Sermon Cloud

All I Want for Christmas is Eternal Life 1 John 1:1-4

Introduction: While Nat King Cole wanted his two front teeth for Christmas, 11 year old Gayla Peevey in 1953 sang all she wanted for Christmas was a Hippopotamus. The lyrics went like this: I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, Only a hippopotamus will do; Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy, I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy. I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs; Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes; To see a hippo hero standing there.

• Why in the world would someone what a hippopotamus for Christmas?

• It's a ridiculous idea unless you know the story associated with the song.

• Recorded as a fund-raiser to bring a hippopotamus to the Oklahoma City Zoo 1953.

• But for today we are going to take the words at face value – this little girl wants a hippo.

• Hippos are can weigh up to 4,000 pounds and must have a matching appetite.

• And if he eats a lot, well, you know there will be stuff to clean up too.

• Suddenly the hippo isn't so fun and fails to bring the joy and excitement expected.

Transition: We spend most of our days trying to get life out of things that cannot give us life. If I were to ask each of you to stand and tell the rest of us what things you are trying to get life out of, we would be here till Christmas. We believe, much like the words of this song that these things will give us life and bring us joy. And believing these things are able to give us joy is actually just as silly as believing a hippopotamus under the tree will do the same. We have a tendency as fallen human beings of looking for life in all the wrong places. Here in our text the apostle John points us to the right place. He says: the Life appeared. We have seen it. We proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us. So today we are going to be talking about Eternal life.

1. What is eternal life?

   1. It is a complicated subject but also a simple subject.

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    • To state it simply it is life that endures and never ends

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    • Or to look at it another way death is no more – non-existent.

    • Can you imagine a world without death?

    • When we speak of eternal life we immediately think of John 3:16: For God...

    • So we know that the Son of God is involved but how does it work?

    • People still perish today! Is it figurative? No – eternal life is an inheritance.

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   2. If we were to expand upon the extent of the gift of eternal life it could be described as a life or an existence that is full and complete, not lacking anything in in any way.

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    • As things stand right now, our existence lacks much.

    • Sin, suffering, death and misery come to us in may shapes and sizes.

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    • It all began way back in Genesis when Adam and Eve sinned by eating of the forbidden knowledge tree.

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    • The warning – if you eat of the knowledge tree you will surely die!

    • The result of their sin: they lost the right to eat from the life tree.

    • It was the life tree that kept things going, that brought life to the world.

    • Losing the right to eat from it did not mean – you will drop dead...

    • It meant that the very fabric of human existence would deteriorate and fall apart.

    • Spiritually, morally, physically, socially, politically – there will be decay.

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   3. So then SIN is why this world is full of death, suffering and misery.

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    • When The Times, the famous newspaper in England invited several eminent authors to write essays on the theme "What's Wrong with the World?" G.K. Chesterton's contribution took the form of a letter: Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton

    • Yes. We are the problem. Sin entered the world through Adam and continues with us and with our children.

    • And death entered the world through sin.

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   4. And yet we were not made for this kind of existence: to sin, suffer and die.

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    • Deep within we all know it is true – we were made for better things.

    • And so we all have a longing deep within to live a better life in a better world.

Transition: This is why we will go to great lengths to make the world better, with or without God. Even self-proclaimed atheists desire to see the world improve. The reason is because we are all longing for something far greater than a better world: we are longing for only that which Christ can give: eternal life.

2. All of us are longing for Eternal Life

   1. This is proven true in our attempts to cover up the deterioration of our existence.

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    • We have become addicted to medication – we take a pill for everything.

    • We have cosmetics that hide wrinkles.

    • We have rogaine and hair club for men.

    • And in the spirit of vanity we will go under the knife for a nip here and tuck there.

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   1. This further shown to be true by how we respond to death

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    • We speak about death in terms of “passing away” or of a “loss”.

    • We tip-toe around the brutal reality of death because we know deep down it aint right!

    • Some of us try to cheat death: Maybe you have heard of CRYONICS.

    • Cryonics is when the body of a person who has just died is placed in super-cooled liquid nitrogen in hopes that advanced technology and medicine will be available sometime in the future to revive them and heal their disease.

    • Baseball legend Ted Williams for example was placed in a cryonics facility by his son with the belief that some day he could be saved by advanced medicine.

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   1. We want to live because we were made to live and Jesus was born to give us life.

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    • Jesus said: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

    • The Life he offers is comprehensive in scope: It pertains to every aspect of human life

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    • Each of us come here with matters on our hearts – finances, health, family issues, marriage issues, whatever it may be.

    • Eternal life pertains to all of these matters and many more.

    • And it pertains to more than just human beings – but to the whole world.

    • Eternal life refers to the restoration of God's creation.

• The story begins with creation and ends with restoration.

• In Genesis mankind is barred from eating of the tree of life.

• In Revelation, mankind once again eats of the tree of life – its leaves have a healing property – healing the world of all its pain.

• Death is a distant memory – and God himself wipes away our tears.

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   4. If we live forever what will we be like?

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    • When we speak of eternal life the image in our minds is us in heaven sparkling.

    • Friends we will not be disembodied puffs of steam with eyeballs floating along

    • We will have resurrected bodies – just like Jesus' body.

    • Jesus said: I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. (Jhn 5:25)

Transition: Jesus is not only the one who offers eternal life – he IS eternal life. As John says “we proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and has appeared to us.

3. Jesus IS “Eternal Life”

   1. The message which is proclaimed is that Jesus, who “made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14), is eternal. (Kistemaker) He is from the Beginning.

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    • The things we try to suck life out of in this world – these things might give us some temporary life but then the law of diminishing returns takes over.

    • But Jesus – he is eternal and the life he gives is also eternal – returns increase over time as faith grows.

    • Because Jesus is from the beginning, the life he gives is from the beginning.

    • It can never fade away – it can never diminish – it never gets tiring.

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   2. “The Life appeared” – the eternal broke into the temporal realm

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    • The eternal Son of God appeared in a body!

    • Not just something that looked like a body but a real body.

    • And he didn't just beam down from heaven like on Star Trek

    • He came to us through the natural process we all go through, born of a woman.

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   3. He lived a regular human life – unaided by his divinity.

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    • He was not born knowing how to tie his shoes; He had to be potty trained!

    • His becoming human and living a normal human life was necessary in order for him to offer us eternal life.

    • Heb. 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil...

    • He had to succeed where Adam failed and where we fail everyday.

    • What was he doing? He was earning back our right to eat of the tree of life.

    • He came and performed many miracles, healing many people.

    • He did this to show the world a preview of eternal life in the kingdom.

    • Jessica just sang about this: The blind will see. The deaf will hear. The dead will live again. The lame will leap. The dumb will speak the praises of The Lamb.

    • There is no blindness, no crippled legs, no demon possession, no abusive parents/spouses, no kids on drugs, no drive by shootings, no corrupt politicians, no greedy corporate CEO's, no AIDS, cancer or heart disease – it is a restored creation.

    • The healing power of the Eternal kingdom of God has come to this deteriorating world in the person of Jesus.

    • After living that perfect life he being an innocent man died the death of a criminal.

    • He also had to die in order to give life – and by dying he was setting death up to be conquered by his resurrection from the dead.

    • This is why we celebrate Christmas – because we know the big picture.

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   4. There are many places we could look to find life but only one is the right place.

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    • Jesus was not bashful about making the exclusive claim that he alone was the source of eternal life when he said : I am the way, truth and the life. No one can come...

    • He alone is the source of this life we all are longing for.

    • Not long after feeding 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish Jesus left and went on the other side of the lake.

    • The people he fed went looking for him. Jesus said to them when they found him: “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ^27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (Jhn 6:26-27)

    • After some discussion they ask Jesus to give them this bread, this food that endures – his response I am the bread of life. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

    • What did he mean by this? I am the One who both imparts and sustains life.

    • Lev. 17:11 sheds light on the subject: ^ For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.

    • Hendriksen: It is clear, therefore, that when Jesus speaks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood he cannot have reference to any physical eating or drinking. He must mean: “He who accepts, appropriates, and assimilates my vicarious sacrifice as the only ground of his salvation, remains in me and I in him.” As food and drink are offered and accepted, so also is Christ’s sacrifice offered to believers and accepted by them.

    • You must see his voluntary sacrifice – his broken body and spilled blood as the only thing that stands between you and eternal death.

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   5. How may I have eternal life?

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    • Stop looking for life in hippopotamus'

    • After insisting that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have life – some turned away from Jesus and stopped following him.

    • He turned to the 12 disciples and said: Do you want to leave too?

    • Peter responded: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ^69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jhn 6:68)

    • To receive eternal life you must receive the only one who is able to give life.

    • You must believe that he was sent by the Father.

    • You must believe there is no where else to go to receive it.

    • Put your hope, faith, trust in the Christ of Christmas – the one whose birth we celebrate.

Conclusion: All of us are longing for eternal life. We are all the same here – we desire to have an abundant life – a life of peace, prosperity, joy and goodness. Only some of us are looking in the wrong places. John said to his readers and is saying to us today – here it is. That first Christmas night, the life appeared – this life was from the beginning – we heard him speak – we saw him and his miracles – we touched him – he's real – we testify this is all true. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may also have this life and enjoy the fellowship of knowing God and receiving from him the gift of eternal life. I cannot think of a better Christmas present to receive this year than that!