing that heaven is even more exciting.
• Illustration: In "What's So Great About Heaven," in Christianity Today, author Calvin D. Linton said that we have only the glimmer of dawn about heaven, and few details, except that all that is good and pure and lovely will be intensified and perfected, we will have perpetual bliss, and the presence of God beyond imagining.

Conclusion

• The Bible talks much more about the way to heaven rather than heaven itself, and we must commit our lives to Christ now and learn to live in eternal life.
• Illustration: John Newton, the famous sea captain and author of the hymn, "Amazing Grace," said of heaven and eternal life: "When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there: the first wonder will be to see so many people there whom I did not expect to see; the second, to miss many people whom I did expect to see; and the third and greatest wonder of all will be to find myself there."