Today I’ve entitled our message “Do You Have Eternal Life?” God has placed in the heart of every person the desire to live forever.

Ecclesiastes 3:11b (ESV) … He has put eternity into man’s heart.

What is eternal life? Eternal life is not just eternal existence. The spirits of every human being ever created will exist forever. Eternal life according to the Bible is life with God forever and ever in heaven. The other option is eternal death, which is eternal torment in hell without God. Each person at the end of their physical life goes to one or the other existence, eternal life or eternal death.

So how to have eternal life is a question of the utmost importance. There are two main ideas of how to have eternal life. Majority of Americans believe that if you’re a good person, you will go to heaven and have eternal life. According to God’s Word, the belief that being good will get you to heaven is false.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This verse tells us that a person is not saved by doing good things. People are saved by receiving God’s gift of eternal life through faith. The second idea of how to have eternal life is given in that verse, through faith. However, is faith enough to have eternal life?

James 2:17 (ESV) So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

This verse and others in the book of James indicates that faith and works must go together. As we read the Bible carefully, we see that good works are the evidence of genuine faith. True faith will always lead to good works.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This verse tells us that when someone is created in Christ Jesus, that is saved, their purpose is to do good works. If someone claims to be a Christian, to have faith, but there is no evidence or fruit of good works, then there is reason to doubt that person has eternal life. Good works therefore are a test of whether someone’s faith is genuine. 

Today, we’re going to learn how Jesus answered the question – What must I do to have eternal life? In His answer, He will bring together the aspects of faith as it relates to God. And the aspect of good works, as it relates to other people. It will help us answer the question “do I have eternal life” for ourselves. And it will help us discern whether those around us have eternal life.

Luke 10:21 (ESV) In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

Jesus was full of joy at the report of these 72 disciples and He rejoiced in the Spirit. He thanked God for revealing hidden truths to these disciples. He referred to these disciples as little children, not the wise with great understanding. God’s revelation is given to those who don’t think they know it all. God’s revelation is given to those who want to learn new things. God’s revelation is given to those who seek to follow Jesus and do the things that He did.

Luke 10:22 (ESV) All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Jesus then begins to speak of His relationship with God, the Father. He knows and has been given all things, all power, all authority. Jesus reveals who the Father is to all those who follow Him in obedience. Jesus was speaking of revealing the Father to His disciples, then and now.

Luke 10:23-24 (ESV) Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The Old Testament prophets and kings were waiting for a Messiah who would do miraculous things. They were waiting for a Messiah who would teach them about God, the creator of all. Yet, they only had glimpses of what that would be like. Finally, for these 72 disciples, Jesus had revealed hidden things that had never been seen before.

There was no casting out of demons in the Old Testament, although demons were all around. But these disciples had been blessed to be alive when the kingdom of God was near through the ministry of Jesus. And we are blessed to be alive in the time after Jesus’ resurrection when He is still pouring out the power of the Holy Spirit. God is still revealing hidden things to His children and we are blessed by it.

So, let’s think a little more deeply about Jesus’ teaching that God reveals hidden things to little children. Jesus said elsewhere that unless receives the kingdom of God like a child, he cannot enter it. How can we become like children to see the hidden things of the kingdom? Children are eager learners, they don’t think they know it all. Children love to try new things, they are not stuck in their ways. Children by nature follow and imitate their parents. They don’t seem to care what people think of them. Little children tend to not be prideful, but humble and receptive. 

God desires to reveal hidden secrets of His kingdom power to those who have the openness of a child. God desires to reveal hidden secrets to those who seek God’s revelation. Who seek to tell others that Jesus is the only way. Who seek to discern and destroy Satan’s power in people’s lives. Who seek to be a worker in God’s harvest field. God reveals hidden things to His children.

Jesus is the only way to God, that is a profound and essential truth. Jesus is who He says He is, not what someone would like Him to be. Many people do not know who Jesus really is. God desires to use you to tell people who Jesus is.

Jesus came to set people free from Satan’s power. And He’s given us His authority over Satan’s demons, let’s use it. Perhaps thinking about doing what Jesus did sounds a little crazy to you. Let’s become like little children who love to do new things. God reveals hidden secrets to those who follow Him like children. Those secrets will bless your life and the lives of those around you.

Luke 10:17 (ESV) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

Jesus had told the 72 disciples to heal the sick. When they returned, we find that they rightly understood healing the sick and including casting our demons. Notice that their authority over demons was in Jesus’ name, not their own power. These 72 disciples had been trained and now put in practice the three ministries of Jesus. Sharing the gospel of the kingdom, healing the sick and casting out demons.

Luke 10:18-19 (ESV) And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Jesus was saying that as His disciples were setting people free from demons, He saw a vision. In that vision, He saw Satan plummeting like lightning from heaven. In other words, Satan’s power was being defeated in the lives of people. How was this happening? Because Jesus had given authority to His disciples over all of the enemies’ power.

Jesus spoke of this authority as being able to walk in serpents and scorpions. Serpents and scorpions are venomous and dangerous creatures that people would tend to run from. Yet, these creatures are symbols of demonic powers that we can have authority over in Jesus’ name. Jesus concludes by saying the nothing of the enemy will hurt them.

Luke 10:20 (ESV) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus then helped his disciples to see that the most important thing was not casting demons out. The most important thing to rejoice in is that they were saved. To be saved is to have your name written in heaven in the lamb’s book of life, described in the book of Revelation. Jesus gives His followers the power to take authority over Satan.

Just as Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan by healing and delivering people from demons, so that is our mission as well. Many people’s problems in life, their bad habits and addictions are due to demons. If you’ve been reading and going through the Gospel of Luke with us, you’ve seen that this battle with demons is everywhere in Jesus and His disciples’ ministry.

We’re not just pulling one verse out and making a mountain out of a mole hill. We need to take authority over demonic powers in people’s lives as we pray for them. We need to ask God for the gift of discerning of spirits, so that we can know what evil spirit we are dealing with. God has given us as His army, the weapons to defeat the enemy. He wants to use you to set people free and see Satan fall from heaven over and over again. May God help us to take authority over Satan’s power

Luke 10:13 (ESV) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

In this passage, Jesus was sending out 72 disciples to bring the kingdom of God near to the towns of Israel. Some of the towns would receive the gospel message and others would reject it. Jesus calls out two towns Chorazin and Bethsaida for rejecting the gospel. He said that mighty works were done in the. What were these mighty works?

These mighty works were the healing and deliverance miracles that Jesus and His disciples did. Jesus compares these two towns to the Old Testament gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon. Numerous prophets can prophesied on the judgement of God coming on those two cities. Yet, Jesus is saying that the people of those cities would have repented if they had seen the same miracles. Receiving the gospel is evidenced by repentance.

Luke 10:14-15 (ESV) But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

The are degrees of judgment in hell, although it will be a place of eternal torment for everyone who goes there. Jesus speaks of another Israelite town, Capernaum, which seems to have been prideful. That city and its inhabitants who rejected Jesus would spend in eternity in Hades, another name for hell. Then Jesus explains to the 72 disciples what this meant for their mission.

Luke 10:16 (ESV) “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Jesus wanted them to know that some cities would reject the gospel they preached, even though it was backed up by miracles. These disciples were being sent out in Jesus’ name. That meant that the gospel of the kingdom they were preaching was Jesus’ words. When that gospel message was rejected, they would be rejecting Jesus, not the disciples. And to reject Jesus is to reject God Himself. Jesus is the only way to God.

The fundamental question that every person on this planet must answer in their life is “who is Jesus?” The answer to that question can only be found in God’s Word. Who a person thinks Jesus is, is meaningless if it is incorrect and contrary to the Bible. Many people who claim to be Christian believe in a Jesus of their own invention. If a person believes in a Jesus of their own making and not the Jesus of the Bible, they are not saved. Believing in the real Jesus and what He taught about Himself is the only way to God. 

How can you tell whether a person is a true Christian? One way is to ask them the question, do you believe that there are many ways to God? If their answer is yes, they’re not a Christian, as they don’t understand who the real Jesus is. And you have an opportunity to tell them about Jesus, the only way to God. Jesus is the only way to God. Since Jesus is the only, we can …

Today I’ve entitled our message “Jesus is the Only Way.” What does that mean, Jesus is the only way? It means that Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God. It means that Jesu is the only way to have your sins forgiven. It means that Jesus is the only way to spend eternity in heaven.

John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus makes it clear that he is the way, not one of many ways. Jesus teaches is that He alone embodies the truth. Jesus tells us that He is eternal life with no other option. If that was not enough, Jesus says that no one comes to God, the Father except through Him. Jesus clearly teaches us that He is the only way. Peter preaches about Jesus in …

Acts 4:12 (ESV) And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Peter leaves no doubt that salvation comes only through the name of Jesus. The problem we face in America today is that 69% of adults believe they are Christians. Yet, the vast majority (64%) of those who claim to be Christians believe that all religions are of equal value.

What do they mean when they think all religions are of equal value? It is that there are many ways to God and Jesus is just one of those ways. That is not what Jesus or the Bible clearly teaches. Only 6% of Americans possess a basic biblical worldview, which believes that Jesu is the only way. That 6% is a shockingly low percentage of people who are truly Christians.

You might, well Pastor Dan, aren’t you being too strict? A person doesn’t need to know everything in order to be saved, do they? No a person doesn’t need to know everything in the Bible to be saved. They do need to know the basics truths of what they are professing to believe in. That means an accurate knowledge of who Jesus is and what He has done to provide salvation. That is the essence of the Gospel, and you must understand the Gospel to be saved.

Some would say, well that seems so exclusive, so intolerant of other religions. You’re absolutely right. Christianity teaches that Jesus is the only way. Other religions are considered doctrines of demons. They lead people away from Jesus and salvation, rather than toward Him. So, let’s explore in greater detail today what Jesus had to say about being the only way.

Luke 10:5, 7 (ESV) Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ … And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Now the mission of these 72 was to go to people they did not know. They would bless the families that showed them hospitality. Jesus said that the laborer or workers deserves his wages. That means that those who are working in the harvest deserve to be paid a living wage. How are they to be paid? They are to be paid by the people who they are ministering to. Now, let’s look more closely at Jesus’ instructions about their message.

Luke 10:8-9 (ESV) Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

When the disciples entered a town, there were two possible responses. Either the town would receive them and give them hospitality, or it wouldn’t. What were they to do in the towns that received them? They were to bring healing to those who were sick. And where did that healing power come from? They were to tell people that the healing power came from God’s kingdom coming near. We’ll see next Sunday, as we go on in this passage, that the disciples were also casting demons out, as part of their kingdom healing.

Luke 10:10-11 (ESV) But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’

Some towns would not receive them. They would not offer them hospitality, nor receive the message of the kingdom. They were not call judgement down on them. But they were to wipe the dust off their feet, as a gesture showing they didn’t want the evil of that town to clink to them. And they were to tell that town that the kingdom of God had come near, but they had rejected it.

Luke 10:12 (ESV) I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Sodom was a wicked city in the Old Testament that was incinerated by fire from heaven in God’s judgement. It stands for a picture of the final judgment, which would be worse for that town then Sodom. Why? Because the miracles of the kingdom that were performed by Jesus and His disciples were far more powerful than anything that had happened in Sodom. How to know you’re a Christian? Your message is the kingdom.

How is our message to be about the kingdom today? When we speak about God’s kingdom, that implies there is a king of the kingdom, Jesus. People have a lot of kings in their lives, the most common is themselves. The message of the kingdom is that there is only one king. And Jesus requires complete obedience.

The kingdom is not just for this life, but for eternity as well. When a person becomes part of the kingdom in life, they will be in God’s kingdom forever. Not everyone will accept the message of the kingdom, that they need to repent. But we move on to those who are ready to accept the message.

Pray for the needs of those around you and believe God to heal, deliver and do miracles. Those are a sign that the kingdom is near. How to know you’re a Christian? You message is the kingdom.

 I believe it’s time for the church to speak the truth in love to the insanity of our present culture. We need to lovingly speak out against people doing what’s right in their own eyes, when it’s not right in God’s eyes. There is a standard of male and female established at creation. There is a standard of the unborn child being a person created in God’s image. There is a standard of what a Christian is and how they live life.

To speak the truth is to challenge the lies of the enemy. May God be with us as we go out like lambs in the midst of wolves.