Welcome to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. We're glad you've joined us for today's program. Connect with Skip Heitzig is all about connecting you to the never changing truth of God's Word through verse by verse teaching.
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That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heitzig. He's made a promise to you.
He said, I am going to prepare a place for you. Now, this is what I want you to just think of. If Jesus Christ, who had come from glory to the earth for 33 years in a temporary situation, longed to go back to glory, longed to go back to heaven. Just think about that. If you have a loved one who has died or is dying, who is a believer?
That's what they're going to. If Jesus knew what it was like and he longed for it with that kind of depth, how cool it must be. That's why I believe, I've said it before, but I believe it, that the last breath on earth, as labored as it might be, as painful as it might be, and I've watched my own family take those last breaths. I'm convinced that if they know Christ, immediately their next breath is, wow, something like that. I've heard people say, oh, heaven's going to be so boring. I don't want to sit on a cloud and play a harp. Guess what?
I don't either. A guitar, maybe. A harp, no.
A ukulele, I can do that, but not a harp. It's not going to be boring. It's going to be glorious. That's why when people who know Christ die, I am sad not for them. I'm sad for the family. I'm sad for us. I'm sad for the loss. But for that person who is in the presence of God, I envy them. I don't go, that poor person, he died, he's in heaven. Oh yeah, I'm real sad for that.
I cannot be sad. The worst thing that happened to them turned out to be the best thing. They're in glory.
We suffer, I'm not minimizing that, but not that person. This then is the gift of glory that Jesus prays for. He mentions three others. Here's the second, the gift of authority, verse 2. As you have given Him, that is, you Father, have given the Son, Him, authority over all flesh.
Stop right there. This is a gift Jesus in prayer acknowledges the Father has given Him, authority over all flesh. How much authority did Jesus have over all flesh? Good answer, all. Because before He leaves the earth, Matthew 28, He says to His disciples, these words, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
That covers it all, every bit of it. Think of the authority that was displayed in Jesus' life. First of all, when Jesus taught people, He taught with authority. He gave the Sermon on the Mount, and in Matthew chapter 7, at the very end, it says these words, And the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. His voice had to be something to command thousands of people without a PA system.
Now, I cheat. I have a microphone and a speaker system, and that's very helpful. But Jesus had thousands of people outdoors with ambient noise, and His voice had to command them, and there must have been a certainty and a persuasiveness and a power to the tone of His voice when He spoke. And I often imagine that when I read Jesus saying anything. He spoke with authority, not as the scribes. In other words, He didn't hide behind the opinions of the scribes. He'd say things like, You have heard that it was said by those of old, but I say unto you, and He nailed it. He spoke with authority. Second, He forgave people with authority. He never said, Well, I hope you can get forgiven for that. He said to a paralyzed man one day, Your sins are forgiven you.
Be of good cheer. And people around heard that, and they said, Who does this guy think he is? God? Only God can forgive sins. And Jesus said, How come you guys are thinking evil thoughts just so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins? And He said to the paralytic, You're healed.
Rise, take up your bed and walk. I want to show you that I have power in the spiritual realm by making a display in the physical realm that nobody else could do. So when Jesus said, I forgive you or you are forgiven, there was that air of certitude in His voice that caused the persons to walk with their heads raised and walk away unforgiven. Also, Jesus had authority over the natural world.
If you read any of the gospels, you will come across miracles. He will heal the sick. He will raise the dead. On one occasion, He spoke to a storm and said, Peace, be still, and just calmed right down. Remember the disciples said, What manner of man is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him? Ever thought what it was like to be a disciple?
As you are learning, you're coming to grips with it's dawning on you. I'm dealing here with God in a human body, the kind of power and authority that He displayed. Not only that, but He showed that He had authority not only over the natural world, but over the supernatural world. People who were oppressed by demons, He would cast them out. One day He was in the synagogue and a guy there in the worship service was possessed. Jesus cast the demon out.
The people there said, What a word is this! For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits and they come out. They knew about dark forces.
They just didn't know what to do with them. And here comes this guy with one sentence and taken care of. Power, authority. Not only that, but Jesus had power over life and death. Not just other people's, but His own. Jesus on one occasion, after telling the fact that He's going to go be crucified and that He'll rise from the dead, then He explained that He Himself has sovereign authority and control over His own life and death.
Listen to these words, John chapter 10. I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father. So He has all authority.
Oh, I left one out. He has authority over judgment, over judgment. Jesus said in John 5, the Father judges no one, but He has entrusted all judgment to His Son. Now, in hearing those words, after noting that Jesus had authority over every other realm, natural world, supernatural world, et cetera, et cetera, now when Jesus says, oh, by the way, I also have authority over judgment, it would behoove the person listening to those words to get right with Jesus. It would behoove the person listening to those words to say not how can I escape His authority, because you can't. All authority means all authority. No, rather you should say, how should I respond to it?
And I'll give you the answer. You should respond to it willingly, voluntarily. If He has all power and all authority and will ultimately be your judge, and the Bible says one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, why not do it willingly now instead of by force later? When I was preparing this message, a line came to my mind from William Henley's famous poem called Invictus, which says, it matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
Yeah, right. You might feel that way temporarily, but Jesus says, I have authority over all flesh. It was a gift that He acknowledged the Father has given Him. So we've covered two, the gift of glory He asks for, the gift of authority He acknowledges that He has, here's the third, the gift of humanity.
Ah, this is a good one. Look at verse two again. As you, Father, have given Him, Jesus the Son, authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life, now watch this, to as many as you have given Him. I went through this chapter and I found that phrase seven times here.
As many as you have given Him. I don't want to dig all seven out because of time, but I want you to notice a few. Look at verse six. I have manifested your name to the men you have given me out of the world.
They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Verse nine, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. Verse 11, I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world. And I come to you, Holy Father, keep through your name those whom you have given me. Let me ask you something, fellow Christians. If you're a Christian, have you ever thought of yourself as being a love gift from the Father, given to the Son?
That is exactly what you are. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig, Weekend Edition. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, starting the year with a structured Bible study can shape your spiritual journey for the months ahead and help align your life with God's truth. We want to help you do that with Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet and Companion Workbook. Journey through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, gaining a deep panoramic understanding of God's Word that helps you understand the big picture of Scripture with greater clarity. These resources are our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copies when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip. From an earthly perspective, when we come to Christ, when we receive Christ, we see it this way. I've given my life to God. That's not how God sees it. God sees it.
No, I, the Father, have given your life to my son. See, God the Father knew that his son needed a group, a people. Jesus called it the church. Upon this rock, he said, I will build my church.
Church means called out ones, called out from humanity to be that microcosm of humanity, of believing ones. You are a love gift. Give your life to Christ. God gives you to Christ. That's from heaven's perspective.
You are a love gift. Jesus gave this parable. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.
When a man has found it, he hides it. And then, in his joy, he sells all that he has, and he buys that field. What is that a parable of? I've heard people say, oh, that's a parable of us finding God. And we get rid of everything to have God.
He's worth us getting rid of everything to have him. I don't think that's the meaning of the parable. First of all, you can never buy God.
Second of all, you don't have enough worth anything to sell to get him. Third, when Jesus unlocks the meaning of the parable, he says this, the field is the world. The field, you don't buy the world to get God. It's a picture of God, not you and me. It's a picture of God buying the world through his son's blood on the cross so that he can find the treasure in the field, which he says is you and I. We're the treasure. It's his people. It's his church. It's the treasure.
It's worth it. For the joy that was set before him, the Bible says, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame. He saw you, and he thought, this is worth the pain.
They will be mine. The father gave you to the son. It's the gift of humanity. Here's the fourth and final gift. It's the gift of eternity.
Now, this one's different from the previous three. The first one is the gift Jesus asked for from the father. The second two are simply acknowledgments that the father has given authority and humanity to Jesus. But this fourth gift is the gift that we get from Jesus. Verse two, as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And then in verse three, it's explained, and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
So do you see the difference here? This is the gift we receive from Jesus. Oh, there are many more gifts than this, but this is the first one others follow. The first one, the most important one is we get the gift of eternal life. Now let's put it all together.
Let's connect all these dots of what we've been talking about this morning. Jesus says, Father, I want my glory back, so that that will bring ultimate glory to you. How? How will that work? Simply by Jesus exercising his authority that came from the father, he'll raise himself from the dead, then taking the humanity called the church that he's going to work with. And with his authority and with the humanity that God has given him, he's going to take that into eternity. And that'll be a theme that runs throughout this chapter, that he would give eternal life to as many as the father has given to him. A word about that term, eternal life. When we hear about eternal life, you know what we typically think of? We think about life that goes on and on and on and on and on, sort of like the ever-ready bunny. It just keeps going and going and going and going and going. That's eternal life. It's life that just keeps going and going and going. It's longevity.
That really doesn't quite cut it. The word in Greek, the two words, eionios zoe, I like to look at it better than saying eternal life, age-abiding life. It is a quality of life that begins now, and it does go on and on and on, but it's a quality that begins now and continues forever. And you need to see it that way, because technically every person on earth, even the most wicked person has eternal life. Their life will go on and on and on and on, but not in heaven.
This is something different. This is a quality of life that begins now and carries all throughout eternity. And I think I would tie this phrase, eternal life, with something Jesus said in John chapter 10. I have come, he said, that they might have life and have it more abundantly.
I like to say, to the max. One translation says, to the brim and overflowing. I have come that you might have life, that means now, to the brim and overflowing.
Henry David Thoreau said, most men lead lives of quiet desperation. Jesus said, but my plan is that they would have life to the brim and overflowing. I wonder if you live in Thoreau's camp or Jesus' camp. Eternal life. Now notice something in verse three. Jesus describes eternal life, not chronologically, not expansively, but relationally.
Look at how he defines it. And this is eternal life, that they may know you. See that's something now, not that they will know, but that they may know you. The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. When the Bible here talks about knowing God, it does not mean knowing information about God or having an awareness of God. It means a personal experiential relationship with God.
Eternal life begins now by knowing God through Jesus Christ and it lasts forever and ever and ever. It's when you receive the gift and then there's more to follow. By the way, a gift is only worth something if you receive it. Am I right? If somebody says, here's a gift and you go, huh, and you don't grab it, receive it, open it, use it, so what? So Jesus is willing to give, verse two, eternal life and he will give it to all those the Father has given to him.
That's election. The gift has to be received and then there's more to follow. I'm going to close with a little story I came across. It's about a man who went shopping. It's Christmas time, not now, but when the story took place. Three days before Christmas and this guy recognizes that there's some people on his Christmas list that he didn't buy for and so now he's a little bit guilty and he thinks, okay, I got to go to the store and pick up that last minute gift.
You know what that's like. Okay, the malls are crowded. The store he goes is super crowded, can't find a parking space, finally finds one. As he's walking, he's thinking, my feet are tired. Why did I pick this day?
Why am I doing this? The lines are long. He stands on a long cashier line and as he's standing there, there's two little kids in front of him. He guesses the boy is about 10 and the little girl, probably a sister, is about five. And what he notices is just how filthy they are, disheveled. Their hair's messed up, there's remnants of whatever meal they last ate on their mouths.
Their clothes don't fit, they're dirty, so obviously they haven't had new ones for awhile. And finally the line moves to where the cashier now waits on these two children. Here's the story. That will be $6.09, the cashier said.
The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand while he emptied his pockets. He finally came up with $3.12. I guess we'll have to put them back, he bravely said. We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow. With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. But Jesus would have loved those shoes, she cried. Well, we'll go home and work some more.
Don't cry, we'll come back, he said. Well quickly I handed $3 to the cashier. These children had been in line a long time and after all it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small boy said, thank you, sir.
I looked down. What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes, I asked. The small boy answered, our mommy is sick and going to heaven. Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus. Then the girl spoke. My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold like these shoes. Won't mommy be beautiful walking on those streets to match these shoes? My eyes flooded as I looked into her tear-streaked face.
Yes, I said, I'm sure she will. Silently I thank God for using these children to remind me of the true spirit of giving. God gave the greatest gift. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
It's the gift of his son on a cross that allows him to give eternal life. And many more follow, begins now, but enables us to walk the streets of heaven forever. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program.
Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resources that will help you gain a deeper understanding of the sweeping story of scripture. Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet, and the companion workbook are our thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your copies when you give $50 or more. Call 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And did you know that you can get a weekly devotional and other resources from Pastor Skip sent right to your email inbox? Simply visit connectwithskip.com and sign up for emails from Skip. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig weekend edition. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never changing truth in ever-changing times.
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