John Chapter 17, that's the Gospel of John. I caught Anna out of the corner of my eye. She had moved all the way down here to the end of the pew. Out of all my children, she seems to be the most, not musically inclined, because certainly Rebecca can play, but she sings everything. When she's in school, she sings about her schoolwork. So I know she was down there at the end because she was catching all the octaves up and down and she was trying to Memorize that I'm positive later on, we'll probably hear the tune to that hymn throughout the day, but that's just part of her personality. It is funny. She's looking at me just smiling because she was listening to all those octaves go up and down. John, chapter number 17. We'll begin reading in verse number one. One person said that this year is when the disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray and people commonly referred to as the Lord's Prayer. They say this is truly the Lord's Prayer because it is him praying. But John, Chapter 17, verse number one. We read these words, fake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. Of course, we looked at that verse and we saw there this is The hours upon him, the hour of his death, the hour of his crucifixion is here. And so he's asking the father to aid him in accomplishing this task that's been given to do and glorify him so that he may glorify the father. And this morning, we're going to start on verse number two. As thou has given him power. And you can imagine to do anything powers required in your car, you turn the key on and And the engine starts and they go down the road. Power is required. Power is required for anything. It took power this morning for you to get up and get ready. It took power for you to stand up as we do in honor of God's word as we read it before the message begins. And here the Lord is mentioning to us and is really pleading the promise of God and this power that he had given unto him to accomplish this task. He says, Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life. What's this power for? What's the power been given for? What's the end of this power? It's to give eternal life. And that takes some power. We've seen great displays of power. The sun displays its power ever so often. You see these, at least they do through You know, special kind of lenses, these arcs of power that come off of the sun and stars have exploded and they see the remains of that in space and the power that has been unleashed and let go of there. The atomic bomb, there was power there. None of that power, not all that power combined could accomplish what's being said unto us in verse number two. Here we find power to give eternal life. That's incredible power. That he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, and this verse number three, we won't get this far this morning, and this is life eternal. What's eternal life? Well, here we're told what eternal life is. You ever wonder what eternal life is? Well, you think about it being a future estate. Well, it's heaven, sure. We have to have eternal life to exist there. You can't be in heaven without eternal life. But it says this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And what if you just had been saying, OK, eternal life is yours and the rest of it never happens? This is life eternal to know the only true and living God. How many people know him? Not many. Not many. And Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. And this is life eternal, that we may know God. It's not just living forever. Not just existing forever. It's knowing God. Knowing God. So let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we we want eternal life. We want to know you. We want to know the only true and living God, we want to know the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. Think of. Peter, when the Lord asked him. Who do men say that I am? He said some things that men say and. Who do you say that I am? Peter said, thou art the Christ. Some of us here this morning, Father, know that and we we know that only because you made that known to us, because you've given unto us eternal life. And our heart's desire is to know further Christ, to be conformed further into his image, to glorify you as our heavenly father further. Our desire is that those who are here this morning that do not know eternal life might know eternal life. So, Father, I pray that you would speak to us this morning from the 17th chapter of John's Gospel. The second verse that we're that we're looking at this morning, Father, according to power that was given unto our Lord and Savior, that we might have eternal life. We might be able to examine that and and know some things from that, Father. And we might know some more of this eternal life. In Christ's name we pray, Amen. You may be seated. I want to read to you in conjunction with the verses that we just read from the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John out of Psalm 62. The 62nd Psalm. You can turn there and read along with me if you like, or you can listen. On page 451, Psalm 62. Truly, my soul waited upon God. From him come at my salvation, I'll keep. In mind, this eternal life that is ours through Christ that we are looking at in. John 17, verse two. Psalm 62, he says, truly, my soul waited upon God from him, come with my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. How long will you imagine mischief against a man? You shall be slain, all of you. As a bowing wall, shall you be a wall that falls, they think of Jericho, the walls that fell there. Or as a tottering fence. These are people that are not waiting upon the salvation of war, and they only consult to cast him down from his excellency. How vain a thing is that? The cast, you think about all the slurs that were cast at Christ, you think about all the men who said you aren't the son of God, you're a blasphemer. No, you cursed him. Well, the vain thing that is. They only consult to cast him down from His Excellency, they delight in lies, they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah, verse number five, my soul. This man speaking to his own soul, I say, my soul, wait now only upon God, for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, he is my defense, I shall not be moved. And God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times. Now he's speaking to us, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. Surely, men of low degree or vanity and men of high degree are alive to be laid in the balance. They are altogether lighter than vanity. Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery. If riches increase, set not your heart upon them. Verse 11, God has spoken once twice, have I heard this? This is where I'm getting the correlation between the power here, that power belongs to God. Also, under the Lord, belong at mercy. For thou renderest to every man according to his work. Reap what you sow, in other words. Power belongs unto God. And verse two says, Thou hast given him power. Christ has given him power. Power belongs to God. Power has been given to Christ. Our Savior has, in the previous verse, sought that he should be able to glorify the Father in the hour that had come upon him. And in praying for this glory, he here speaks of the power of God. Given unto him for this task. That he might die. That he might satisfy the righteous demands of God against us for our transgression, he might satisfy that, but not only that, but that he might have power not only to die, but power to be risen again from the dead. He said, remember, I have power to lay down my life, the Lord said that I have power To take it up again, this commandment he'd received from whom from the father. So this is the power that he's speaking of here. As thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him. There were those who sought to kill him before the cross. Before he came to his hour. They'd have the power to do that. They weren't able to, his time had not yet come, he escaped through their midst. You think about men that wanted to stone him and kill him, and he passed right through their midst. They weren't able to do it. But now the hour has come, and our Lord here pleads the power that has been granted him to complete his task with joy, and by that power, not only to lay down his life, as I said, but also to take it up again, to be raised from the dead and to be ascended unto heaven and to be seated at the right hand of the Father, that he might give eternal life to as many as the Father had given unto him. So our Lord here is pleading this promise. That sounds familiar compared to what we're trying to do in the in the mornings, in the devotion hour, our time, that hour, maybe more like 20 minutes, I guess. But looking at these promises and pleading, these are promises that we're able to plead. These are promises that we're able to take to the father. And say, father, you have said this in your word. Our Lord essentially is doing this, he's pleading the promise, and it's an excellent encouragement unto us, and it seems like probably the past two, three times that Brother Mark's come to us and preached. He said something along these lines about this sort of thing and pleading the promises that are in God's word. And our Lord here is doing that very thing. You give me power. To accomplish this task. What an encouragement it is in prayer when we can back our request with promises, you said this in your word. Psalm 119, verse 49, says, Remember the word. Unto thy servant, upon which thou has caused me to hope. So these things that you're taking to the Lord in prayer, did they have They have scripture back of them. You know. When you go and get a loan from the bank, you've got to have some collateral, right? That's the bank's going to require it, not give you a loan without collateral. And there's a sense in which here we have this collateral, this promise of God that's been given. He says, remember, Psalm 119, verse 49, the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope. He says in verse 50, this is my comfort in my affliction. For thy word hath quickened me. Thy word, in other words, has given me life. Thy word, in other words, has caused me to hope in my affliction or in my turmoil, my circumstances, my trouble, because it's your word that I'm hoping upon. Your word, sure. Your word's not going to fail. It's not going to return unto you void. It's going to accomplish that which you've sent forth to do. It's not going to fail. God's word's not going to fail. So here, the psalmist is saying, remember the word upon which you've caused me to hope. Here's this thing I'm pleading, here's this thing that I'm asking for, and you have said this. That's the only reason I have hope in it, because you said it. This is my comfort and affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. In other words, Lord, thou hast said this or thou hast said that. Let it be fulfilled. This is what I'm hoping in. I don't know when it's going to come. I don't know how long it might be before it happens, but this is what I'm pleading, because you've made the promise. Because you've given me this in your word to hope in, I'm hoping in. And I'm pleading it before you that you would that you would cause it to be brought to pass even here and now. So there's a sense in which we can we can take that from this, which we see the Lord doing in verse number two. We can do this very thing, we can plead the promises of God. And in looking at This power that's been given over all flesh that the Lord's been given. You think of verses like Psalm two, verse eight. Ask of me. The father says, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance. He's got power over all flesh here, I don't think this is limited to just what the end of the verse talks about, those whom the father has given unto him. It's all flesh. All men. under his power. All men are the heart of the king, doesn't God's word say the heart of the king is in his hand? The heart of the king, the heart of the man who thinks he has the power, the man who thinks he's in control. He says, I can turn it with or soever I wish. The heart of the king is in his hand. The heart of the man who thinks he's in control is in his hand. Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for that inheritance. And there was a time when we were those we were at enmity with God, we were at odds with God, we were against God, we were his even then. Under his power, we were his even then. Our life in his hand. Your life right now, your breath that you're you're breathing in and exhaling out, it's in his hand. Power is his. I read that in the psalm. Power belongs to God. Power has been given unto Christ. We were formerly in enmity against him, and we have been given unto him. What? For what? An inheritance. All the things the Father could give unto the Son. What did he give him? He gave him a people. He gave him a people, for inheritance. If you're here this morning and you are saved, you're his. You're his inheritance. Of all the things that could be given Christ, what was the thing he desired to have? You remember when he went out into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil? And there in the end of that of that encounter, the devil says, if you'll bow down, I'll give you this, I'll give you this, I'll give you this, I'll give you all these things they would give him. That wasn't his inheritance. That wasn't his czar. What had he come for? He'd come for us as his inheritance. He has power over all. John 317 says, For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. So here is Christ. And he has been given all power. What do you think a man would do? Of this world, if he were given all power. What evils might we suffer at the hands of such a man? You think about some of the people that are in power or in office, let's say in our day, in different countries, that would be just here. What might a man do who had total and complete reign, who had all power in heaven and earth? What might we suffer at the hands of such a man? What advantages would he take And how evil might he treat those around him? This kind of power. Isn't given to such men for just such a reason. But it was given to Christ, and what did he do with that power? What did Christ do with that power? He was given power over all flesh. And yet he suffered. I mean, if you had all power, would you suffer? If you had power of everything, Would you suffer? Would you choose to suffer? Would that be the thing that you would choose? Most people would choose riches. They would choose honor. They would choose fame and stardom. They would choose anything but suffering. They wouldn't choose suffering. But he had all power, yet he chose to suffer at the hands of wicked men, at the hands of men he had created. He chose to suffer at the hands of his own creation. Why? Well, the verse tells us, doesn't it? That he might grant unto us eternal life, there was no other way that eternal life could be won for us, but this way, and therefore, because he desired to have us as an inheritance. Because he desired you for the wife to have you for his own, he chose to suffer. He chose to be dishonored. He chose to allow men to argue with him and curse him and blaspheme him and lie about him. And falsely accuse him and disbelieve him and plot against him and lay their hands upon him to put him to death. Arrest him, put him on trial, count him as unworthy to live. Scourge him, beat him, spit in the face of God himself. Mock him, nail him to a cross who had all power. There were those who were mocking him while he was hanging up on the cross, and they said to him, if you be the son of God, come down off that cross. We know no man could do that, but if you'd be the son of God, Come down from that cross. Prove to us that you are who you say you are. And we'll believe. They wouldn't have believed even if they came down off the cross. They wouldn't have believed. But he chose to hang there. He didn't choose to come down off the cross. He could have. He could have come off the cross. But he chose that cross. Why? Why? That we might have eternal life. That's why. You think about power. He chose to suffer power overall, and he chose to suffer. So in enduring all that he endured upon the earth. Power must be something more than we think it is. We wouldn't choose to suffer. We think of power, we think of might. Stronger than able to Overcome. We think about might and we think about power, we think about force, we think about power. Power must be more than might. Because the Lord had all power. And yet. He didn't subdue physically, these men that did all these things and he did subdue us by love, he subdued us. But power is more than might. It must be long suffering. Because the Lord was very long suffering, think about the life that you lived before you came to Christ, how long suffering and merciful. Was the Lord with you? Power is not just my power is. Long suffering, power is forbearance, power is mercy and grace. Power is mighty to say. And in that salvation that we might have eternal life was his death, was his suffering at the hands of wicked and ungodly men. Matthew 28, 18 says, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth. He had all power, not only in earth, but in heaven. All power was his. And yet he chose to suffer. Isn't that incredible to think about? If you can enter into that thought, it truly will overwhelm you. If it doesn't overwhelm you, then you haven't entered into the thought. You haven't entered into the reality, you haven't entered into the truth of it, there's something going on in your mind, in your heart right now that's more than that. It was his power by right. He's the son of God. Satan doesn't have a right to the nations. He's usurped the authority that he has. He's a robber. He stole his authority. He still seeks to steal it, but he doesn't have all power. Job's proof of that, right? You read about the life of Job, the things that happened unto him and how all that began in heaven. And God's saying, have you considered my servant, Job? He's upright, he's a godly man. Satan's saying, well, sure he is. You know, you've got this hedge about him. You bless his life. You've given him all these things. Let me touch all of that and he'll curse you to your face. He had to be given permission to touch those things. But even in that, when he came back a second time and he says, you know, skin for skin. OK, so he didn't he didn't forsake you because I took all his possessions away, even his children. Let me touch his body. He'll forsake you then. He'll curse you then. That wasn't Job's treasure. Job's treasure wasn't his possessions. His treasure wasn't his health, even, or his life, his physical body, I mean. It was eternal life. That was his treasure. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. In another place, he said, the worms destroyed this body, I know. One day I'll stand and I'll see him with my own eyes. I'll see him face to face. Eternal life was his treasure. But Satan's a usurper of authority. Nothing has been promised unto him but to crawl upon his belly all the days of his life. You remember when the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the garden? He says, on your belly you'll crawl all the days of your life. You'll eat dust. And in the end, The everlasting fire of hell itself, hell itself is said to be prepared for the devil and his angels to be prepared for the devil, his angels, the devil sought to take the throne away from God. So Satan's power knows an end, he can only go so far and no further. But Christ knows no end, all power in heaven and earth is his angel's power No, and in. They can only do with their given permission to do. But our Lord's knows no end, all power, and yet he chose to suffer on our behalf that we might have eternal life. Isaiah nine, verse seven, says of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end. No end. Upon the throne of David. and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall or will perform this knowing to his power, none whatsoever. And yet he chose to suffer. John five. Verse number 20. Says, for the father love of the son. And show with him all things that himself do it. And he will show him greater works than these that you may marvel, whereas the father raises up the dead and quicken of them, even so the son quicken of whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. All power is His. There is going to be a day, even those who have not turned unto Him and have not sought salvation from Him are going to stand before Him and are going to be sent unto Hell by Him. All power is His. There's going to be those, like we said this morning, that's the honor that we would prefer as God's people to hear him say, well done, my good and faithful servant, you know, enter into my kingdom with joy and gladness. There's going to be others who are going to stand before him and he's going to say, bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness. All power is his. All are under his power. All are under his authority, in other words, he reigns and rules over all. Verily, verily, verse number twenty four of John five, I say unto you. I'm sorry, I didn't read verse number twenty three. We were reading their father, the father judge, no man, but have committed all judgment under the sun, verse twenty three says that all men should honor the sun. You think about that? If you knew. Who had all power and you knew that he grants his long suffering, grants mercy, In grace, those who seek him shall find him if they search for him with all their heart. If you knew that one with all power had the ability to say. Would not you and he was willing to say those who would seek him, would you not go into him and seek such salvation from him that you might have eternal life, that you might not be damned with the rest? That's what we're reading up here. That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For, as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." His right to rule is incontestable. There's not going to be anybody who says, oh, but no, it's not going to happen. He has absolute authority. His right to rule is incontestable. He has been given this right by the Father, and it is eternal and all men will stand before him. He's been given such power. All this power is his. As we said before, why? Why has this power been given? It's this inheritance that he's after. It's this people that he's been given by the father. That's his desire. That he might give them eternal life, and there's there's the mystery of salvation open, you know, unto us and revealed unto us this mystery of salvation that's written of in first Peter one, verse 10, of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently. Those who were before us wanted to understand this. who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it testified before him the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. In verse number one, he says, Our in glory. Why? That we might have eternal life. That the Father might be glorified. The Father is glorified by us receiving eternal life. Verse number twelve says, And unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. It's like. That he had power. To give that he came to give its life that he came to give unto us. A life which flows from the revelation that makes. That he makes unto us of the father received by us, not as it's not just this intellectual knowledge, not just that we read this, OK, I understand that I hear what you're saying. It's not just intellectual knowledge to give us. That's not what eternal life is. But a loving acquaintance. That we might know him, then that what verse number three says, John 17, verse three, and this is life eternal, that they might know the the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom now has sent. It's more than a position that we've been given. It's a relationship that we've been given. Personal and intimate, this phrase eternal life includes everything that is necessary to complete salvation of a soul. The life of justification, the life of sanctification, the life of glorification, all of it. We're justified in the sight of God, we're sanctified, made holy, we'll receive glorification, glorified bodies will be received into heaven above in that place that the Lord said he has gone to prepare for us. So eternal life is more than escape from hell and judgment. By the sacrifice of Christ, it's more than being declared holy. It's more than being declared no longer guilty. It is the beginning of and continuation of. Our sanctification and glorification. Really being made holy, are you really being made holy? That's his inheritance, that you would be holy. God says, Be holy as I am holy. The blessing of the spirit abiding within us, washing us by the water of the word, we come, we hear the word of God proclaimed, we during the week, we open the word of God and read it and the spirit of God's washing us by the water of the word and feeding us with the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. Teaching us the things of God. Causing us to know the glory of God. Really knowing him, do you have a real relationship with God? This is eternal life. First, John 520 says, and we know that the Son of God has come and have given us an understanding that we may know him that is true. And we are in him that is true, even in his son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. What's eternal life? Knowing him. That's eternal life. You have eternal life. You know, God, you have a relationship with God. You have peace from God. You know that you're his by inheritance. The spirit of God abides within you. It's cleansing you and causing you to really be made holy. And you love the things of God and you love the word of God and you love the people of God and you love the fact of thinking about what we were singing about this morning of the place where where God is, that will be one day going. If we are indeed his. Are you given to him? Eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, as many as the father has given the son. Do we have eternal life? I would venture to say that we all here this morning know little of God. God's infinite. We know little of God. We know a little bit about God. We know God a little bit. And the little we have become acquainted with him personally is only the beginning. It's only the beginning. We're going to know one day, even as we are known. We see through a glass darkly, the Bible says. It's a tinted glass, or it's a colored glass. It's probably even a better illustration. It's not very easy to see through, you know, an amber colored, a dark amber colored glass. Or some of those dark, dark colored bottles that they put certain things in that sunlight is supposed to be kept from, because the more sunlight that reaches it, the less effective the contents of the bottle become. It's hard to see through one of those things. Even when you have light, you put it up there, it's hard to see through one of those things. We see now through a glass, darkly. We have only just begun to know him. The little that we know, we love. How much more is there to know and to love? This is what the Son gives. Eternal life. Access unto the Father. Relationally. Experimentally. Access unto the Father that we would not otherwise have had. This is eternal life. That we may know Him, the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom He sent. The son gives this eternal life. To as many as the father. Has given him. So do you belong to him? Do you belong to him? Do you have eternal life? I tell you, those who don't belong to God. Don't care. Whether they have eternal life or not. They really don't. There are people who literally will tell you, I don't want to hear about these things. They don't care about them. But those who have eternal life, they hunger and thirst after those things. They're life unto them. I mean, they are their life. They're the things that they live for. And they live in this world, but they're not of this world. They don't live for those things. They don't live for the things of this life. They have to live by them, have to work, earn a living. Go out and buy bread, just like everybody else. Go buy food, cook it, eat it, to live in this life. But don't live by those things. Don't necessarily live for those things. They're necessary. Don't live for them. We eat to live, and we live to eat. Right? You've heard that before. I would put it this way. I eat to live physically, and I live physically. to feast upon Christ spiritually. I eat to live in him. Those who are not his do not care for such things. There was a time when we did not care for such things. But if we are indeed his and recipients of this power granted in the eternal counsels of the triune God unto eternal life. Then we do desire these things. They're sweet under the taste. The word of God is like honey unto us and more desirable than gold, even much fine gold, as the scripture says. And we desire to be holy as he is holy. We desire to have this life of holiness. We desire to present our bodies, as we have been talking about on Wednesday night, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. As it says in Romans 12, verse number one, that we may honor him and all that we do, that we may be made, we desire to be partakers of the divine nature. The love like God loves to be holy as God is holy. Since we've escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, in other words, that we be granted power by his spirit to live godly in this present evil age to the glory of his name. Our prayer could be, in that sense, as Christ's prayer that we might have power. Father, you've given power. You said in your word that sin shall not have dominion over me. That's my desire. Here's the sin that's confronting me. I don't want to have dominion over me. I want to rule over it and glorify you. We labor for this life, this eternal life. John six, twenty seven says labor, not for the meat that perishes, but for the meat which endures and everlasting life, which the son of man shall given to you for him, have God the father sealed these things that we desire that are according to the eternal life is that which the son came to die for upon the cross that we might have. So it is only makes sense that God would give these things to us that we desire that are according to eternal life. He's willing to give them. He'll give us, the Bible says, all things that pertain to life and Godliness. They're ours. So what a comfort that is. There's a promise, in a sense, that this eternal life is ours. By rights, because of Christ. Who had power by right to give them to us. So therefore, it's a comfort unto us. If he's given Christ unto us. He's given us the cross. And if he's given. Us and the Christ, he's given Christ unto us. To as many as received him, to them gave he power. So there's power given to Christ and there's power given to us, to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become The children of God give us power to become the children of God. Power to be partakers of everlasting life. So what should we do? We should commit our souls to him. Commit the keeping of our souls. Unto him who's willing to give unto us eternal life. Who's given us even this power to become the children of God. were kept by what the power of God. Kept by the power of God, that's who Paul said, I will commit myself unto him. Kept by the power of God. I'll consecrate myself to Christ. Eternal life is at the end of it all. Therefore, we must keep ourselves in the love of God and look unto the joy that is set before us. Eternal life. That is the thing to be obtained. What is eternal life? Knowing him. Knowing him and in the sense of what? Knowing that my sins have been forgiven, knowing that I have peace with God, knowing that that he's prepared a place for me, knowing that he's going to keep me in this world, knowing that he's going to further reveal himself unto me day by day by day. Knowing that I'm going to be conformed to the image of Christ day after day after day. Eternal life. That's what's given to them, that's what Christ came to win for us, that's what Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father to give unto us eternal life. It's not just a place. Not just a possession. I've got eternal life. I'm going to heaven one day. It's knowing Him. That's eternal life. Knowing Him. The only true and living God. And Jesus Christ, His Son, whom He sent. Paul talks about this. He says, Oh, that I may know Him. That I may know Him. That was Paul's desire. What was he desiring? Eternal life. That I may know Him. He wanted to know Him. Desire to know Him. Desire to know God the Father and the Son. Desire to know and walk in the Spirit. This is eternal life. Eternal life is. That's what Christ came that we might have. Amen. Let's stand.