The Source of Life - 240409

SPEAKER A Hello, I'm Christopher Peterson. Welcome to Let God Speak. The great problem that every human culture has had to face is the problem of death. As Benjamin Franklin famously wrote, the only things certain in life are death and taxes. But the Gospel of John gives a solution to this problem through the person of Jesus. He describes Jesus not only as the source of life, but of eternal life to all who believe in him. Joining me on the panel today are Gayl Fong and Uriah St Juste. Thanks for coming on. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER C Good to be here. SPEAKER A Well, let's begin with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we just want to thank you that we have the privilege of hearing from you today. As we open up your word, we ask your Holy Spirit, give us wisdom, understanding and insight. May we be drawn closer to you and give us the right words to speak. We pray in your name. Amen. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A Well, Uriah, I want to start with this theme of Jesus being the source of life in John's Gospel. Why is it so important that Jesus is the ultimate source of life? SPEAKER C We live in a world that's dying. As a matter of fact, even science tells us the entire universe is trending towards decay. And often people who don't really believe in God ask this question. If God is good and if he's all powerful, how come we live in a world where there is death, there is suffering, and there is pain? But the Bible teaches us that God created a world that was perfect, free from pain and suffering and death. But it was human beings who rejected God and rebelled against him. And as a result, sin and suffering and death came into this world. And now all of humanity is faced with their own finiteness, their own mortality. Everyone knows that one day they will die. And this is something that we wrestle with because we don't want to die. We love life. And the wise King Solomon wrote In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 11, he says he has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. And in another version I read, it says that he has planted eternity in the hearts of men. So we all have this desire to live forever. You know, you see people using beauty secrets and vanishing creams so that they can look young forever. We have this innate desire to live forever. And death was never something that was part of human existence. Further, Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1, 2, 4, he says, vanity of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has a Man from all his labour in which he toils under the sun, One generation passes away and another generation comes. But the earth abides forever. And Solomon was a very wealthy king, very wealthy, very rich, very powerful, and he is contemplating life and he's saying, what's the purpose? What's the point of all of these material things that we work so hard for? And if in the end there is a death that's final and eternal, then what's the point of living? And so there is this desire for us to want to long for something beyond death and beyond this life and for something greater. SPEAKER A That is interesting that we, as Solomon said, we all have this desire to continue living on. We know that the world we live in, it's decaying. That's the way it is, but it's not the way it should be. So, Gayl, I wonder, what are some of the different solutions that cultures around the world have come up with to this problem of death? SPEAKER B Well, there are a lot of different proposed solutions, and many religions believe in a spiritual afterlife. But while these are hopeful, there isn't actually any sustainable evidence to them. There are also many legends and myths of objects like the fountain of youth or elixir of life that can grant a person immortality. That would be amazing. But even today, rather than looking to mystical artefacts, people are looking to technology as a solution to the problem of death, which is rather amazing. But it's being seriously considered whether human consciousness can actually be transferred to technology so the person can live on even if the physical body has died. SPEAKER A Those are definitely a variety of different ways that humanity's tried to solve this problem, but they don't really seem to give an ultimately satisfying answer. So I wonder as well, Uriah, we're not the first generation to consider this problem. Like Solomon said, a generation comes and goes. We die, but the earth remains. So what would the people back in ancient times like in the time the Old Testament of the Bible was written? What was their understanding of death? And is there hope after death? SPEAKER C It was a real concern for them, Chris. And as a matter of fact, God did not reveal initially everything about what happens after death. And so in a book written called Patriarchs and Prophets, which was an excellent commentary on the Old Testament, the author Ellen White writes about Enoch. She says that Enoch had been troubled in regard to the dead, but it had seemed to him that the righteous and the wicked would go to the dust together and that this would be their end. He could not see the life of the just beyond the grave. And that's on page 85 of Patriarchs and prophets. So it deeply troubled Enoch. Looking at it from his perspective, that it seems that he was challenged by finding hope beyond the grave. And you know, the author does continue to say that eventually God revealed to him what the answer was and that gave him some sense of hope. SPEAKER A That would be. Well, that's the privilege of living in our day, right? We have the whole Bible, we have God's full written revelation. But Enoch lived before any of God's revelation had been written down. And so he's looking at the world, he's seeing the death and decree and wondering, well, what happens to me? Is there any hope? So, Gayl, I wonder. Uriah mentioned that God had not fully revealed at that time what happened after death. But in the Old Testament we do begin to see some glimpses of a hope for life after death. Can you take us through some of those? SPEAKER B Well, glimpses is a very good word because it's not a prominent theme in the Old Testament writings. And even Solomon writes, writes about his concern, which is very similar to Enoch's. So just turning to the book of Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and verse 16, the Bible says, for there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die as the fool? And then going on in Ecclesiastes 3:18 through to 20, the Bible says, I said in my heart, concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals. For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals. One thing befalls them. As one dies, so dies the other. Surely they all have one breath. Man has no advantage over animals. For all is vanity. All go to one place, all are from the dust, and all return to the dust. So even Solomon was very sorrowful that it seemed that there was no hope for life after death. Both the good and the wicked, and even the animals had the same fate of going into the dust. But other writers could see and just sharing from the book of Job, Job, chapter 19, verses 25 to 26, they saw hope beyond the grave. And just reading there verses 25 and 26 of chapter 19 of Job, the Bible says, for I know that my redeemer lives, and he shall stand at last on the earth after my skin is destroyed. This I know that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold and not another. And then in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah also writes about this concept. In Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 19. The Bible says, you dead shall live together with my dead body. They shall arise, awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust, for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. So these men didn't know the precise details, but they had the knowledge that God gave them of hope for life conquering over death. Definitely there. SPEAKER A Now, that would be really encouraging to be some of those Old Testament prophets who were given the glimpses of hope that, like Job says, I will see my redeemer even after death. And it's interesting that even in the New Testament times, they recognised that after death there wasn't an immediate process of a person going straight to heaven. The apostle Peter, in his famous message at Pentecost, he says that David was still dead and buried. So I wonder, Uriah, that idea seems to go countercultural to what many people think. We die, we go straight to heaven. Is that consistent with what the Bible teaches? SPEAKER C Well, yes. So throughout the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, there is clear evidence that, first of all, that there is life beyond the grave, eternal life beyond the grave, but it does not come immediately. Even in the Book of Acts, it's stated clearly that David, you know, the patriarch David, he was a good man. And no one will question whether David would actually be in heaven, but it says that he is actually lying in the grave waiting for the resurrection. And in books like First Thessalonians, the Bible tells us very clearly that the dead in Christ will rise when Jesus comes again. So, you know, the idea that our loved ones are in a better place, you know, that might seem comforting for some, but it's not supported biblically in the Bible. They are sleeping peacefully, waiting for Jesus and that resurrection to receive their reward from him. SPEAKER A Right. So the hope of life after death is not you die and immediately there's something. It's. There's a time of waiting, a time of being at rest or asleep. And I actually like to share with people rather than being comforted that my loved ones are in heaven before me, say, hey, I get to go with them into heaven at the same time. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER A That's even better for me. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER A They don't have to be lonely and wait for me. We'll all go up together. SPEAKER C And how painful would it be that our loved ones are seeing us suffering, seen at a funeral? You know, people say they're looking down, smiling. How could they be looking down, smiling when we're heartbroken. We are grieved and seeing all the pain and suffering in this world. You know, heaven would not be a happy place if that were the case. SPEAKER A So there's lots of different dimensions to why this message of life and death is so hopeful for us, isn't it? SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER A Well, with that kind of context set about what death was viewed like from the Old Testament, I want to come to the Gospel of John now, because John, he's going to give the solution to the problem that was there in the Old Testament. So, Uriah, how does John, at the beginning of his gospel, use this theme of life to begin with? And how is he pointing forward to Jesus? SPEAKER C John starts his gospel in a bit of a different way from, say, Matthew and Luke, who emphasise the lineage of Jesus, the genealogy of Jesus. John paints a picture that he just presents Jesus that, you know, Jesus was there from the beginning. And if you. We start off in the first four verses of the Gospel of John John, chapter one, verse one to four, it says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him, nothing was made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. So John does not waste time to argue the existence of the divinity of Jesus. He simply says that whatever you think of the beginning, whatever that point is, of the beginning of time, of the universe, Jesus was already there. So he did not have a beginning himself. And that's what it means when we say he is eternal, he has no beginning. And so all of the created world that we see, all of the living things and even the mountains and the stars and the sun, Jesus preexisted all of them. And it says very clearly that all things were made through him, and without him, nothing was made that was made. So Jesus is the source of life, the source of life in this universe, and he does not have a source of his own life. He is the source of life. And so. So the death problem. It is fitting that he is the one to solve the death problem, because he is the original source of all life. And life exists in him originally, as we say, original, unborrowed and underived. SPEAKER A Yes. SPEAKER C And therefore it makes him fit in to be the one to solve the death problem. SPEAKER A That's pretty incredible, isn't it? John just comes right out the gate and as you said, he doesn't make it a matter of debate. He goes, here's Jesus. He was in the beginning. He created all things. He is the source of life. Now you touched on it a bit, Uriah. But Gayl, can you explain to us a bit more? Where does this life that is in Jesus come from? SPEAKER B Yes, well, just agreeing there with Uriah. Absolutely. This life in Jesus, it comes from himself alone. There are some who claim that Jesus was a created being, so his life had to come from the creator. But these opening verses that Uriah's read there in John, they clearly say that Jesus, the word, he's always existed with God and is God and has created all things has been mentioned. So if he was created, then this statement in the scriptures would be false. But it can't be false because all scripture testify of Christ. It's all true. So Jesus also made the bowl claim that he could even raise his own life from the, from the, from death itself. And just reading that in John, the Gospel of John chapter 2 and verse 19 to 21, Jesus answered and said to them, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days? But he was speaking of the temple of his body. So there the scripture explains that himself and Jesus actually it was deeper. He was going to replace that temple of Judaism with his own person. But then also going on in the Gospel of John, John chapter 10, verse 17 and 18, the Bible says, therefore my Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from my Father. So only someone who is the author of all life could make such a claim. And Jesus life, as Uriah has said, and as I think you've mentioned also, it is original, it is unborrowed, and it is under. SPEAKER A Those are some very bold claims Jesus makes, isn't it? Yes, tear down this temple, I will raise it up. I lay down my life, I can raise it up again. And yes, he can only make those claims if he is the ultimate source and author of life. But I want to get into this death question a bit more and figure out what problem is Jesus solving in more depth. Is the only problem Jesus trying to solve the fact that we're living in a decaying world that's falling apart? Or is there another dimension to this death problem that Jesus needs to solve? What do you think, Uriah? SPEAKER C Now imagine if Jesus gives us eternal life in this sinful world. I'm not sure that will solve the problem because there will still be suffering, there will still be pain. You know, imagine you, you're living in this world and you just cannot die. You know, seeing pain and suffering, still being hurt, still getting sick, you know, it's. It still will be a miserable existence. So Jesus does not only solve the problem of the first death, that's the death that we see in the cemetery. And you know, when someone, our loved one dies, but he solves the problem of the second death. Now in Romans, chapter 6, verse 23, it says, for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. And so this death is the second death. That's the final death that annihilates a person where they no longer exist. That is the punishment for sin. What we see happening in the cemeteries is not the death that's the punishment for sin. And so Jesus solves the problem of the second death ultimate ultimately, but he also solves the problem of the first death. And, you know, if Jesus were only to solve the problem of the first death, it would simply mean that he is ignoring sin. He's giving us a pass, you know, and you know, when a person is saved, it does not mean that Jesus just overlooks all their sins and gives them a pass to heaven. You know, he actually paid. He paid the penalty for our sins. And that's something that we often overlook and we forget that we're not just getting a free pass. It did cost the life and the suffering of the Son of God. And so that makes us, gives us a deeper appreciation for what he has done for us. And it makes us feel good that he solves both the cemetery problem, but also the problem of our eternal existence by giving us eternal life. SPEAKER A Yes. Gayl, do you want to elaborate for a bit? A bit for us how Jesus does solve these two problems of death? The one that is just as Uriah said, the cemetery problem, we all die, but also the second death, which is a judgement for sin. How does he solve those problems? SPEAKER B Well, Jesus, who is God the Son, he took on humanity, took on human flesh so he could take the punishment for our sins. He took the punishment that we deserve so that we may have a life that that was his. So that second death that we actually had earned, that Jeriah was speaking of, he took that upon himself when he died on the cross. And that's an amazing thought that Jesus became a curse for us. He became sin for us. He could not see humanly speaking that there was life beyond even for himself. So he took the sins of the whole world upon his person when he died on Calvary's cross to make a way for us to be forgiven. So we no longer under condemnation. Now as we come to him, as we are, as we repent and confess our sins, we are covered with the beautiful righteous character of Jesus Christ. And the Bible says in John 3:16, which is a universal verse. I think most Christians know this verse. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have ever everlasting life. So this is the gospel, this is the good news, because it means that we no longer under that death penalty, death has been conquered because of Christ's life, because of his death, because of his resurrection. And he's now interceding for us. But God can give his people everlasting life. That's assurance. SPEAKER A That's the good news, isn't it? And that's incredible that Jesus solves both of these problems of death for us through his resurrection. He shows that he can even raise from the dead those who have put their faith in him. In John 11:25, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And when we are resurrected, as Uriah said, at the second coming of Jesus, we're not resurrected. So we then face to God's judgement again because Jesus has taken the punishment of that second death, the judgement for sin we deserve. As we kind of come to a close, I want to ask Gayl, how can I have this eternal life? How do I get this eternal life from Jesus? SPEAKER B Well, I'm just going to read this verse in John, chapter 6, verse 40. The Bible says, and this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day. And these are the words of Jesus, So they're full of hope and assurance. So we have to believe Jesus words and what he's done for us. And another word for this is faith. And that's why it says everyone who sees the Son. So that's that spiritual, implying spiritual insight and beholding with the eyes of faith, which means to just place our trust in Jesus. SPEAKER A So finally there might be some people listening in and they think I'm interested, but I still have some doubts. Uriah, can someone be questioning but be sincere? SPEAKER C I think it is possible. There are people who still struggle with some issues in the Bible and finding it difficult to trust the Bible and they are genuinely seeking for God. In Hebrews 11:6 it says, but without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is and he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So that is part of diligently seeking God. Wrestling through the questions that you have, the doubts that you may have, but seeking him through his word. He actually says in John 20:31 that the Bible was written so that we might believe in Jesus and we may have eternal life. So that is part of the journey in finding God, having faith, searching for him diligently and believing in His Son Jesus whom He has sent. SPEAKER A Perfect, and not delaying that decision longer than we need to either. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER A Searching for him diligently. SPEAKER C Definitely. SPEAKER A Well, the decision is for each of us to make. Who do we think Jesus is? Do we believe that he is the source of life and the solution to the problem of death? The Apostle John wrote about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus so we could believe and put our faith in the one who has life. Original, unborrowed and underived. If you are still questioning, be encouraged that God promised in Jeremiah 29:13 that if you seek him with all your heart and search for him, you will find him and he is willing to forgive your sin and give you eternal life. Thank you for joining us today on Let God Speak. If you were blessed by this programme, why not tell your friends? Remember, all past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website 3abnaustralia.org.au or you can email us on [email protected] au continue your spiritual journey. Look for God and you will find Him. Join us again next time. God bless and thank you for joining us today on Let God Speak. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.