Eternal Life Starts With Knowing The Only True God

Doubt can feel spiritual, but it usually sounds like this: “What if I’m not really saved?” We open John 17 and listen to Jesus pray with boldness for His followers, not as a vague hope but as a clear declaration that they belong to the Father. If you’ve been stuck in worry, overthinking, or that gnawing sense of accusation, this teaching is a steady reminder that your security rests in Christ’s grip, not your ability to stay strong every minute. 

Pastor Carl connects everyday anxiety to big gospel truth: we are shaped by what we take in, so we learn to “partake” of Jesus through God’s Word. From John 10:28 to Romans 6:23 and 1 John 5, we talk about assurance of salvation, the gift of eternal life, and why suffering in this world is not proof that God has let go. We also step into the mystery of God’s plan in Ephesians 1, holding the tension of grace, faith, and God’s knowing without turning it into cold theory. 

John 17 brings it home with a definition that changes everything: eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ. That relationship fuels a different kind of life right now, marked by joy under pressure, protection from the evil one, and sanctification by truth because God’s Word is truth. If you want a deeper walk with Jesus, a stronger foundation for Christian faith, and a clearer sense of purpose in a world that can be hostile to believers, come up the mountain with us. 

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Come On Up is the radio ministry of The Mountain Cross in Waynesville North Carolina. To learn more about us please visit: TheMountainCross.com. 

Transcript

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Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths.

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Welcome to Come On Up, the radio ministry of the Mountain Cross in Waynesville, North Carolina.

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Jesus is praying in boldness and saying, Yes, they have believed me. They have followed me. And they believe that you have sent me, Father. And I find great comfort in that because so many times I my head is filled with doubt, doubts that I bring upon myself, doubts that come from the enemy because he throws darts at us that, yeah, are you really that faithful Christian you make yourself out to be? And Jesus says, This is my servant, and he is blessed, and he knows, and he believes, and he follows.

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Because we're human, we doubt, we worry, and we overthink. Those things can be detrimental. But Jesus gives us comfort and redemption from those things. Jesus is praying on our behalf, and he sent the Holy Spirit to intercede on those thoughts. In today's message, Pastor Carl will bring a word of hope. Maybe you were stuck in a season of worry or a cycle of overthinking. Jesus came to demolish those doubts, and he is working every second to bring you spiritual comfort and peace. And now, here's Pastor Carl.

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You know the old phrase, you are what you eat. Well, if you want to be in Jesus, you need to partake of him. You need to put aside your other things and you need to get into the word and let him change you from the inside out. Grow in him, know him from the inside out. Let him change you as you grow in relationship with him. In John chapter 10, verse 28, John said, And I and Jesus was saying, And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. As we find eternal life, we find uh protection. We find that Jesus has taken hold of us, and he will not allow any of us to be snatched out of his hand. There's a goodness there, there is a uh a hope there, so that whatever happens to us in this world, another place he says, do not fear the one who can kill your body, but fear him who can destroy your soul. Who's the one that can destroy your soul? Well, only Jesus can send you to hell. But if you fear Jesus, he's also your savior, he keeps you from hell. So if the enemy destroys your physical body here on earth, don't fear that. Fear your soul and trust in the Lord. And so whatever happens to you in the here and now, he's still got a hold of you for eternity. And that's a that's a perspective I think we need to keep an eye on and grow in more and more, especially uh as we progress in things that are happening today. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. How do we find eternal life? It's in Jesus Christ. How do we gain it? We accept it because it's a gift. We believe it, we're changed by it. We live our life full of sin because we're born into sin and sinners sin. So not only have we inherited Adam and Eve's sin, but we've had our own sin and we can't work ourselves out of our sin, so we're stuck in sin. And what are the wages? What's the payment for the sin? Eternal death, separation from God. But the gift of God is eternal life. Eternal life is forgiveness, eternal life is hope, eternal life is healing. Eternal life is right standing with God through Jesus Christ. Isn't that good news? And in his first epistle, 1 John chapter 5, verse 11, he said, And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. Do we understand this? The life is in his son, the life is in Jesus, eternal life is found in Jesus. Do we know Jesus? Have we been changed by Jesus? And uh John also goes on to say in 1 John chapter 5, verse 13 the reason he has written this particular letter, these things I have written to you, who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you might know that you have everlasting life, and that you might continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. I don't know about you, but if you've been a Christian for any period of time, you might get weary in your belief and you might say, Do I really believe this after all? And uh John has written, first John, to encourage you. If you have believed in Jesus Christ, remember these things that he said and be encouraged and continue to believe. Don't drift away. Know that you have eternal life. Things are happening bad to you, not because you've lost your salvation, but that you're gonna go through bad things in this world. But he is with you, and if you've trusted him, you've been changed. Now, if you haven't come to faith in Jesus Christ, you can't have this reassurance. But once you've come to faith in Jesus Christ, you know that he has saved you. You know that you have eternal life, and with that, that you would continue to believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Well, let's get back to our study. John chapter 17, and we're in verse 3 now. This might be a long time. No, the rest of it will go fairly quickly. And so then he's defining himself what eternal life is. Verse 3, and this is eternal life, that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. What is eternal life? The definition given by Jesus himself is that they would know God the Father, and they would know Jesus Christ. If you know Jesus, you know the Father. If you really know the Father, you know Jesus. You know him, you love him, you believe him, you trust him, you follow him, you deny yourself, you pick up your cross, and you go after Jesus. Verse 4 says, I have glorified you on the earth, I have finished the work which you have given me to do. Jesus has done all the things that he was told to do. And again, he's saying this for the benefit of his believers. My work here is done, or it's fixing to be done in the next few hours. I have done the things that Jesus says. I haven't gone as a man and gone in my own way. I have, as a man, submitted myself to the authority of God the Father, and I've done your will, Father. I've said your words, Father, so that they would benefit, and so mankind could be saved. I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to do, and now, O Father, glorify me together with yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was. What kind of glory did Jesus have before the world was? Well, he was with God, he was God. The beginning of John says that. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. Jesus is God, and he was in the presence with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in all their glory and all their majesty. And Jesus decided to lay aside his glory to become a man because it was the only way to save mankind. But now he's going back and he will be glorified again with that same glory that he had before the world was. Verse 6 I have manifested your name to the men whom have you have given me out of this world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now that particular phrase, um I know Dave Guzick for one says, I don't know what that means. And other other commentators have given a stab, but may I say this might be some of that uh predestination stuff that we were talking about. They were yours. Think of this Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3 through 6. This is what Paul said to the Ephesians at the very beginning: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be home uh holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glory and his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. And we could do a whole hour on just those verses themselves, but Paul really got a big picture revelation of what this is. We're saved by grace, we're put we're made part of the beloved, which means we're made part of Jesus because Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father. We're made right with him, we're in him, and and this was planned before the foundation of the world. So God knew, and they belonged to him before it even started. Does that make sense? It sort of does, doesn't it? Can you grasp it by faith, even though we can't fully put it all together in our heads? God the Father knew who would be saved before we were saved, and they were given to Jesus. And Jesus was faithful to take these these mis these disciples through and to teach them and to equip them, even though at this point they're not ready because they needed the Holy Spirit. But he needed to leave so that the Holy Spirit could come, so that they could be empowered to do the work that they were given to do, and everything that he taught him would come to life. And it's ah, I understand it now, I could walk in it now. So you um they were yours, you gave them to me, and I have kept your word. Now you have known, now they have known that all things which you are have given me are from you. They know this now. And I just I just love how he says that he's when the Lord speaks, he sees things before they happen. And the disciples, you know, they've heard these things and they've said some things that reflect the fact that they understand and they know, but in in in truth, they're like, What in the world is he talking about? Right? So he says, Attaboy, you could do this. I prayed for these guys, these guys are ready to roll, and I'm ready to come, glorify yourself through them. And they're like, Don't leave me, I have no idea what to do. Do you feel like that sometimes? The Lord calls you to go do something, and you say, I don't know. And the Lord says, You can do it, go. So we step out by faith, and when we go, he meets us there, and we're able to do these things, and we're like, Wow, how did that happen? So he's saying this. They realize that these are words from God the Father that Jesus has been faithful to preach. For I have given them the words which you have given me, and they have received them, and they know surely that I have come forth from you, and they have believed that you sent me. They do, but they don't. And I think about the rich young ruler that said, Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief. Can you relate to that? I think the disciples were feeling that way. Lord, I believe you, but I don't get it. I don't believe you. I mean, I need more faith, I need more revelation, I need more, I need more of you. I'm not ready for this. But Jesus is praying in boldness and saying, Yes, they have believed me, they have followed me, and they believe that you have sent me, Father. And I find great comfort in that because so many times I my head is filled with doubt, doubts that I bring upon myself, doubts that come from the enemy because he throws darts at us to, yeah, are you really that faithful Christian you make yourself out to be? And Jesus says, This is my servant, and he is blessed, and he knows, and he believes, and he follows. And I'm like, okay. And we stand up and we say, Jesus has said, you know, and Jesus is on our side, he's our advocate, he's he's praying for us. These are this type of prayers that he's praying for each and every one of us right now, as we trust him, as we believe in him. And he takes that little mustard seed of faith that we have in him and he grows it into this giant, giant tree. Verse 9, I pray for them, and I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. It's not like he's ignoring the world. He's come to save the world. But right now, his focus is on these eleven that have come with him into the garden of Gethsemane to pray with him as his final hours are winding down here. He's praying for them at this moment, and all are mine, and all are yours, and yours are mine, and I'm glorified in them. It's it's interesting how he goes back and forth. He just wants to make sure that the disciples understand this, it's just not, this isn't my deal. This is this is the father's deal. And everybody, everything that the father has is mine, and everything that I have is the father's. Or we're just one and and we're glorified in this. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world. And again, this he's taking a step ahead. He is in the world, he's about to be crucified by the world, and and soon, about 40 days later, he'll be ascended into heaven, then he'll be with the Lord as well. But at this point, as he's wrapping things up, he's considering himself no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep them through your name, those whom you have given me, that they might be one as we are one. Lord, watch over them, especially in these next few hours. They're going to scatter, they're not going to know what's going on, they're they're gonna lose their faith to some degree or another. But I pray that you would hold on to them, because they're still in the world. Verse 12 says, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those who you gave me, I have kept, and none of them is lost, except the son of perdition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. So all that were given to him that have come to faith in him, he has kept hold of. They're still in the world, he was in the world with them, he taught them, and because he was with them, he protected them, but now he's going and he's praying for them their safety. But now he's bringing up this son of perdition, Judas, is who he's referring to, the one that that uh would would um uh come against him at this point and uh betray him. And it was fulfilled of a scripture that was fulfilled, and there are a couple of scriptures that point to this in the Old Testament that showed that there would be a one that was with the Lord that uh would be trusted and yet would betray him, because he never really was of the bunch. They he never really came to that saving faith. Psalm 41, verse 9 says, Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. And what happened at the Last Supper? He gave him the bread, and he said, Go do what you need to do. And so Jesus left to go betray his friend, who he'd spent three years with. Psalm 109, 8 said, Let his days be few, and let another take his office. This was an indication that his his role as a disciple wouldn't last much longer. It wouldn't last as long as the rest of the disciples, uh, because his his his actions were not were not intermingled with faith. He had his own idea of how things should work, and he thought it was a good idea to betray the Lord, and when it didn't play out the way he thought it would play out, he felt guilt, but he didn't come to the Lord with the guilt. He just said, I just need to kill myself. So he went and hung himself without coming back to the Lord, so he died in his sin. And now there were only 11, and Peter probably saw this verse and said, Hey guys, in in the third or fourth chapter of Acts, I think we need to vote on another member. We need to we need to fill this 12th role. And so they they cast lots, and it was was it Matthias that was was elected to be the 12th apostle, and uh that's all we ever hear about Matthias. So there's some question as to whether that was really of God or not, but I think this this psalm points to that, and somebody else filled the office. Um but ultimately a lot of commentators believe that Paul the Apostle was that twelfth apostle that was supposed to take Judas' place. And so, anyway, that's that's a good discussion to have another way. But these things were pointing to Judas, and even in his prayer, Jesus realized that you know eleven of them were faithful and one was not. And that one was prophesied that this would happen. Verse 13 but now I come to you, and these things I speak in the world that they might have joy, my joy fulfilled in themselves. What kind of things happen in the world? Bad things. What what is happening to Jesus at this moment? He's about to be betrayed, tried illegally, and found guilty and crucified on a sinner's cross. Um and and if he's saying if they treat me this way, they're gonna treat you this way too. So as a follower of Jesus Christ, they were heading into some dangerous times. And Jesus was praying that as they go out in the world and the world comes against them, that they would have his joy in them, fulfilled in them. And we see that in the lives of some of the apostles that were in jail and they were praising God and singing in the midst, saying, We've been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. May the Lord give us that attitude. May He fill us with joy as we go forward, as the world comes against us. We recognize this is what Jesus was praying for, that we'd have strength in it, and that we'd have the truth. We have the message that the world needs. The Lord is good to us. May He overflow with joy in the midst of our craziness so that people go, Wow, how can they be that way when these things are happening to them? I want what they got. Verse 14, I have given them your word. And the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I have given them my word. He is the living word, and he's given him the he's equipped us with everything we need to live life out in this world. And and they need to realize that the world hates them because they hated him, but even more so because they are no longer of the world. We were all born into the world, we were all worldly to start out with. We're all born sinners, and we all respond to things that happen to us from our own selfish motives and and perceptions. And the whole world does this. But when we're changed by Jesus Christ and He makes us a new creature and we look different than the world, now the world is offended by us because we think that we're condemning them because we're righteous, more righteous than thou type people, and they're all sinners, and we're all scolding them. And that's not how we we are living our lives, at least it's not should it shouldn't be that way, right? We're just living our life. We're reflecting the goodness of God, we're a life that's been changed, and the world gets mad at us. But there are some people that see, you know, I see what you have, and I think I want it. What is it? I said, Well, it's Jesus, and and he saved me, and I was doing worse things than you were doing, but he's changed me, and he could change you too. Do you want to be changed? Yeah. And those are the ones we need to find, but most of the world just rejects it and calls us haters, and so they hate us because we point out sin and their need for a savior. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world. Why not, Lord? Oh, take us out of here. No, I pray that you should keep them from the evil one. And again, he's saying this out loud so his disciples can hear it. It's written in the word so we can hear it. Why is it that he doesn't? Save us and take us home as soon as we're saved, it's because there's work for us to do here in the world. But that we have an enemy that comes against us that wants to thwart the work that he wants us to do. And so he prays that the effect of the enemy would be subsided and that we could be strong so that we can be the light to the world. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. They have been changed. Again, we're all born into the world. We're all born fleshly. We're all born selfish. But when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, which is hard because we got to admit that we're wrong, and we got to admit everything that we've ever done in our whole life has been wrong. But Jesus loves us and he wants to put us on the right path. When we get to that point of salvation and we're born again, believers in Jesus Christ, we are no longer of the world, we're of him. We are begotten of him, and he's changed us. So no longer are they of the world, just as I am not of the world. And we ask that you sanctify them by your truth. Jesus says, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. How are we sanctified, set apart, no longer part of the world, but now we're part of this heavenly kingdom? How does that happen? It happens through the word, and that's why the word is so important for us to be in, to study, to be changed by. It sanctifies us. As you sent me into the world, I have also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. I am set apart. I am not doing my own will as a man. I am doing the will of the Father. And part of that sanctification, that set apartness, is in the few hours, I will be the sacrifice. I will be the Lamb of God that will save the sin of the world. My pure blood will be shed for the sin of the world.

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You've been listening to the teaching of Pastor Carl from the Mountain Cross on Come On Up. We're in the Gospel of John, and there's much to explore in this exciting book of the Bible. Jesus does all kinds of miracles in the book of John, such as turning water into wine and raising Lazarus from the dead. These were signs that he was far more than human. He's God. However, Jesus didn't shy away from expressing his humanity on earth either. When his friend had died, he was sad and he cried. He experienced righteous anger, seeing people abusing and defiling the temple while taking advantage of the poor. He cleared out the temple area with a cord of whips and showed his authority. But he was also tender with children and compassionate to those who were considered outcasts. This is the juxtaposition of the book of John. Jesus was both God and man, and you get to fully appreciate it more and more by reading this rich book of the Bible. If you're enjoying the teaching on Come On Up, would you consider helping us get the word out to others? Simply visit themountaincross.com/slash donate. It's a safe and secure way for you to give online. The Mountain Cross meets Sunday mornings at 10 at the Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville, North Carolina. If you are nearby and don't have a church home, we'd be delighted to have you join us this weekend. And be sure to come on up to the mountain with us next time as we seek to learn more from the Lord through His Word. Come On Up is sponsored by the Mountain Cross, a Calvary Chapel fellowship.