Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God and Eternal Life (#8)

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Recapitulation

Brothers, sisters and friends, in the last several messages we have studied different aspects of the kingdom of God; I hope that the glory of the kingdom of God will attract you to pursue after it. Today we are going to look at one important topic: eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Introduction

Many years ago I met a Christian sister, she said that having eternal life is different from entering the kingdom of God, because the term “eternal life” and the term “kingdom of God” never appear together in the Bible! According to her reasoning, if you want to have eternal life, you only need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then you can have it right now! But if you want to enter into the kingdom of God, you have to obey the commandments of the Lord Jesus, which are very difficult! She said that if you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you will receive eternal life right away; after that even if you don’t obey the Lord’s commandments, you won’t die, because you already have eternal life! Someone who has eternal life would not die, right? If you don’t obey the Lord’s commandments, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God, but it won’t affect your eternal life!

This teaching is dangerous; it can lead to very serious consequences in people’s lives because people would simply disregard the commandments of the Lord Jesus as well as the commandments in the Old Testament Law, they have nothing to fear anymore! Indeed there are whole groups of people who believe this teaching. Through all these years, the more I know about the Bible, the more I see the danger of this teaching. That’s why I decided to address this wrong teaching.

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Who Can Enter into The Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God and Eternal Life (#7)

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Recapitulation

Last time we saw that the greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who humbles himself to become a slave to save people. Of course ultimately that is our Lord Jesus Christ. If you follow the Lord’s example, if you humble yourself to be like a slave to save people, and if you obey God’s teaching to the point of death, then you will also be great in the kingdom of God. After hearing this, do you still want to enter into the kingdom of God?

NAU John 3:1 – 5 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

This Pharisee named Nicodemus came to talk to the Lord Jesus at night, and the Lord said to him, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. ” Nicodemus did not understand what it means to be born again, so the Lord explained further that, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Please take notice of this statement, this is the very word declared by the Lord Jesus, if you want to enter into the kingdom of God, you have to be born of water and the Spirit.

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