John 17, 20. When we began this
precious chapter, and I've said before, this is just a chapter
that just so blesses my heart. the high priestly prayer of our
Lord for His sheep. Here's God, in human flesh, God, praying. I've said often, and I'm so sincere
when I say this, I'm so thankful that He would pray for me. I don't even know how to pray
for myself. Verse 20 says this, Neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word. In this precious verse, we're given instruction, admonition, revelation concerning
the will and the purpose of Almighty God through the high priestly
prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our doctrine at which we preach
and believe and thankful for is founded upon the revelation
of scripture. That's what we're talking about
last service. If you want to know God's will,
what does God have to say in his word right here? This is
it. What we believe is what God says. That's what we believe. And I
know it's an easy thing for men to say, and if you'd ask, just
ask anybody, pick somebody off the street and ask them, say,
do you believe this Bible? And I'll bet you, if they're,
you know, wanting to save face at least, they'd say, I believe
that Bible cover to cover. I believe that's the Word of
God. Well, time will tell. If we're going to be profited
spiritually, if there's going to be any reproof, if there's
going to be any correction, if there's going to be any instruction
in righteousness, here's where it's going to be found, right
here. This is why we have no time, I don't have time for anything
else during these services. All of you know me well enough
to know that I enjoy laughter and fun and picking. I love the freedom to be able
to have fun, pick at you, stuff like that. Not maliciously, Lord
keep me from that. But I'm telling you, I think
also you know me well enough to know When we come into this
pulpit, when we come into these services, it's no more time for
foolishness. I'm telling you, your eternal
soul depends, rests, or is going to
be judged by this word right here. We must never lightly regard
or disregard Holy Writ. To do so is to question the wisdom,
the revelation of Almighty God and to treat with disrespect
and to count as needless and insignificant God's truth. Listen, let me tell you something.
There is nothing, there is nothing that is more important than hearing
the Word of God. Nothing. Let's prize this morning our
Lord's instruction and consult His Word as our guide, as our
teacher. Proverbs 6.23, For the commandment
is a lamp, and the law is light, and reproofs of instruction are
the way of life, to keep thee from the evil woman, that is
the great whore of false religion, the great whore of Babylon, spoken
of in the book of Revelation, from the flattery of the tongue
of a strange woman, false religion. Many will say it doesn't matter
what you believe, long as you go to church, long as you're
sincere. No sir. No sir. I stand here with scriptural
confidence to tell you, if any man, if an angel from heaven,
if an angel from heaven, Preaches any other gospel, Paul
said, than that which we've preached unto you. The gospel of God's
free and sovereign grace. Man is totally depraved. That God Almighty unconditionally
elected a people unto salvation. That Christ died only for the
particular redemption. That God's grace is irresistible
grace. And that God Almighty keeps,
able to keep us from falling. Thanks be unto God for that.
If any man preaches any other gospel than that which we've
preached unto you, let him be accursed. Lord, help me to believe. Help me. This morning I've got
three truths. I put them in the bulletin. That
was my article this morning. You just look at that front page
on the bottom, there's my three points right there. Three truths. Three truths that deal with those
for whom the Lord prays. Whom the Lord intercedes. Now
the scripture says that he ever liveth to make intercession for
us. Who are the us? I can tell you according to God's
Word. And this just answers it. It's not even up for debate.
Let me tell you. Those for whom the Lord prays. Let me tell you who they are.
First of all, they're the ones in verse 2. John 17, 2. As thou has given him power over
all flesh that he should give eternal life. To how many? To who? To as many as thou has
given him. Now let me tell you, Carl, that
just ended it right there. That just ended it. How many
are the Lord Jesus Christ, how many is God going to give life
to? Who are they? Here it is, to
as many as thou hast given him. Who does he pray for? Those who
have received and believe that Christ is God and was sent by
God to save His people. Verse 8, I have given unto them
the words which thou gavest me. They've received them. And that
doesn't mean that Neil nailed it a while ago when he was saying
that word take. It's not an offer. It's not an
offer. Those that's received them is
when he said I'm going to give you a new heart. I'm going to
give you a new heart. I'm going to give you a new heart,
a new spirit. I'm going to write my law on your heart. You know
that wasn't an invitation. He said, I'm going to give you
a new heart. Thanks be unto God. When he stopped Saul of Tarsus
on the road to Damascus, it was not a personal invitation. Saul,
Saul. He gave Saul of Tarsus a new
heart. What would you have me to do,
Lord? First time that man ever bowed. What would you have me
to do? Hebrews 7.25, wherefore he's
able to save to the uttermost evermore those that come unto
God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. And you qualify scripture with
scripture. Don't ever take a scripture out
of context and just say, you know, you better go to the point
where that truth that you're trying to prove by a scripture,
you better go to the point to where you find out where God
has specifically set forth what He's done. I can tell you this,
you take a scripture, John 10, 15, and it says, I lay down my
life for the sheep. And you try to take another scripture
that sets forth something that you say. says that Christ died
for everybody, and I'm telling you, what you've done is you've
taken a scripture out of context. You take the scripture that sets
forth the clarity. How many is the Lord Jesus Christ
going to give life to? To as many as the Father gave
Him. Who did He die for? All that the Father gave Him.
How many is going to come to Him? All that the Father hath
given me shall. And those that don't believe,
When he said, the reason you don't believe is because you're
not my sheep. I'm telling you, I'm telling
you, that ends it. That ends it right there. Thou has given him power to give
eternal life. So knowing these things, here's
my first point right there. Who does the Lord pray for? Number
one, he prays for believers. He prays for believers, those
that hear his voice, that he knows and follows him. It's one thing to know five points
of Calvinism. I can understand five points
of Calvinism in my mind. Total depravity, unconditioned,
limited, irresistible. Preservation of the saints. I
understand that. I can understand it. But let me tell you, when
Almighty God has given me a heart for it, I'm committed to Him. I'm committed. I'm committed.
Committed to the Gospel. Committed to where God Almighty
has raised up a hearing of the truth. Supportive of it. Supportive of it. Bound to it
by grace, bound to it by power, bound to following after Christ
where He's raised up His Word. This congregation right here,
don't take this lightly. Don't take it lightly that we're
bound together by love. This is the body of Christ. And
God's people follow Him. They follow Him according to
His Word. They believe Him, and they love one another. They're
bound to one another. Bound to it. Who does He pray
for? Those that believe Him. That's who He's praying for. He said in verse 6, John 17,
I've manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me
out of the world. Thine they were, Thou gavest
them Me, and they've kept Thy Word. Verse 8, I've given unto
them the words which Thou gavest Me. Verse 9, I pray for them. For them. I pray not for the
world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine.
So the Scripture never reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ prays
for any except his elect. There's the lot. We're going
to cast a lot. We're going to find out. What
does God have to say? Let's cast a lot and find out what he said
we just did. That ended it, right there. So the Lord intercedes
and prays for His sheep, believers, those that believe Him. Secondly,
He prays also for those who will believe. That is to say, the
elect who have yet not believed or not been called out of darkness,
maybe not have been born, He prays for them. I don't know
who they are. He says in verse 20, neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which, now listen to
this, shall believe. Shall believe. Obviously there's some according
to God's eternal purpose and everlasting covenant of grace
that have yet to believe. The reason that we're still here.
The reason we're still breathing on this earth this morning is
because God still has some that he's yet to call out. When he prayed that prayer, John
17 20, nobody in this room was born that knows him. Nobody. But I can tell you this, he was,
according to his word, ever then praying, and ever now praying,
not only for those that believe this morning, but to those, Mitch,
that shall believe. And I'm telling you, according
to His Word, He is not praying for any others, because that
which He prays is according to God's will. He's praying according
to God's will. And I'm telling you, Almighty
God has chosen the people and He's going to save them. He's
going to save them. And the Lord is praying for them.
The Spirit of God is going to call them out. They're going
to come. That's what He's saying. I pray, neither pray I for these
alone, for them also which shall believe. Does he know who they
are? He said, I know my sheep. I know my sheep. Do you think whenever he was
praying right then, now if you want to think a pleasant thought,
you that know him, do you think that when these words right here
were voiced by the Lord Jesus Christ, Do you think that he
knew who his people were then? He told Jeremiah, before I formed
thee in the belly, I knew thee. Before thou camest forth out
of the womb, I sanctify thee, I ordain thee a prophet unto
the nations. God forbid that we think too
lowly of him. He is the omniscient God. He said the very hairs of our
head are numbered. Do you think He knows the eternal
soul of those for whom He died? He said, I know. I know. The Lord knows His own. And they
shall come, and they shall believe. That's why I pray, neither pray
I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe. Other
sheep, John 10, 16. I have, I have. Not that they're
going to become sheep. They're already sheep. They're
already mine. Given me in electing grace. Other
sheep, I have. They're not of this fold. They're
not Jews. Them also I must bring. They shall hear my voice. There shall be one foe, one shepherd. There's no loose ends with God. Jews, Gentiles, bond-free, male,
female, all God's elect of every corner of this world, every period
of time, according to God's will. The Spirit of God shall call,
they shall come with a new and willing heart. They're going
to come because they want to. Because God is going to give
them a heart to do so. They're coming. They're coming. Here's my third point. All that
Christ prays for. They're going to believe through
the hearing of the gospel. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."
Through their word. Oh, the importance of hearing
the gospel. If they're going to be a priority,
Let it be right here. Here's my prayer right here.
Hearing the gospel. Romans 10, 17. So then faith
cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. 2 Thessalonians
2, 14. Where unto? He called you by
our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. And closing, listen to this. Our Lord commanded his apostles,
and he commands us today, go ye into all the world, teach,
make disciples, all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Now this is one thing
I know according to God's word. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ
is going to save his elect. I know he is. I know he is. The
reason I know he is is that he said he was. He's going to have his bride.
He knows her. I'm telling you a man and a woman
comes and stands before a preacher and they have a ceremony. Do you solemnly swear to take
this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold,
to love her, to defend her, to abide for her so long as you
both shall live? I do. I do. I'm telling you before
the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ betrothed
himself to his bride. swearing by no higher, he swore
by his own name, I have betrothed myself to thee in love. I promise. I promise. I'll never leave you
and I'll never forsake you. I'm gonna love you and I'm gonna
keep you and I'm gonna provide for you. The Lord Jesus Christ is going
to keep his own. You go into all the world, you
preach the gospel. I don't know who his bride is,
but he does. And he's commanded me, every
preacher, all of us. You go into all the world, you
preach the gospel. And knowing that he has an elect,
I know he's going to save them, and I know he's going to save
them through the preaching of this gospel. I'm not appealing to
anybody's free will. I'm not appealing to anybody
to try to make a decision for Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ
is not hoping that somebody is going to give him a big admittance
of their will. No, sir. Here's what I can truthfully
say, and I can say this with all confidence, not appealing
to any man's dead, wicked, free will. This is the word of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, everyone that thirsteth, come. Come ye to the waters,
he that hath no money. Come ye, buy, eat. Yea, come
ye, buy wine and milk without money, without price. The Lord
said, come unto me. Matthew 11, 28, all you that
labor, heavy laden, I'll give you rest. We come by faith as we hear His
voice through the priest's word of the gospel. The Lord has commanded
us to preach to all men, and I tell all men, come, come. It's going to take divine power
to give a man or woman a heart to come. But I can tell you this,
everyone that Almighty God gives a new heart to, they're coming. And they're going to come because
they want to come. Willing in the day of His power, you rest
assured, this is the only hope that a man has. I've got this
confidence right here. He prays for his believing people. He prays for those that shall
believe on him through their word. Lord bless these words
to our heart for Christ's sake.