This is the third video of our Lesson 1 discipleship training. It addresses the foundational truths of assurance of salvation and eternal security. Assurance of salvation is the certainty that you have eternal life based solely on the promise of everlasting life Jesus Christ makes to all who believe in Him. Eternal security is possessing Jesus’ gift of everlasting life which can never be lost. The believer in Jesus is secure forever.
Tag: John 6:35
Finding security in this insecure world
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2
This year people are reeling from pandemics, hurricanes/typhoons, volcanoes, social unrest, political battles, wild fires, and riots all of which leave us feeling insecure. Many of us may be wondering what in the world is God doing?
The people of Israel may have felt a similar type of insecurity in the time of the prophet Micah. Micah admits that the situation his people were living in was gloomy: the nation was in extreme distress, Jerusalem was under siege, and the king has been humiliated. Much of the distress of the people was caused by the misuse of authority by the nation’s leaders (Micah 3:1-12).
In contrast to the wicked and greedy leaders of Israel in Micah’s day, there would come forth from the insignificant town of “Bethlehem Ephrathah… the One to be Ruler in Israel.” Dr.Tony Evans writes, “Hundreds of years later, God would sovereignly ensure the fulfillment of this prophecy through a Roman census that took Joseph and his pregnant bride, Mary, to his ancestral home of Bethlehem. There, in the humblest of circumstances, Mary gave birth to the One who would one day rule the world (see Luke 2:1-7).” 1
The name “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” How fitting that “the Bread of Life,” Jesus Christ (John 6:35, 51a), would come down from heaven to be born in Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” which had also been the home of King David (cf. 1 Samuel 16:1, 18-19; 17:12). The name “Ephrathah” means “fruitful.” Only through Jesus Christ, “the True Vine” (John 15:1), can believers be enabled to be fruitful and fulfilled for the Father’s glory (cf. John 15:1-8).
The One born in this most insignificant town would be the most significant Person to ever live on earth. He is the One “Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” He is not just any “Ruler,” He is a Divine Ruler Who is the “everlasting” God! When Mary and Joseph looked into the face of the Child of Bethlehem, they were looking into the face of God.
Thank God for sending His only begotten Son, “the Bread of Life,” to the “house of bread” so that “if anyone eats of this bread [i.e. believes in Him – John 6:35], he will live forever” (John 6:51a)! Only Jesus Christ can satisfy our hunger for eternal life (cf. John 6:35) and give us security that lasts forever (John 10:28-29).
The reason? Because, as Micah says, only Jesus Christ is fully God (“from everlasting” – cf. Isaiah 9:6-7; 44:6; John 1:1, 14-18, 34, 49; 5:16-47; 6:69; 8:57-59; 14:7-9; 10:30-33; 11:27; 20:28, 31; Acts 16:31, 34; 20:28; Romans 1:3-4; 9:5; I Timothy 3:16; 4:10; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; I John 5:20; Revelation 1:17; 22:13; et al.) and fully Man (“Bethlehem… out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel” – cf. Matthew 8:24; 9:11; Mark 6:3; John 1:14; 2:12; 4:6; 7:3, 5; 11:35;12:27; 19:28; 21:12; Philippians 2:6-8; I Timothy 2:5; et al.), Who died for all our sins and rose from the dead, so we can have eternal life the moment we believe in Him (Micah 5:2; cf. John 3:14-16; I Corinthians 15:3-6).
Micah shared this hope-filled message with people who were overwhelmed with life and God wants to use us to do the same. Thank the Lord that the Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread so the world may have life in His name!
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending the Bread of Life to be born in the House of Bread so we may have everlasting life in His name the moment we believe in Him! Just as Mary held You, Jesus, in her womb in the beginning of Your life on earth in human form without ceasing to be God, so You will hold us in the end because You remain faithful to Your promise (John 10:28-29). Thank You for security that lasts, especially in this insecure world. Please use us to spread this hope-filled message to those who are desperately in need of Your love and grace. In the mighty name of our God, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
ENDNOTE:
1. Tony Evans, CSB Bibles by Holman. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (B&H Publishing Group, Kindle Edition, 2019), pg. 1414.
Receiving Life Freely – Part 4 (Video)
This is the fourth video in a series about the gospel of John – the only book of the Bible whose primary purpose is to tell non-Christians how to obtain eternal life and a future home in heaven (John 20:31). This video looks at the fourth miracle of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John involving the miraculous feeding of thousands of people (John 6:1-13).
The movie clip subtitles are from the Good News Translation. All other Scripture are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted. Gospel of John pictures are used with permission from www.GoodSalt.com or they are creative common licenses. The Gospel of John movie clip is used with permission from Jesus.net. You may view the entire Life of Jesus movie at https://jesus.net/the-life-of-jesus/.
Eternal life is absolutely free through Jesus!
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” John 4:10
We learn from Jesus’ conversation with a hurting Samaritan woman at a well that eternal life is absolutely free (John 4:1-26)! After Jesus asked this woman to give Him a drink from Jacob’s well, the woman was amazed that He, being a Jew, would ask a drink from a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-9).
Christ now moves from the water that could not satisfy her thirst, to the water that could. In other words, Jesus is being relevant by communicating what this woman needs to hear in a way she could understand it. They were at a well, so He talks to her about living waters (John 4:1-26).
What does Christ say she (and all people) needs to know to quench her spiritual thirst? “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10). I cannot receive a gift until I know about that gift and the giver of that gift. Before she could ask for the gift of God from the Giver of that gift, she needed to know what the gift was and the identity of the Giver.
Jesus explains what the gift of God is when He says, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14). Physical water does not permanently quench our physical thirst (John 4:13), but “the living waters” that Jesus offers is a permanent thirst quencher (John 4:14). This living water becomes in the believer “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The word “drink” means to “believe” in the gospel of John. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). “To drink” means “to believe” – because both drinking and believing permanently quench our spiritual thirst. The spiritual need that Jesus’ water meets can never reoccur. One drink of His water will satisfy our need for eternal life forever. The phrase “will never thirst” literally means “will by no means thirst forever!” Eternal life is a forever gift because it is eternal – without end. Eternal life cannot be lost because the believer can never thirst again for it.
How is this possible? When a person believes in Jesus, He digs a spiritual well in the human heart that continuously meets the needs of the one who drinks from it. But Jacob’s well was in the earth and the drinker of it must return again and again (John 4:12). Men dig wells in the earth, only Jesus Christ can dig a well in the human heart so that it gushes up into everlasting life. Jesus’ well never runs dry.
Keep in mind that everlasting life is a free gift. It is absolutely free. You do not have to work or pay for this gift, otherwise it would not be a gift. For example, when you receive a birthday gift from someone, do you have to pay for it? No, because it is a gift. It has already been paid for. Everlasting life is a free gift because Jesus Christ has already paid for it in full when He died in our place on a cross for all our sins and rose from the dead (John 2:19, 22; 3:14-15; 12:23-24, 27-33; 10:11, 17: 19:16-20:31). All you must do to receive this gift is believe in the Giver.
Before this woman could ask for this free gift of everlasting life, she needed to know the identity of it’s Giver. The apostle John wants a lost person to know that the Giver of the gift of God is Jesus Christ (4:16-26) Who is fully God (John 1:1, 34, 49; 5:16-47; 6:69; 8:57-59; 11:27; 20:28) and fully Man (John 1:14; 4:6; 11:35; 12:27; 19:28).
When Jesus offered the woman everlasting life, she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:15). She missed His point. She was still thinking of physical water. She didn’t recognize her need for this gift of God. So, Jesus confronts her with the truth. “Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.’” (John 4:16). This was the most sensitive area in her life… the area where she had experienced the most hurt and shame… the area where she had the highest and thickest walls of self-protection.
At this point, she could have turned away and left (as many do), but she didn’t. Somewhat embarrassed, she blurted out, “’I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” (John 4:17-18). This woman was not only divorced, but she had been through five broken marriages, and now the man she was living with was not even her husband. All this woman knew was an unending sense of dissatisfaction. She had five husbands, but none of her marriages worked. They may have left for different reasons, but she was left with the same results – loneliness and emptiness inside. She tried to quench her spiritual thirst with men but it did not work.
How did Jesus know about this brokenness in her life? He knew this because He was much more than a moral teacher or prophet, He was the long awaited Messiah-God. John writes, “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” (John 4:25-26). The woman first thought Jesus was a prophet when He revealed His knowledge of her sin-stained life (John 4:17b-19), but now the truth of His identity flooded her soul. He was the long awaited Messiah-God! She had arrived at the well empty, but now she departed full of life – life with God forever. She now knew the Gift and the Giver. And that is all she needed to know. That’s all anyone needs to know. And when they do, an eternal transaction occurs. Without a word or prayer, her heart had asked in faith and He had given her eternal life.
From this conversation we discover that everlasting life is an absolutely free gift! Jesus knew this woman was living with a man who was not even her husband. But He does not tell her to leave her boyfriend or get married to him in order to have everlasting life. Why? Because the only condition for this free gift is to believe in Jesus for it (John 4:14; 6:40, 47; 7:38-39; 11:25-26; 20:31; et al).
Some of you will read this article and ask, “But what about confessing your sins or being baptized or turning from your sins?” Jesus does not mention any of those things as a condition for everlasting life in His conversation with this hurting woman. If ever there was an appropriate time for Jesus to tell someone to turn from her sins or confess her sins, it was now. But He does not do it. Why? Because everlasting life is an absolutely free gift and the only condition to receive it is to believe in Jesus for it.
Jesus’ conversation with this woman also tells us that no one is too bad to receive the gift of God. Perhaps you can relate to the Samaritan woman. Your life is empty and parched. You have tried to fill it with substitutes – achievements, drugs, emotions, pornography, relationships, your work, special projects, etc., but they leave you feeling emptier. You need the real thing – a permanent thirst quencher. Ask Jesus in faith for the gift of eternal life and He will give it to you right now.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You now as a broken sinner who has been deeply hurt by my own sinful choices and the sinful choices of others. I have tried to satisfy my spiritual thirst with so many substitutes that have only made my condition worse. I realize today that You still love me despite all of the pain I have caused You and others. I believe You died in my place for all my sins on a cross and rose from the dead. Right now I am asking You, Lord Jesus, to give me everlasting life as a free gift. Thank You for the everlasting life I now have which satisfies my spiritual thirst forever. Thank You that I can never lose this gift. Please help me to share this good news with others who are longing to quench their own spiritual thirst. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
To help you grow in your new relationship with Jesus, please explore our website here or visit www.knowing-Jesus.com.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with those you want to see in heaven. Thank you, and may Jesus richly bless you as you make Him known to others.