John 17:3 - A Supreme Relationship with Jesus Christ is Eternal Life.
John 17:3: A Supreme Relationship with Jesus Christ is Eternal
Life.
John 17:3 (NKJV) And this is eternal life, that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
CONTEXT
Jesus' prayer in John 17 is the longest in the New Testament.
But Nehemiah holds the record for the longest Bible prayer in
Nehemiah 9:5-37. [Youth SB]
COMMENTARY
For us, knowledge means information, facts, and concepts. But
in biblical times, knowledge was centered in personal
relationships. To know someone is to enter into a close relationship with that
person. Knowing God involves much more than simply mastering facts and
information about him. It even transcends discussions about the nature and
character of God, as important as those are.
Knowing God means entering into an intimate relationship with
him. It means identifying with God and learning to view everything as
God does. Knowing God will transform our thoughts and actions, our
priorities and values, and our relationships with fellow human beings. It
is far more important than religious rites, sacrifices, burnt
offerings, or any other religious activity (Jeremiah 9:23-24; 31:34}. [One
Year NLT SB re Hosea 4:1, 6]
Knowing God through experience is radically different than
knowing about God from a theology textbook. According to the Bible, you
cannot say you know God unless you have experienced Him (Php 3:8, 10).
Biblical knowledge always involves experience
If you have not experienced Gods power at work in and
through your life, do not settle for a secondhand knowledge of Gods
power, rejoicing in what He has done in others. Jesus prayer was
that you would come to know God and His presence in your life and
experience. Dont discount the power of God as described in Scripture
simply because you have not experienced it. Bring your experience up to
the standard of Scripture, never reduce Scripture to the level of
your experience. Dont settle for a head knowledge of Gods love.
Jesus prayed that you would experience the depth and width and height
of His love and that you would enjoy Gods full and unending love
in the day-to-day experiences of your life. [Experiencing God Day
by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby]
Eternal life doesn't merely mean going to heaven when you die
and living forever, as amazing and wonderful as that promise is.
Eternal life involves knowing Almighty God intimately. That began the
moment you entered into a relationship with Christ, and it will extend
throughout eternity.
Eternal life, however, is a quality of life more than a
quantity. It's abundant life. It's security in the nurturing intimacy of
your personal relationship with your heavenly Father, contentment in
the joy of His presence with you, and radiantly hopeful because of
His promises to you. To thoroughly experience eternal life in the
present as well as in the future, you must continually strive to know
God more intimately.
Some Christians seem to think that they have to wait until
heaven to truly know and experience Christ, so they unwisely neglect
their relationship with Christ in this life. Yet Scripture suggests
that we take with us into eternity the relationship with God that we
began on earth.
God invites us to experience and enjoy eternal life - by
knowing and experiencing Him. Start enjoying eternal life today.
[Being Still With God Every Day by Henry Blackaby]
Blaise Pascal called it his "night of fire." Whether or not
it was his conversion - he had had some sort of conversion
experience a few years before - it was the most profound event of his life.
For two hours, he was shaken to his core in a vision of God. When he
died eight years later, a description of this vision was found sewn
into his jacket. Pascal felt that before this vision, he had known
through his intellect only the God of the philosophers and scholars.
Afterward, he knew he had met the God of covenant, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. He had moved from mental understanding of a Creator
God to personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. His belief in God was no
longer an argument; it was a relationship.
True encounters with God always have this effect. To know His
presence or to hear His words is to be drawn into His covenant. Grasping
at words to record his vision, Pascal quoted John 17:3: "This is
the way to have eternal life - to know you, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth." He realized that a
relationship with God is just that - a relationship. No one can have a
genuine experience with God that simply results in greater understanding
or new insights. God is much more personal than that. Encountering
Him begins conversations, establishes accountability, and further
designates terms of His covenant and calling. It deepens our connection
with Him.
Never seek God's voice simply for the information He
provides. When you hear Him, the information is no longer the primary
issue. The relationship is. Our response to the conversation becomes
bigger than the conversation itself. We are intrinsically bound to the
one who speaks.
Father, Your words are my life. Your truth demands a response
and draws me into an unbreakable bond with You. Implant Your life
within me through the power of Your words. [The One Year Hearing His
Voice Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
ILLUSTRATION
Our lives are full to overflowing these days. It's not easy
to set aside a daily quiet time with God. But, we insist, we're in
constant communication with him throughout the day. That's good. We
should have God in mind at all times. But there are just some important
things we can't do on the run.
For example, daily self-examination is essential for a strong
recovery. Where better to do that than away from all the noise and
distractions? There, alone and silent in God's presence, we can take a good,
hard look at ourselves and deal with what we find. We also need time
apart to read God's Word - our instruction manual - allowing it to
prepare our hearts for the battles ahead. We also need time for prayer,
not just the chatter about daily life, but a full-on conversation
with our loving Father.
The Bible tells us that Jesus made a habit of getting away
from the crowds and spending time with his Father. If the perfect Son
of God needed that time, how much more do we need it to steady our
shaking hands and feet? Time apart with God keeps us strong, courageous,
and focused. It keeps us tuned in to him.
Lord, help me today and every day to set aside time alone
with you. I desire more from you than just fellowship in passing. I
want the joy that conies with hearing your voice and knowing that
you've heard mine. In Jesus' name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily
Devotional by John & Johnny Baker re Mat. 14:23]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
I am with you and all around you, encircling you in golden
rays of Light. I always behold you Face to face. Not one of your
thoughts escapes My notice. Because I am infinite, I am able to love you
as if you and I were the only ones in the universe.
Walk with Me in intimate Love-steps, but do not lose sight of
My Majesty. I desire to be your closest Friend, yet I am also your
sovereign Lord. I created your brain with capacity to know Me as Friend
and Lord simultaneously. The human mind is the pinnacle of My
creation, but so few use it for its primary purpose - knowing Me. I
communicate continually through My Spirit, My Word, and My creation. Only
humans are capable of receiving Me and responding to My Presence. You
are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psa. 34;4-6; 2Pe. 1:16,
17; John 17:3; Psa. 139:14) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
When you seek My face, put aside thoughts of everything else. I
am above all, as well as in all; your communion with Me transcends
both time and circumstances. Be prepared to be blessed bountifully by
My Presence, for I am a God of unlimited abundance. Open wide your
heart and mind to receive more and more of Me. When your Joy in Me
meets My Joy in you, there are fireworks of heavenly ecstasy. This is
eternal life here and now: a tiny foretaste of what awaits you in the
life to come. Now you see only a poor reflection as in a mirror, but
then you will see face to Face. (John 15:11; 1 Cor. 13:12) [Jesus
Calling by Sarah Young]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
To know God is therefore not merely to have intellectual
knowledge of him; it is to have an intimate personal relationship with
him, which is the nearest and dearest relationship in life. [Barclay
Commentary]
God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is
made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything
else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself
is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our
spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is
just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without
bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart
from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. C. S.
Lewis in Mere Christianity
The Lord calls us to silence and inactivity if we want to know
Him intimately (Psa.46:10). If it were not necessary, He would not
admonish us to do it. [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]
When we truly see Him Then He is easily Lord of our life,
and we live in adoration of Him from morning till night. [In His
Time; My Utmost For His Highest re Joh.13:13]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2008/20080807-2144.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20090206-1819.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Music Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDY:
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
LINKS FOR PROPHECY SEMINARS:
Revelation Today by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
