Let's take our Bibles once again
and turn back to the book of John chapter 17. John 17, I'd like to deal with
verses 17 to 19. John 17, 17, sanctify them through
thy truth. Thy word is truth. As Thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." The Lord, having declared that
His people are not of this world, Now let's consider how this separation,
and if you're not of this world, then there's got to be something
that's separated them. What is the God-ordained means
of separation? There's got to be something.
that God Almighty uses. There's got to be a means of
separating His people from the world. How did we become outwardly
to be not of the world? As I said before, I know that
what God Almighty has eternally purposed, He's eternally purposed.
And we've always been his as his sheep in his heart, affection,
mind, purpose, will. But we didn't know it. The world
didn't know it. But there's something that God's
been pleased to cause that hatred and resentment to rise up against
God's people. There's got to be something that
those that he has sanctified be brought in to focus to the
world and to God's people that they might behold. What is it? Here's what it is. They believe God. They believe God. Somebody would
say, well now, everybody believes God. No. No. God's people believe God as He sets forth the record of
His Son in the Gospel. If you want to know that which
separates God's people from the world. Here's what it is. They believe the gospel, the
gospel of Christ. This is that gospel that Paul
said he was not ashamed of. I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians
2. When people hear the Gospel,
there's always going to be a reaction to it. Always. There's always
going to be a reaction. 2 Corinthians 2.15, For we are
unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved, and in
them that perish. To the one we are the savor of
death unto death, to the other the savor of life unto life.
And who is sufficient for these things?" What did Paul mean when
he said that? We are unto God a sweet savor
of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish. Does
that mean it's sweet and savory to everybody? No, that's not
what it said. Here's what it said. The gospel of Christ is
precious whether men believe it or not. That's what it said. Now to some, to one, we're the
savor of death unto death. An unbeliever hears the gospel
of God's grace. And he said, I don't believe
that. That can't be right. As I said in the first service,
that's just not fair. All but to the other, savor of
life. Unto life. Life now unto life
eternal. Unto life in this world and life
with Christ forever. Life. The glorious gospel. So that which separates is this
message that God has sent concerning His Son. Now back in John 17.
John 17, 17. Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Thy word. Thy truth. Look at the precious
position that our Lord takes as our representative. Made in
the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin. Look how He
called the Father. The words that I speak, my Father
gave me. He humbled Himself. Thy Word. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word is truth. Was that His
Word? Sure it was His Word. Oh, but
as the Son of Man, as the One who humbled Himself, as our representative,
here He is in complete submission to the Father in a way that I
never would be, never could be. Sanctify them through thy truth,
thy word is truth. Now that word sanctify, just
a second, now just to understand, you've got to interpret scripture
with scripture. The word sanctify means, it means
holy, but it also means to set apart. And here's verse 19 that
we'll look at in just a minute. For their sakes I sanctify myself
that they also might be sanctified through the truth. That wording
that he just gave gives us the way in which that word is used. Our Lord declares, He said, for
their sakes I sanctify myself. I set myself apart. He's holy. He is holy. He is sanctified. The holy God. The eternal Son. But as the man,
Christ Jesus. As the Son of Man. He set himself
apart. For that calling that His Father
had sent Him to, He willingly, He gave Himself, set Himself,
I sanctify myself that the Father's will might be done. The work
that the Father had given Him might be done. Sanctify them,
then means set them apart. Consecrate them to the work to
which they're called. to be His witnesses. And Father,
do it through the truth. You know, I was talking this
morning about we wouldn't even know what to pray. We would never
ask this. We wouldn't even know what to
ask. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word is truth. Set
them apart in spirit by the means of Your
Word. that which the Lord Jesus Christ
was the open manifestation of. He is the Word, in the beginning
was the Word. The Word was with God, the Word
was God, and the Word was made flesh. And the Gospel itself
sets forth Him who humbled Himself and sanctified Himself that His
people might be set apart in the preaching of the Word Himself. Set them apart through the hearing,
and the believing, and the understanding of the gospel. Let me tell you
what makes God's people different. They believe the gospel of Christ. Have you ever noticed how many
different doctrines there are? I mean in the world. How many
different ways of salvation there are? It's according to men. Some
say you got to do this, some say you got to do that. No you
don't do that, this is what you got to do. You know what God's
people believe? They believe the doctrine of
God. They believe Christ. There's one message. And I don't
care where you go in this world, you find a man or a woman that
God Almighty has taught the gospel of God's free grace, and I'm
telling you, they believe the same thing you do. I told you
before, I'd be down in Mexico, and they're preaching. Well,
what they would be doing is actually when we were down there, they
were leading in prayer or something like that. And Cody or Walter
would be interpreting. what they were saying here. I'm
listening to this guy speak Spanish. I don't understand a word of
it. Maybe every once in a while I'll pick up something. But they're
telling me what they're saying and I'm thinking, that's what
I believe. That's what I believe. I believe
that. I believe the gospel of God's free grace. The gospel
taught to the heart of God's people that separates them from
the world. This whole world is divided into
two groups, sheep and goats, lech and wicked. Father, manifest
the difference through thy truth, thy worst truth. This is why
we preach the same thing. Whatever's preached right here
by the grace of God is what's preached right here at Todd's
Road. You listen to Todd Nyberg preach, this is what Todd's going
to preach. Which scripture is it going to come out of? Whichever
one the Lord directs. But I can tell you this, it's
not but one message. It's the same message. That's why people
will say so many times. Do they ever say anything differently?
No. No. Everything else that is taught
concerning God's will or God's way of the separation between
God separating people in any other message except the gospel
of God's grace is not true. Try the spirits. When a man stands
up to preach, try the spirits. Try the spirits. Try the spirits. to see if they are of God. See
if they're consistent with this message I told you before. By
starting off, by John starting off by saying, try the spirits.
I'll tell you my little interpretation of that. A man's guilty until
proven innocent. When he comes to preaching the
gospel, he's guilty. Somebody tells me, well I'm a
preacher. I'm a preacher and I think, Well,
I'll have to hear what you say first before I'm going to relax
around you just because. Why? Because many are in the
world. Is that not true? Sure it is.
Listen to the message. If a man preaches works, man's
works, it's not the truth. The gospel of God's electing,
redeeming, effectual calling is the truth. That salvation
is all of grace, not of works, not of works. If there's anything
that you have to do in order to be saved, it is not the truth. Sanctify them through Thy truth. Thy Word is truth. As Thou has
sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the
world. God's people, God's preachers,
do not thrust themselves into his employment. God's people don't run without
being sent. Jeremiah 3.15 says, I will give
you pastors according to my heart which shall feed you. If God's
pleased to send a preacher, God will send him. You look at Jeremiah
13.14 for a second. Jeremiah 13.14. We're looking at that scripture,
"...as thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also
sent them into the world." Look at Jeremiah 13.14. Evidently, I've written down
the wrong scripture. I try to say that I've written
down the scripture. It's a scripture. Let me see
if it's 1413. No, but let me tell you what
I was going to read. My apologies to you. It's the one where the
Lord says, if they say that I've been sin of the Lord, He said
if they preach not according to this word, I didn't send them.
I didn't send them. How do you know? How do you know
if God Almighty has sent a preacher? He preaches this gospel, Galatians
1. Look at Galatians 1. I'm pretty
confident in this one. Galatians 1, verse 6 to 8. I marvel that you're so soon
removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel, which is not another. But there be some
that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though
we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we've preached unto you, let him be accursed." If
a man preaches any other gospel than this gospel, Let him be
accursed. God's preachers are appointed,
sent. That's what the Lord said back
in John 17, 18, as thou hast sent me into the world. God appointed
him. God chose him. He was God's elect. And we were chosen in God's elect.
Elect in the elect. As thou hast sent me into the
world, even so have I also sent them into the world. I sent them.
That's why he said, I sent them. I sent them. Someone called me
recently and told me, this is the truth, let me tell you this,
Glenn Jean. A man called me the other day
and he said, God's called me to preach. And he said, I don't
have a place to preach. I was just wondering if you had
any suggestions. I said, I do have some suggestions. I said, I want you to find a
place. I asked him where he was and I gave him a suggestion.
Go to this place. I know there's a preacher there.
And go sit and listen. Go sit and listen. That's what
I'd do if I was you. I'd sit down and be quiet. When God Almighty is going to
send a preacher, God will send him. You don't have to call this
little peanut and get my opinion. God Almighty calls people and
sends them. That's what the Lord said. As
thou has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into the world. And verse 19, and for their sakes,
I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the
truth." So in obedience to the Father's will, in sanctifying
the Son, set Him apart as the Redeemer, the great high priest
of His people, that they might be found holy and without blame
before Him and loved, the Lord Jesus declares, for their sakes,
I sanctify myself that, or in order that. They also might be
sanctified, or the margin by margin says truly sanctified
through the truth. Oh, the necessity of hearing
the gospel over and over and over again. Paul says, to say
the same things unto you, to me is not grievous. It's not
grievous. For me to preach the same thing
to you over, he said, for you it's safe. It's safe. Do you realize the safety in
hearing the gospel again? This gospel, as I said before,
I never was one to do a lot of reading outside of just studying
here, like novels and stuff like that. I just never did, I just
never could. And there's people, I know a
lot of you here, you read, read, read, read a lot. I just never
have. But I'll tell you what, if I
read I'm just thinking of a thick book that I looked at. I never
read it. Mutiny on the Bounty. That's
the one that popped in my mind. If I ever read that one time,
write it down. I wouldn't read it again. Last
of the Mohicans, I wouldn't read it again. Why? I already read
it. I already read it. I already
got through it once. Maybe. Maybe. I know Nancy probably
did. But I just wouldn't. But now
this, this book is not a novel. This is life. This is God's living
Word now. And every time a believer hears
it, it's brand new. It's like he just heard it first
time. Why? You're believing with faith
that God just gave you, faith that cometh right now. You hear it with brand new faith.
I said before, yesterday's error, yesterday's faith. Faith cometh
by hearing. I've got to hear the truth again.
For their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Through the truth. Without Him,
we can do nothing. Without Him sanctifying Himself
for our sake, we're not accepted. Except He sanctifies, set Himself
apart for our sake, and we be found in Him, we're not accepted. Without Him being our substitute,
sanctifying himself, setting himself apart to be our substitute
before God. Setting himself apart, I lay
down my life for the sheep, except he be my substitute. My debt's not paid. Without him
as our great federal head, answering for me, pleading for me, Approaching
God on my behalf. God's a consuming fire. For their sakes, for their sakes,
for their sakes, I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified
through the truth. Last verse, Ephesians 5. Ephesians
5.25. Ephesians 5.25. Husbands, love your wives. Even as Christ also loved the
church and gave himself for it, sanctified himself for it. sin
of God, he willingly, I sanctify myself. That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he
might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and
without blemish. Sanctify. me, Lord, in you that
has sanctified yourself. Let me be accepted in you, Lord. Lord, present my prayer before
the throne in your merit, who has set yourself apart for my
sake. And forgive me for your sake. Amen. Gary.