Forever Life - Pt 2

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:65-69 ESV).

Yesterday we looked at the first stage in the experience of eternal life. Today, we can see from our reading that we additionally find eternal life through the words of Jesus. The background for our passage is a difficult teaching from Jesus. Many people began to drift away. Jesus turns to his disciples and asks if they would leave him like everyone else had, Peter's response is one of the most powerful passages in the gospels. He simply said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68). He knew where truth originated. He had heard the voice on the Mountain saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; listen to him!" He had seen Jesus' words change reality and destroy barriers to God's love and truth. Indeed, he knew that there was no one else who had the words of eternal life. The life of Christ is mediated to the world through his words. He himself is called the Word of God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). And when he was with us on the earth, he spoke the words of life. And he taught his disciples to go and teach the way he taught. And he said that others would come to believe on him through their word (cf. John 17:20). So, eternal life is extended from Christ to others through his Word. This brings me to a few conclusions. I often hear people who tell me they have so little time to “study” the Bible. And, I would be the first to admit that we live in a very hectic world. We prize the “bigger, better, faster” philosophy of life. However, I find it hard to believe that we could not make some time each day to read or listen to the Scripture. The discipline to hear the words of eternal life from Jesus is a matter of desire, not time or ability. And, it is not about “study.” You need no additional training or education to hear these words of eternal life. Last, we must understand the true nature of “worship.” So many people believe that a “worship service” is centered in the music. I enjoy music as well as most; however, worship has always been about the preaching and teaching of the Scripture. We drift too far away from this when we clamor for the entertainment of many church gatherings today. The music can only bring us to eternal life in so much as it reflects accurately the words of Jesus! He has the words of life!