Jesus Christ Is Life

Let's take our Bibles this morning. Let's stand together out of respect for God's word. If you're able to stand and if you're not, that's okay but let's turn in our scriptures to John chapter one this morning. John chapter one. Like to begin reading at verse one.

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life and the life was the light of man and the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Let's pray.

Our heavenly father, we ask for your blessing again on the word. We do ask you Lord to revive us and Lord to save lost if they're unsaved here and Lord, we pray that you'll take us through this meeting one sermon at a time in the pulpit, out of the pulpit as well, Lord, that that you'll bring reviving and Lord, enable us supernaturally, Lord, to meet the needs. Lord, you love the people. You love me. You love the Murrays.

You love the pastor's wife and every person who's here. You hate sin. It separates us from you. We get so caught up Lord and that cares the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and other things and so you are no longer our focus and we ask you father that you would use this week to revive us in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Thank you and you can be seated. And when you hear the word life, L I F E, life, what goes through your mind? To set a new parents to thinking about that new baby and they're thinking life is beautiful. You're beautiful. I'm beautiful.

Everything's beautiful because they have that little baby but then that baby has a dirty diaper and the baby cries all night and then instead of saying life is beautiful, they quickly think life stinks and they might literally think it stinks depending on the timing of that baby. Now, to a philosopher, life might be like a mirror. If you smile at it, it'll smile back at you. And if you frown at it, it will frown back at you. And so they get this psychology going and that's how they approach life.

To teenage girls, life might be about mirrors. So, they can fix their makeup and get a man. To a teenage boy life is about games, grit, guts, and something else that starts with a G. What would that be? No, maybe a goat.

Some guys like to have a goat in their backyard. No, probably girls. But when we look at the word life, there's something that comes to each one of our minds and what comes to my mind is the name Jesus Christ. Now, sometimes other things get in the way, sometimes maybe things that we might look at in this world and say, wow, I'd like to have that. I'd like to do that.

I'd like for this event to happen. We may look at other things for a little bit and think how important that is in life but really, when you sit down and think about what makes life good and what makes life and what makes it quality and what what makes what it should be, I can say it all is wrapped up in this one thing, Jesus. And so many other things get in the way of us and our thinking right about life. Now, in this passage, John is talking about life and he speaks about life more than any other person. He he talks about life 80 times and in the book of John, he's talking about Jesus all the way through it from the beginning to the end but you know, as I looked at it, I realized one day that as he's going through the life of Christ, he's basically telling us about four aspects of life that are directly tied to Jesus and sometimes we get so busy doing things for Jesus or think we need to adjust our lives and do what he wants us to do and we do.

We do need to make sure our lives are what they need to be. Get the sin out. Get serving going again. But we forget sometimes about Jesus, the one that we're doing these things for. And so we need to look at the significance of Jesus, not just doing the things that we need to be doing for him.

Once we get his his value in our lives and the perspective of who he is in our lives, then, we will want Jesus Christ in charge of our lives. Now, the first thing that I want to remind us about that John says is only found in Christ is the existence of life. Now, don't go to sleep and say, I already know this, okay? But look at John chapter one and verse one. It says, in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

Now, in the beginning, where do we find those three words in another place in the Bible? Where would that be? Genesis one one. So, in the beginning, is that the creation of all things? Now, Jesus is saying or John is saying it at the creation of all things was the word.

Anytime we see WORD with a capital W, it's another name for who? Jesus. Jesus. So, in the beginning, don't say, I already heard this. Don't say in your mind, I already know this.

Think of how significant this is. At the creation, Jesus was already there. Now, some people and some cults think that Jesus is a created being. He's the one that God picked out of the crowd and decide to make him the savior of the world because he was so good. But the Bible is teaching something.

Jesus is not a created being that was created for the purpose of saving mankind. But it's saying that Jesus was already there when things were being created. Now, then it goes on and it says that not only was he there but that Jesus is the part of the godhead that made us. Alright, it says, in the beginning was Jesus and Jesus, the word was with God and Jesus was God. So, he was not only with God.

Jesus is God. God, the father, God, the son, holy spirit and they're all equally God. The same was in the beginning with God but notice this, all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. Now, let me ask you a question. Where did we come from?

Mars, monkeys, mama, or God? I'll give you a hint. If we chose an answer that started with an M, we chose the wrong answer. I've seen people that act like they came from Mars, look like they came from monkeys, think that they came from their mama, but there are many women and men that are married would like to have children and haven't been able to have them and the Bible says in John one nine, that was the true light which lighted get it, every man that cometh into the world. Now, what is light at every man mean?

A lot of times we make an application that there's not a time or a person who comes into the world that God does not reach out to them at one time or another and give them light, understanding that there's a God and they didn't need to know him. And I believe that. But the main application here is in the context of creation and it's saying that God, Jesus, lights, brings into brightness, brings into existence. Every man that cometh into the world. And so what that means is there's not a person in this world that Jesus didn't want to be here.

Even an illegitimate child, God brought that child into light. And so on purpose, these people are here. On purpose, we are here. Now, somebody says, I don't want anything to do with Jesus or I just don't get all into that Jesus thing. It's not my thing.

Well, you've got something to do with Jesus even when you didn't know it because he's the one that brought you into existence. Everybody follow me? Now, he is the one that brought us into existence and so when we talk about following Jesus, we try to turn hearts of men toward Jesus and people have the idea, well, it's not that big of a thing and even if we have that idea, it's not that big of a thing that we're all in and all committed. That's because you're not understanding how significant Jesus really is. So, he brought us into existence.

All things were made by him. The Bible in Colossians 116 says, for in him were all things created that are in heaven, that are in earth, that are visible, and invisible. Now, when we see a tree, Jesus made it. When we see the stars, Jesus made them. When we see the effects of the wind, though it's not visible, Jesus made that wind.

And when we know that there's DNA moving around in our body and making things happen that we could only see with a microscope, it's not even seen that order, that amazing creative created thing in us was created because of the amazing one named Jesus. Now, sometimes we lose how significant Jesus is. He's not that big of a deal. He's just Jesus. Yeah, he died for us.

Okay, we're going to heaven. Good. No. He's life. Now, somebody doesn't understand sometimes how much they need Jesus to keep them alive.

The Bible says in Acts seventeen twenty eight, let's remember this. You say, I already know it but remember this, in him, we live and move and have our being and what that means is that he, Jesus, sends the rain. How many of us could live if there wasn't rain coming down? He, Jesus, keeps that sun burning. How many of us would live if there were no sun rays?

And they would grow their food. If the food did not grow, we would die. And he is the one who makes the food grow. The sun give it slight. He could shut it down at any time.

Hey, listen. Everybody do this. Okay, let's do that. Do it again. He gave you the ability to do that.

Now, we may not think of it every second. We may not think of it every breath that we take but he could give us that breath or he could just say no more breathing. You're done And that one time, he's going to say that to each of us. It's appointed on the man wants to die but every breath that we take is because he gave us that ability. Now, how significant is he?

His life. Now, if I wanted to kill you, I'd be your enemy and if I wanted to destroy your life, I would be your enemy but if I gave every moment of my being and my existence for your benefit, I would be your friend. Now, even when we don't even know he's there, he is back behind the scenes, keeping our heart ticking, our breath going, our lungs working, our eyes functioning, our body moving and the DNA working, it's all the hand of Jesus. In him we live and move and have our being. And he is this big.

That's big. He gave me that ability. If he hadn't given it to me and allowed me to keep breathing I'd be a dead man. And so we look at Jesus and we have to understand he is not our enemy. We should want him.

We should respect him. We should pursue him. And he should be our life. Now, when we look at our lives and we say Jesus, yeah, he's a part of our life. Folks, he needs to be our life.

And that's not just spiritual talk. There's some of you, this is my one shot to try to encourage you to pursue God this week. There's some of you probably would say, look, it's kind of dark, it's kind of hard to drive at night, and understand all of that but I do guarantee you that you'd go to restaurant if it were night. I do guarantee you go to see your kids if it were night. I do guarantee you that if it was important to someone you love were in the hospital, you would go to visit them at night.

If they were important and I'm not scolding us, I'm trying to help us to get started and get our thinking straight, not crooked, not off. And folks are thinking at a straight thinking is Jesus's life. He is important. He's not the enemy. He is our life.

And we need to pursue it. I now, first of all, John trying to tell us how important Jesus is says in him is the existence of life but then, John says something that we need to be reminded of and you might say, well, I know that. I know, you know that and so do I but I forget some things and anybody else in here forget anything? I forget some things. You know, I got a new tool.

It's a very good tool. It's a kind of tool that I can put this little device in and I can push it and it'll go like this, an impact wrench, and it will do some things that I couldn't do before. And I love that tool. I pull that thing out. I cannot wait for something to break down so I can use it again.

Now, I love that tool. It brings enjoyment to me. My wife and I, we love to watch certain shows. It brings enjoyment to us. I like Chick fil A.

We drove to Chick fil A last night and we go to Chick fil A because I like Chick fil A and it brings enjoyment to my life. But in John chapter one verse four, what John is reminding us of is Chick fil A impact ranches, movies and television, sports programs, and all these things pale compared to the enjoyment that we get from Jesus Christ. Now look at John chapter one and verse four. He says, in him was life and the life was the light of men. Now, what does light do?

It brightens and that's exactly what Jesus Christ does. He brightens our life. Now, what are you looking to to make you happy? I'm looking to make me happy. I'm looking for a pay raise.

I'd be happier if I only got a dollar an hour raise. Americans believe in life, liberty, and the purchase of happiness. I would be happier if I got my health back. I would be happier if I got this family issue solved. I would be happier if I got a promotion at work, if I got this woman that liked me, if I got that man to marry me.

I would be happier if I could get whatever. If you would put in the blank, I would be happier if blank, what would you put? If you put anything in that blank besides I'd be happier if I got closer to Jesus than I presently am, You've missed what's really gonna make you happy. I let a young man to the Lord, a young woman, man to the Lord last week and on Sunday, when he got saved, I said, how do you feel? He said, great.

I led another guy to the Lord just about two weeks ago and after he got saved, how do you feel? He started weeping. Great. He started weeping. I let it young teenage girl to the Lord this last week and after the service, she got saved.

I said, how do you feel? And she said, I feel so good. And why? Because when people come to Christ, they get something that they never had before and when we stay with Christ, we keep it but when we get away from Christ, we lose it. Now, here's what Jesus said, abide in me and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine no more can ye except you abide in me. I am the vine. You're the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him. The same bringeth forth much fruit.

Now, bring it forth much fruit. Now, what is that much fruit? Well, I know that much fruit is going to be, we're going to have people get saved and added to the church and I want that but that's not what it's talking about. The much fruit is that, well, we're going to be nicer people and we're going to have Christian fruit where we're going to look like a Christian and we're going to be better people than we were going to be. I want that too but that's not what it's talking about.

What is it talking about? Much fruit. He says, in the very next verses, these things I write unto you that my joy might remain in you. That your joy might be full. Now, is your joy like about 10% level right now?

Is your joy like maybe half full right now? Are you okay with life? Are you enjoying life? Are you existing or are you full of joy? And here's what God tells us.

Abide in me and I in you and if you abide in me and I in you, you'll bring forth much fruit and the fruit that you will bring forth. Fourth is joy. Now, the things that we have in life, folks, are all fun and they're all great. I love my Impact Ranch. I love Chick fil A.

I love watching something with my wife. I love watching a good football game. But all these things are limited. If you enjoy skateboarding, that's great, but you can't skateboard in Walmart. If you enjoy shopping, that's good, but it has its limitations.

What's going to happen when the stores are closed at ten p. M? What will keep you happy at 10:05? And we need something that can keep us even if we're sick, happy. Even if we have a loss, happy and that is a relationship with Jesus.

Now, people sometimes are looking to sin to make them happy and here's what sin does. It's like that sugar coated candy. It tastes really good on the outside and then it's terrible on the inside. I was watching a little clip one time of somebody who was getting drunk and when they got drunk, they were partying, having a great time and here's the way that they partied. When she got drunk, she stood on the table and she started going around and moving her arms around all like this and kind of walk around in a circle.

I don't know if she was pretending to dance or whatever she was doing, but I watched it for just about two minutes. And you know what she did? Then she fell off the coffee table and she fell back on the ground and looked like the most ridiculous fool that you'll ever see in the world. Now, you know what alcohol does for people? It is an artificial joy.

It is an artificial joy. If you've got to get a buzz where you don't even know what you're doing to be happy, you are missing something. If you think that if you go home and now after a hard day's work, I can finally have a little fun. I'm going to just have a can of beer and I'm just going to have a little fun. I'm not going to get drunk but I get my can of beer now finally.

Listen, you're pursuing a lower level of joy. People were talking in a pizza place where I was and they were talking about what they were going to do. They were going to have a marijuana party and they invited their friends to the marijuana party and as they described it trying to get friends to come. They said, you gotta come. It's awesome.

Everybody's like out of their mind. Everybody's like staring at the wall. Everyone's like throwing up all over the place. You gotta come. It's awesome and I thought, if that's the criteria of a good time, out of your mind, staring at the wall, throwing up all over the place.

Last time I had the flu, I would have been excited. And these things that people do in a pursuit of happiness. Now, here's what God is teaching. If you will come to Jesus and stay in fellowship with Jesus, if I would come to Jesus and focus on Jesus, not get looking at all these dumb things. You know what amusements are?

Artificial joy. You know what television is? Artificial happiness. All these things we have, they are not what we could have with Jesus. And so we get so excited about all these things.

But the Bible John is teaching in Jesus is the enjoyment of life. Now, what are you looking to to make you happy? I will tell you this, if you're going to look to Jesus to make you happy, if you'll pray to him, he'll make you happy. If you come to him, he'll make you happy. If you would change the your approach to him, what do I mean?

You're trying to feel a little, I'm not trying to be mean but you're trying to feel a little better about yourself, so you go to church on Sunday morning. Alright. Listen. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm trying to help you.

You're headed the right direction. Your nose is pointing in the right direction. But if all it is is you're just trying to feel a little better about yourselves, you go to church on Sunday morning. I'm telling you, it isn't going to make you happy until you come fully to Christ. Till you follow him, Till you walk with him.

All the time These things I write unto you abide in me. That means stay with me. An uninterrupted union with me. Abide in me and I in you and these things I write unto you that my joy might remain in you. Now, it says here that the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.

Now, here's how important life Jesus is, okay? We're talking about the significance of the significant one and I'm not even talking this day about today about all the sins we need to turn from. We'll hit those. I'm not even talking today about, hey, listen. You need to be going to church.

We'll hit that. I'm not even talking about how we need to be doing certain things like witnessing and we will hit that and we need to be. But what I'm talking about is what is all about and where is this all, why is all this around and even important is because Jesus is this significant. That's why. Now, in him, is the enjoyment of light.

Notice what it says here in verse five and the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Now, the word darkness is the word Scotia and it means dimness, obscurity, literally, or figuratively. Now, darkness can be literal. Some of you have real problems in this room. Now, my brother had cancer and it was a real problem.

My wife is sick. It's real. She can walk 100 or 200 steps a day. It's a real issue. But my wife's spirit is so good.

Why? She says, whatever God wants is fine. I'm fine with this, Mike. If I don't get any better than I am right now for the rest of my life, I'm fine. There are a lot of people that are worse than I am and that's her attitude.

Now, I'm still praying for her to get a full healing but she is fine. Why? Because she has Jesus. She doesn't pretend it. She has him and she walks with him and she trusts him and the darkness is there.

Yes, but the light shineth in darkness. Now, you tell me something about the darkness that you're facing and I'll tell you something about Jesus that can brighten it. And no matter what our darkness is, he brightens it. My father committed suicide when I was a six year old boy. That was a dark moment.

That was a real darkness. That was a literal problem but my pastor told me that God is the father to the fatherless and the protector of the widow. God loves all little children but there's a special place in his heart for you because you don't have a dad and the darkness is literal but Christ bright in the darkness. Now, how significant is Jesus? He is life He's not just just Sunday morning, he saved my soul.

He's life. Now, in him is the existence of life. Do you do you see that? Do you see that? Hey, listen.

Do you get up in the morning and say, hey, I need to get some oxygen. How? I'm gonna look to Jesus. I'm gonna be with Jesus. I'm gonna get my mind on the life that I get from Jesus.

Do you go through the day and think about him, abiding him. I don't want to do anything to break my relationship with him. I want to, did you go through the day trusting in him? Do you go through the day looking to him? Is he your life?

Do you go through the day with him? Or is it something that you I'm not scolding you, but you come Sunday morning and you try to feel better about yourself, like I said, but you're really not even that interested on Sunday morning in him. You're more interested in feeling better about yourself. I'm not scolding it. The nose is pointed in the right direction, but somehow, you're gonna have to get to where he is really your life.

And that's when it is sufficient. Alright. Now, number one, in him is the existence of life. Number two, in him is the enjoyment of life. Now, how significant is Jesus?

Now, as an evangelist, I preach some pretty strong messages. As an evangelist, I preach on hell and I preach on it very warmly and we need that because we've gotta have an understanding that there is a hell as sure as there is a heaven and as sure as there is an earth and assures we are souls. We are going to spend an eternity in heaven and we're going to spend an eternity in hell and Jesus is the answer for heaven not hell. So, I'll preach on these things and they're very strong but I also preach on things like judgement from God. I preach about things like self inflicted wounds from sin.

There's an illustration that I give about in Northern Bolivia, they worship the python snake. It could've been an anaconda but they worship snakes. In this particular day, a missionary was trying to lead a family to the Lord and he heard cries in the backyard where the kids were playing, mommy, daddy, mommy. They ran to see what was wrong. They saw a python coming out of the woods and wrapped itself around these two little children.

True story. Missionary said that someone ran, got a shovel, was going to chop the snake's head off and the parents grabbed him and said, no, leave it alone. Leave it alone. They worshiped the snake. So, they didn't want to kill the snake.

That was their God and the God had chosen their kids as a sacrifice. So, the snake began to contract and the cries got louder. Mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy, mommy, daddy. Till they were gone. The missionary said, you could literally hear the bones crack and the eye excuse me.

I I I already started. I was finishing. The eyes popped right out of their sockets. And you know what the parents did when the snake killed their two little babies? They walked over together.

They got down on their knees, and they bowed their heads, and they worshiped the snake saying, thank you for counting our babies. Worthy of a sacrifice. And somebody says, what kind of a parent would worship the snake that killed their two little babies? What kind of a fool when people do the same thing every day? They worship their sin.

It wraps itself around them. It will one day contract. It'll one day destroy their life and if they're not saved, it'll send them to hell and a preacher preaches against it. They say, leave it alone, preacher. Leave it alone.

Preach against alcohol. Leave it alone, preacher. As that's destroying people's lives. And all I'm trying to do is kill the snake before it kills you. But I preach strongly like this and people still don't see the significance of Jesus.

Now, here's what John is saying. In Jesus is the significance in this the existence of life. He made us. Number two, the the of life but also in Jesus is the extension of life. When you come to Jesus instead of come to your sin, you could have life instead of having sin squeeze the life out of you.

John ten ten, Jesus said, the thief cometh but for to kill, to steal, and to destroy. That's what Satan wants to do with us. Here's what Jesus wants to do with people. I am come that you might have life. And that you might have it more abundantly.

You know, I wondered if this is something that I should preach on but it is. One entertainer was performing on a stage while smoking a cigarette in Brazil. He puffed out some smoke into the air and he said, God, this one's for you. And as he did that, he obviously knew that God wouldn't have wanted him to do that and smoke and sometimes we're believers and we'll justify it. But he said, God, this one's for you and then he died at the age of 32 of lung cancer.

Now, would he be alive today if he hadn't blown smoke in God's face? If he had turned from that and turned to Christ, could he have been delivered from that? I'm not trying to be unkind but let me ask you something. Don't raise your hand. Do some of you in this room smoke cigarettes, okay?

Listen, anybody can see that if you look to Jesus, he wouldn't want that and if you look to Jesus, he can deliver you from that but also anyone can see that if you hang on to that instead of what Christ would have you to do, Satan would love to destroy, to kill, and to steal, and to put you in an early grave. Is it possible that cigarette smoking could be a tool of the devil to put you in an early grave? Yes or no? Alright. Now, evangelist Billy Graham is said to have visited actress Marilyn Monroe and shortly before she overdosed maybe a few weeks before and said to Marilyn Monroe, you need Jesus, gave the gospel And Marilyn Monroe is said to have said back to Billy Graham, I don't need your Jesus.

Hollywood movie star, wealthy woman, act together. Two weeks later died of an overdose and question, what would happen if she would have come to Jesus that day? Would she have died from an overdose? Probably not. And then the stories continue.

There was Bon Scott. Bon Scott from ACDC, ex vocalist and he was famous if you recall for that sermon or that song, Highway to Hell. Anybody ever remember that title? He And was basically saying, I'm going to hell. Don't stop, ma'am.

On my way to hell. Don't stop me. I'm on the highway to hell. Well, after he became a very popular vocalist because of that. He and some of his friends went to celebrate a success in a London club, and he got very intoxicated.

When I hear people say, you are you are too rigid. You are too judgmental. You are too legalistic. You are wrong. Jesus turned the water into wine.

Listen, friend. Jesus never turned the water into the stuff he condemned in the Old Testament. This, if it helps one of you, wine is a mocker. And I'm not trying to sound tough. If it helps one of you, I'll say it.

Strong drink is raging. And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. You know what that means? You are absolutely foolish to mess around with this stuff. You're not wise.

And it says, look on the wine when it is red and you stir it in a cup. It bites like a a serpent, like an adder. And if you've got beer in the refrigerator, you might as well put a poisonous, venomous snake in your refrigerator. It'll bite you. And you know what?

There it is again. People say, legalists, leave it alone. I'm telling you, it will never build you. It will never help you. It is not one thing in alcohol that's going to make your life better.

Nothing in alcohol is going to make your happiness more. It is something that will bring woe and hardship. Now, follow me. He was celebrating his out with alcohol and he got intoxicated. Bone Scott.

So, as he got intoxicated, he did what people that get drunk do. He passed out. So, his buddies picked him up and they brought him out to a very fancy sports car. Put him inside that sports car and then he thought, well, he'll just sit up here in the back seat and he'll pass the night away and he'll wake up in the morning after he sleeps it off and so they went back in the party the night away and when they came out the next morning after the party, they found Bone Scott was dead. You know why?

Because sitting in that car intoxicated, passed out like drunks do, did what drunks do. Also, he vomited. And when he vomited, the vomit went up into his throat, through his nostrils, and it cut off all air supply, and he suffocated in his own vomit. Isn't glam, isn't sin glamorous? Now, when he died, I, at the time, was 14 years old.

I today realize that he was 33, that means that he would have only been 73 years old today. Now, could he have possibly still been alive today if he had not over gotten drunk that night? Now, how many in this room have some kind of a sin that you don't want to give to Jesus and you don't want to give it to Christ and so if you don't give it to Christ, guess what? Instead of coming to Christ because you don't think that it really is that significant, you make a life and death decision to hang on to your drug or hang on to your beer and hang on to the very thing that you have a funeral over. You hang on to your cigarettes and you say, well, you're preaching on this because you're supposed to preach on it.

Yes, and you know who said I'm supposed to preach on it and I'm supposed to do it this way, in love? You know who's saying I'm supposed to preach on it and love? It's not a bunch of people that put pressure on me because you're a preacher. You better preach hard or you're not a good evangelist. It's God.

So, speak the truth and love And you folk that are still struggling with cigarettes, you can stop. And it's life and death. Now in Christ, you will find the extension of your life if you'll go his way. If you go devil's way, you'll find the extinction of your life. It gets put up, snuffed out.

Now, in him is the enjoyment of life. In him is the existence of life. In him is the extension of life and what we're trying to do is look at how significant Jesus has been to us. Has he been that significant? Alright?

I'm not being mean. I'm I'm here to help. I'm here to encourage. You know, one time in my life, I found myself being so involved with trying to tell people that they needed to read their Bibles that I wasn't reading my Bible. I didn't have time.

And I finally realized, well, that's not helping me That's not good and then I also found that I'm talking about people about how Jesus satisfies. Then I thought how empty I was. And that's not helping me. Talking about him. To everybody.

And I realized that I have to get my drink of water. I have to get my faith going and I have to focus on him. I have to live and abide in him and how many of us are abiding in him because we see him that significant, okay? In him is the existence of life. In him is the extension of life.

Is he important and significant? If he is, don't come to hear me. Come to hear him. And let's seek him because we see him that significant. So, at the beginning of the week, we're looking at the significance of Jesus.

Now, the last thing I want to look at in him is everlasting life, everlasting life. Right. Now, the Bible teaches John three sixteen, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have what? So, in him is everlasting life. John three sixteen, he that believeth in the son hath life, he that believeth not the son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth in him.

Take your Bibles if you will and let's turn over to John 14 in closing. John 14 in closing. Now, there are two kinds of people in the room this morning and I hope that we're all in the category of on our way to heaven but there are people that are going to heaven and then there are people that are going to hell and there are people that are going to heaven and there are people that wish they were going to heaven but aren't going to heaven and what is the one determining issue? Jesus. Now, want you to notice John 14, he says in verse one, let not your heart be troubled.

Do you believe in God, believe also in me, in my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. I'm going to heaven and I want you to be there. And then he says, and whether I go, you know, and the way you know, I'm going to heaven and you do know how to get there, don't you? Now, Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whether thou ghost and how can we know the way and Jesus say it unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No man cometh unto the father but by me. Now, here's what John is teaching us. In Jesus is everlasting life. Now, have you ever heard the phrase, it's not what you know, it's who you know? Now, we use that phrase when I was younger in the wrong way.

We would say, like, when I was having class cursive writing, my teacher said, whoever has the best handwriting, we're gonna put their paper on the bulletin board with a star. So my goal in life was to have the best paper and put my paper on the bulletin board with a star. Now, did I ever get my paper on the bulletin board with a star? No. Why?

Jennifer, bigger staff. Teacher's pet jerk, and I would be thinking it's not what you know, it's who you know. Of all the basketball players I ever met in my life, I was probably in the top 10 in the world in my thinking, but my coach didn't think so. He had me sixth man and Chuck Burrell started as power forward. I used to think it's because he's in good with the coach.

It's not what you know. It's who you know. But, actually, he was a better athlete than I was. Now, I've gotten to go places that I normally would not get to go. I got to go in the White House to places most people don't get to go.

You know why? Because in one of my meetings, the man who was in charge of guarding the vice president's house was the pastor's brother. So he said, how would you like to go to the White House in special places? I said, love it. It's not who I am.

It's who I knew. When my kids were sick, I would call the surgeon general of Arkansas, and we would say, my kids have a cold. Could you call into a Walmart and give a prescription for my children's sniffles? And the one in charge of the entire state of Arkansas's health department would stop and make a statement, and somebody would give us what we need. And how many of you, when your kids were sick, could call the Surgeon General of Arkansas?

I could. You know why? He's Heather Murray's dad. That's why I wanted them to travel with us. We got free medical.

But it's not who I am, it's who I knew. Now, how many of you have ever had the opportunity to be in the White House sitting across the desk of president of The United States, just you and the president in the Oval Office. And thirty minutes of uninterrupted questioning, you can talk about whatever you want. How many of you ever had that opportunity? Neither have I and the only way that that would ever happen would be if I get to know the right person.

Can you help me with that? But anyway, I am on my way to heaven and this is no joke. I'm going to heaven for one reason and if you're going to heaven, it's for one reason. It's not who you are, who I am, it's who we know. That is how significant Jesus Christ is.

Let's bow our heads and we'll have a word of prayer.