Would you turn back to John chapter
13? Tonight, I'm going to be speaking
from the 11th verse of 1 Corinthians chapter 13, when Paul said, when
I became a man, I put away childish things. I've entitled this message, Having
Loved His Own. Let's read the verse again. Now,
before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father. having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end." And this verse is the introduction
to one of the most glorious, majestic places in God's Word. ending with the Lord's prayer
for his disciples in John chapter 17. Now, Matthew, Mark, and Luke
don't record this. This is what the Lord said to
his disciples during what is known as the Last Supper or the
Lord's Supper. This is the Lord's last address
to his disciples and directly after this, he's going to be
betrayed. He's going to be tried. He's
going to be crucified right after this, and he knows it. And here
are his last words to his disciples before his betrayal, arrest and
crucifixion. Now in the old Testament tabernacle,
There was a holy place and there was the holy of holies. And I would say reverently that
this passage of scripture may be just that, it's all holy. But this could be called the
Holy of Holies and it ends with the Lord's prayer to his father
in behalf of his people. That's the Lord's prayer. Now, the Lord's public ministry
had ended and this is his last discourse with his disciples
before his death. And here is how John begins this,
now before the feast of the Passover. I think it's interesting that
John calls the Passover three times. Speaking of the three
Passovers that took place during the Lord's public ministry, he
called it the Jews Passover. It's not the Lord's Passover,
it's the Jews' Passover. They didn't understand the Passover,
the feast of the Passover of the Jews. Now this is a slam
against their view of the Passover, but now when he speaks of the
Passover, he calls it the Passover. because the true Passover is
getting ready to take place. The Lord is that Paschal Lamb. Now, some 1,500 years before
the writing of this passage of Scripture, we have the true Passover. The Lord said in Luke chapter
22, verse 15, with desire, Have I desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer? That was said to the 12. That
was said to every one of his people with desire. That's such powerful language,
with desire. Have I desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer. Would you turn back to Exodus
chapter 11 for a moment? The Passover was before the last
plague God sent, the destruction of the firstborn. Exodus chapter
11, and the Lord said unto Moses, yet will I bring one plague more
upon Pharaoh, And upon Egypt, afterwards, he will let you go
hence. When he shall let you go, he
shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. He'll want you out.
Speak now in the ears of the people and let every man borrow
of his neighbor and every man, woman of her neighbor, jewels
of silver and jewels of gold. Now this is a miracle. You're
gonna go up to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and say, Let me
have your silver, let me have your gold. Here it is. That's
a miracle, isn't it? Think of this. And the Lord gave
the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the
man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of
Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. They were
afraid of Moses. He'd already brought through the Lord's hand,
these nine plagues. And they had seen what this had
done to Egypt and they were afraid of him. And Moses said, thus
saith the Lord about midnight. Will I go out into the midst
of Egypt? And all the firstborn in the
land of Egypt shall die. From the firstborn of Pharaoh
that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the
maidservant that is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of
the beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the
land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be
like it anymore. Against any of the children of
Israel shall not a dog move his tongue. Against man or beast,
that you may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between
the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall
come down unto me and bow down themselves unto me saying, get
thee out, all the people that follow thee. And after that,
I'll go out. And he went out from Pharaoh
in a great anger. And this sets up the Passover. Now, you know what took place
in the Passover. Let me remind you of a passage
of scripture from 1 Corinthians 15, three. He says, the gospel
is defined as how that Christ died for our sins. according
to the scripture, the Old Testament scripture.
There's no understanding of the death of Christ unless I understand.
It's how that Christ died for our sins, according to the Old
Testament scripture. And we have it so clear in the
Passover. The Paschal Lamb, a Lamb without
blemish and without spot, speaking of the perfect humanity of Jesus
Christ. He never sinned. It was to be
observed for 14 days. And that 14, two sevens, the
number of perfection, the perfect deity, the absolute deity of
Jesus Christ. The other seven, the absolute
perfect humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God man, the
Paschal lamb. They were to take that lamb,
slit its throat, catch the blood in a basin. And they were to
take a hyssop branch and put that blood over the door of the
house they were in. They were to roast that lamb
and eat all of it. Nothing was to be left. Now understand, I've heard people say, well,
do you have to believe that? Is it in the gospel? Yes, you
have to believe it. You're to believe all of the gospel. I'm to eat all of it and leave
nothing out. And that blood was to be put
on the door. And God said about midnight, I will pass through the land.
And he makes this promise. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. Now think of this promise. When I see the blood, I will
pass over you. What was the one thing God was
looking for? He didn't say when I see your
success in fighting sin. He didn't say when I see your
faith. He didn't say when I see your sincerity. He didn't say
when I see your doctrinal understanding. He said, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Who had to see the blood? He did not say, when you see
the blood. He said, when I see the blood. You know, if you were in the
house with the blood over the door, you couldn't see it, could you? You were in
the house. When I see the blood. Now this is what the Holy Spirit
uses to set up this last discourse with his people, the Passover
feast that they would be observing. together. What does he promise he will
do? When I see the blood, this is
God speaking, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. What if on that very day, Maybe
even five minutes before an Israelite committed a scandalous sin. All sin is scandalous. All sin
is evil. But let's say five minutes before
midnight. An Israelite committed a scandalous,
shameful sin. And then they went in the house
with the blood over the door. If they were in the house with
the blood over the door, would God pass over them in mercy? Absolutely. I know someone will be thinking,
well, you're making sin okay. No, I'm not. You can think that
if you want, but I'll tell you what, this is the gospel. When
I see the blood, I will pass over you. And I like to think
of this, in those houses, There were some people who felt such
confidence, the Lord has promised, we're fine. And there would be
other people who were nervous. They were in the house, maybe
at five till 12, when he said he's gonna pass through at midnight,
they're thinking, wonder, what if, what if? This is what is
so glorious. the people who had confidence
weren't any more secure than the people who were scared to
death. Because this is the one issue. God said, when I see the
blood, I will pass over you. Now this is the Feast of the
Passover that was taking place. Now before the Feast of the Passover,
when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart
out of this world unto the Father." Now this underscores the solemnity of
this when Jesus knew that His hour was come. Now three times
in the book of John before this It says his hour has not yet
come. Look in John chapter 17, verse
one. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hour has come. It's here. This was the hour of his death.
Now he had prayed in Gethsemane's garden that if it was possible, if it's possible, let this hour
pass from me. Now, this is the son of God saying
this, who is omniscient, who knows all things. And yet when
he thought of what is involved in this hour, when he was going
to take the content of that cup, the sins of his people and drink
it into his own body, if it'd be possible, let this cup pass
from me, let this hour pass from me. You see, he understood. None
of us can understand this. He did. He knew exactly what
was getting ready to take place. He was going to drink the cup
of the sins of the elect into his own body. He bear our sins
in his own body. And the thought of doing that
made him pray if it's possible. This is the son of God praying
this. If it's possible, let this cup, let this hour pass from
me. Was it possible? No. This is the purpose for the
creation of the universe. This hour when Jesus Christ would
come and shed his precious blood and put away the sins of his
people and glorify his father and completely save his people.
This hour was the reason the universe was created. He's called
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Was it possible? No. Why did he pray this? Because even the Son of God was
overwhelmed at the thought of being forsaken by His Father
and being made sin. You and I just can't understand
that. He did. He's the one who knew no sin.
He's the one who was to be made sin. And all the horror, don't
ever think of sin in any way of indifference or a hard heart
toward it. Look how the Son of God actually
prayed that if it would be possible, this hour would pass from him
at the thought of him being made sin. Sin is such an infinite
evil in every respect. The Son of God understood this.
His hour has come. The hour for him to make the
way for God to be just and justify the ungodly. That's what the
Bible is about. God giving his son to make a
way for him to be absolutely just and yet justify, render
guiltless ungodly sinners. through what his son did on Calvary's
tree. And the Lord knew this, this
was in his consciousness. What a heavy burden this must
have been. But he also knew the outcome
of what would take place. The full glory of his father.
The full glorification of every attribute of God. How that delighted
his soul to know he would be doing that. And the complete
salvation of his people. And I love the way it's expressed. In verse one, Jesus knew that
his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto
the Father. I don't know how this is so,
but he left heaven. And for 33 years, he was gone. The angels were aware of his
absence. I'm sure that those 33 years,
they were looking at every moment of his life. You know, there's all kinds of
things going on on this earth that we would consider real important
that the angels weren't interested in. But oh, how they were interested
in every second of his life. As they watched him, they didn't
understand what was going on. And yet the Lord also says in
John chapter three, the one who came down from heaven is in heaven.
Now, how's he in both places? He's a man in a body. I don't
know, but he was because he's a God man. You can't say of him
what you'd say of any other man. He's the God man. And he had
left for 33 years and he knows his time has come to go back
to his father. To go back home in an infinite
way in the presence of his father. And you can bet he was anticipating
this to go back into glory. The hour has come that he should
depart out of this world. And let me say this. The death of a believer is just
departing here, entering life. The best day of your life, if
you're a believer, would be the day you die and enter into the
very presence of Jesus Christ, beholding his glory. Oh, how the son anticipated being
back in his father's presence. In thy presence is fullness of
joy. At thy right hand are pleasures
evermore." Those are the words of the Son of God as he prepares
to go back into his Father's presence. Now look at this statement
in chapter 1, chapter 13. Having loved his own. Now that's the word the Holy
Spirit uses to inspire John to write. Having loved his own, which were in the world,
he loved them to the end. Now who are these people he calls
his own? His own. That's a very particular
designation with regard to these people. His own. Who are these people He calls
His own? Well, turn to John 17 for a moment,
verses 1 and 2. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up His eyes to heaven and said, The hour is come. Glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee, as thou has given him power
over, how much flesh? All flesh. Every human being
to ever live. That's who's included in all
flesh. He has power and authority over
all flesh. Yes, the sheep are his, but the
goats are his too. All flesh is his. Thou has made
him Lord, both of the dead and the living. Those who are dead
in sins, they don't know he's their Lord, but he's their Lord.
He's in control of them and the living. Thou has given him power
over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. Now those are the ones designated
his own. Those the father has given him,
they are his own. Now this does not include every
son of Adam to ever live. Now he's got power over all flesh,
But his own are those the father gave him as his own possession. His own. What a sweet designation
for his people. I wanna be one of these people
that he calls his own, don't you? He knows his own sheep. He giveth his life for the sheep. His own. Now, these are the elect. Now, please hear me. These are
the elect. These are those the father gave
him before time began. In that great high priestly prayer
in John chapter 17, we'll get there sometime, but do you know
seven times in that prayer, he refers to those the father gave
him. Seven times. I like that number. seven times the number of perfection
those the father gave him he went so far as to say I pray
for them I pray not for the world but for them which thou has given
me his own having loved his own his elect now before I go on
what is meant by election it's a biblical term And a man
would be a fool to close his eyes to this glorious truth concerning
God's election of his people. So turn with me for a moment
to Ephesians chapter one. I'm not going to just assume
everyone knows what it means. Ephesians chapter one, verse
four. according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated
us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according
to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Who chose who? He chose us. I heard a preacher trying to
describe election. He said, here's all you gotta
understand. If you chose him, he chose you. No. No. As a matter of fact, he said,
you did not choose me. He said that. You did not choose
me. I chose you. Who chose who? He chose us. When was this choice made? Well,
it was when I believed. Oh, no. Scripture says he chose
us before the foundation of the world, before creation, when
there was nothing but God. That is when he chose us. Somebody may say, well, how did
he make this choice? There's only one way that can
be answered. According as he has chosen us
in him. That's the only way he could
choose you or me in him. You see, my election was not
independent of me being in Jesus Christ. The elect have eternally
been in Jesus Christ. That's how He chose me. He didn't
look at me and think of anything about me, period. Accepted in
the Beloved. Well, why did He do this? We read, "...to the praise of
the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the
Beloved." Now those are the people He designates as His own. His own. Having loved His own,
which were in the world, He loved them unto the end. His own are His elect, His bride,
His body, those the Father gave Him. They're His own by His own
choice. He said, John chapter 15, verse 16, I've already quoted
it. You did not choose me. But I chose you. Don't you know
that's so? You know it's so if He chose
you. Somebody argues against this, it's just because you weren't
chosen. The chosen know this. They know this. We're His own by purchase. You
are not your own, but you're bought with a price. They're His own because of union. with himself. My body is my body. His body
is his body. They're united to him. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. Now think of those statements
or that statement. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. Now this statement says,
first of all, that he's always loved his own. There was never a time when that
love began. He said, behold, I have loved
you with an everlasting love, a love that had no beginning.
Now this blows our mind. We can't comprehend it. How he
never began to love me. He said, before I formed me in
the belly, I knew me. I had personality before God,
before I was ever born, before there was ever a creation. He's
always known his people having loved his own. Does that mean
he knew all about us? Yeah, more than that. More than
that though. Whom he did foreknow, forelove. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his son. When he said to that crowd,
depart from me ye that work iniquity. I never knew you. Doesn't mean
he didn't know their names. Doesn't mean he didn't know everything
they did. He did. He said, I never knew you. I
never knew you to be one of my own. I never loved you is what
that means. This is the love spoken of Ephesians
2, 4 and 5, but God who's rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us even when we were dead in sins. hath quickened us together with
Christ. God commended His love toward
us and while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is the love spoken of by
John in 1 John 4 10. Herein is love, not that we love
God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation,
a sin-removing sacrifice. Having always loved them, he
continues to love them all the way to the end. Having loved
his own, were in the world, He loved them unto the end." Now,
let me say this about this love and this is very important. This
is not what religious people call unconditional love. There is no such thing as unconditional
love. You see, if God can love you
unconditionally, He can quit loving you unconditionally. This
is not unconditional love. Somebody says, I love my children
unconditionally. No, you don't. You love them
because they're your children. Now, here is how he loves his
people. They are perfectly lovely to
him. They're perfect. They're beautiful. They're without spot or wrinkle
or any such thing. Now this is the perfection of
his children because of what he did for them. He said, thou
art all fair, my love. There's no spot in thee. We're said to be holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight. This is true of all his own. This is no unconditional love. Oh, this is highly conditional.
Perfect in Christ Jesus. Now, when I was a little boy
in my grandparents' house, and I was wondering, Karen, would
you remember this? Sherry's not here this morning,
but I wonder if she remembers it. They had the senior cuts,
my mom's parents, they had the senior cuts of their children
on the dresser. One of my mother, one of, My
two uncles, John and Cecil. And I would look at those cuts,
those senior cuts when I was a kid. I'd look at them and they
looked perfect. And I thought, that's not what
they look like. I mean, this is perfect. I mean,
these people look like movie stars, perfect movie stars. I
remember I thought, how did her cheeks get so red and rosy and
flushed? She looks perfect. My uncles
look perfect. They didn't look like that. And
yet I look at these pictures, they're perfect. You know, I
didn't know there was such a thing as Photoshopping. Is that what
you call it? Where everybody was made to look
good. They would alter those pictures. And I mean, you look
like perfect people, but they weren't. But in Christ Jesus,
I am perfect. I am holy and unblameable and
unreprovable in his sight. Might not be in your sight, but
I am in his sight. And that's the sight that counts.
And how he sees things is how they really are. And that's what
he did for his own, all of his own. are holy, unblameable. It's not photoshopping. This
is what we really are, by what Christ did for us. Perfect in
Christ Jesus. Somebody says, I don't feel like
that. Doesn't matter, that's still what you are. In Christ
Jesus. Thou art all fair, my love. There
is no spot in thee. Thou hast ravished me. Song of
Solomon. This is what he says with regard
to every one of his people. Thou hast ravished me with one
of thine eyes. That is how the Lord views his
people. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them unto the end. Now Paul called this
to know the breadth the length, the depth, and the height of
the love of Christ, which passes knowledge. Now he mentions four
dimensions. First, the breadth of the love
of Christ. Now, the gate into heaven is
very narrow. The Lord said that, didn't he? Narrow is the gate. Straight
is the gate. It is so narrow that if you have
anything other than Christ alone, you can't get through. That's
what that means. If you think you can carry anything
in that gate, along with Christ, your works, your experience,
you can't get through. But this gate is so wide, the
breadth, that you can't be too sinful to get through. It's wide
enough for the very chief of sinners. And then there is the length of that gate. It is infinite length both ways,
eternal. It's always been, it'll always
be. And then the depth of that love. When he reached way down for
me. How far down he had to reach
the depth of his love and the height of his love. How high? How high is the throne
of Christ in glory? Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them to the end." The end. That doesn't mean there was a
finish of his love. Well, the end. That word, that
same word, end, is also translated continual. His love is continual. Non-stop. The word is also translated,
the uttermost. He loved them to the uttermost. You see, he can't love you more.
He can't love you more than he does. He can't love you less
than he does. I've heard people say, well,
God loves somebody less. God love less? Wow, that's blasphemous. Him to love. No, his love is
to the utter most. He loved them to completion.
He loved them to perfection. And this is the introduction
to what he does for these people. Washing their feet. Washing their feet. It's going
to be a few weeks till we get to that. But he loved them so
much, he washes the feet. You get dirty every day, he washes
them. Dare I think that I am one of
his own. Dare I think. that I am one of
these people that are designated as his own. Let me quote this scripture to
you. Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. Do you believe that Jesus is
God's Christ? The very word of God, God's prophet,
God's priest, so that if he represents you, you must be saved because
of who he is. God's king, yet have I set my
king upon my holy hill of Zion, the one who's in absolute control. Do you believe that Jesus is
the Christ? then you're one of his own that
he loved to the end. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
infinite, glorious love of thy blessed Son toward his own. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that everybody in this room, according to your will, would
believe that he is the Christ and Lord give us some understanding
that that belief is the gift of your grace and that's what
all of your own do. They believe that Jesus thy son
is your Christ, your prophet, your priest, and your king and
Lord we would not in any way come into your presence apart
from Him being our prophet, our priest, and our king. We ask
that you would bless these words for your glory, for our good. Accept our thanksgiving. In Christ's
name we pray, amen.