If you’ve followed the last 5 weeks, we’ve walked through Psalm 27, a Psalm of David that guides the believer to “look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).” Last week showed us why David could be certain of this. But why can we be? Why are sure that we will look upon the Lord in the land of the living? Why can we joyfully endure the dark, enemies, false witnesses, abandonment, and even death?
Why can we look all of those in the eye and laugh and say, “I’m gonna live forever!”?
The answer Christians give is simply this: Because God raised
In Acts 2, the apostle stands up and proclaimed: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works.... delivered up according to the plan of God, you crucified and killed, God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him....my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”
This is our faith! In Romans 8:11, Paul shares the same truth:
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Because Jesus was raised, believers can be sure we will be too! The question is then, “How do we attain this? How do we inherit eternal life?” There’s only one way and it’s to be a person of one thing. In Luke 19, a rich young ruler asked Jesus this same question. And Jesus’ response to him was to sell everything and follow Him. This is what’s necessary. The disciples are baffled. “How can anyone get in?!” And Jesus tells them the same thing, to inherit eternal life means to give up everything for the one thing Jesus said to them, “...everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
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