"That’s because you think of eternal life as dying and going to heaven and living with God in heaven forever. There’s not a verse in the Bible that defines eternal life that way.
“Jesus Christ defines eternal life in John 17:2-3: ‘As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
[3] And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’
“Eternal life isn’t just dying and going to heaven and dancing it up around New Jerusalem, or kicking up gold dust, or playing a harp, or 'catching rainbow trout in the stream of life.' Eternal life is to know the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is to have a personal, intimate, fruit-bearing knowledge of the Father. In the end, the gold of it is that you know the Father in a personal, intimate, everlasting way.
“It’s coming to KNOW the Father, understanding what the Father’s plan is, what the Father’s will is, why did He create the universe, what is the purpose behind it, what is His goal, why did He put man in the earth, why did He form the Body of Christ.
“You don’t just understand it, you say, ‘Woo-hoo, I got it! I got the picture! I LIKE it! I think I’ll just join in and do this! I’ll let the zeal of the Lord of host, the thing that thrills Him, thrill me!
“It’s your faith resting in the truth of God’s Word, and when your faith rests in God’s grace, who God has made you in Christ, it will bring forth fruit unto God, righteousness unto holiness.
“Holiness is talking about your character. Talking about who you are. You’re someone who is set apart for the purpose for which God created you. You’re able now by the grace of God to bear fruit unto holiness. You’re able to bear activity and growth that represents who God created you in Jesus Christ.
“The word ‘holy’ and the word ‘sanctification’ means to be set apart for the purpose for which it’s created. His character begins to express itself through you and the end is eternal life.
“Look at Jeremiah 9. I try to drill this home to our folks in Chicago all the time. The passage reads, ‘Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
[24] But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.’
[24] But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.’
“Glory in the fact that you understand the Lord and that you have an intimate personal knowledge of Him. You understand what He’s about, what He thinks, how He reacts, what He’s planning, and you understand to the point it brings forth fruit in your life. If you’re going to rejoice in something, rejoice in that!
“That thing about ‘exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight’—the key to knowing the Lord, and to knowing God, is to understand what He delights in! What is it that thrills His heart? What He’s doing in His Son! If you ask the Father, ‘What is it that thrills you?’ He’ll say, ‘There He is at my right hand.’
Psalm 40:7-8 is quoted in Hebrews 10 as being a reference to Jesus Christ, but I want you to see how it says it in Psalms: ‘Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
[8] I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’
[8] I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.’
“When the Lord Jesus Christ came, He says to the Father, ‘I delight in what you delight in. I delight in your will! I know what you delight in, Father, and you know what, that thrills my heart too and I’m ALL IN for what you delight in!’
“Paul says, ‘Let that mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.’ He gives you the privilege of thoroughly, completely understanding what the Father’s thinking is, what He delights in, what thrills His heart, and He says, ‘Come on and delight in that too.’ You come delight in it. Get as thrilled about it as He is. In the Bible, that’s called ‘God likeness, godliness.’ Godliness isn’t just doing what God does; it’s DELIGHTING in it, buying into it. It’s being all into it like He is.”
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