Bibles once again and turn with
me to the gospel according to John chapter 17. John 17. I'd like to read verses 3 through
5. John 17, 3 through 5. And this
is life eternal. that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee,
before the world was. We looked at verse 3 last time, and in that precious verse out
of this precious chapter, we are told the very essence
of life eternal. I read that verse, verse 3, and
this is life eternal. That they, who? Which they? Well, the Lord did not, even
in His high priestly prayer, leave that open-ended. Look at
verse 2, "...as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh that
He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him." We love God's electing grace. We love it. We love it. We love it. Let me tell you why. We love it. Number one, it is
of the Lord. It's of the Lord. Just someone
say, well, I just don't believe in election. Well, God declares
it. We're bound to give thanks all
way to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because
God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the spirit and belief of the truth. God Almighty has an elect. We love it. It's of the Lord. Number two, this is the only
hope we've got. If the Lord had not left us a
remnant, if the Lord had not chosen a remnant, setting His
affection eternally upon His people, There wouldn't be any need for
us to be here this morning. We're just wasting our time.
You know why? If God had not left a remnant,
we'd all be just like Sodom and Gomorrah. If God had not chosen
a people, took the guilt and sin, the debt
of those people, those elect, that the Lord said, I laid down
my life for, John 10, 15. I laid down my life for the sheep.
If he didn't die and put away the guilt of the sheep, we are
all going to hell. And there is no reason whatsoever. Just go out and do whatever you
want to today because we are going to hell. The Lord said this is life eternal. that they, those that You've
given Me, I know Thee, the only true God,
God Almighty who is holy, just, sovereign, and there's a mediator. There's a substitute. There's
a Savior, Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent. This is life eternal. I'm calling still. I'm calling.
Come to the wedding. Come to Christ. 1 John 5.20 says,
And we know that the Son of God is come. Why? He comes to seek and to
save that which is lost. Those that Thou hast given Him."
Look at verse 9. The ones He prays for. I pray
for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which Thou hast given Me. They are Thine. Now listen. This is the One right here in
whom alone we have hope. There is no other hope. There
is no other hope. This is the One. This is Him. This is the Lord. And I know
that man by nature despises what he said. I know that they reject. I'm
not going to have that God rule over me. But listen, what we're
doing this morning is we are setting forth what God has to
say. And you that sit here, you know this. I'm not making this
up. Now, you know that. I haven't come up with this. I'm just telling you what God
has to say. 1 John 5, 20, we know that the
Son of God has come and has given us an understanding. We'll understand
some things. That we may know Him that is
true. This is the true God. And we
are in Him that is true, that is faithful, that is just. God alone can put away sin. I can't. You can't. The Lord
puts away sin. Even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God. This is
eternal life. God the Father has given unto
the Son. all power that He should give
eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him. Knowing
God is by the glorious power of the Lord Jesus Christ who
has all power. Let me tell you something. We
looked at this last Wednesday night. How much power does it
take? to regenerate a sinner. How much
power does it take? I'm telling you, we're not even
going to go and start talking about maggots like us. We're going to have to quickly
bypass that. Let me tell you the power it
takes. You might say, well, give your heart to Jesus. He's going to have to give Himself
to you. He's going to have to come in power. How much power
does it take to regenerate a sinner? The Scripture says in Ephesians
1.19, the same power that it took to raise Christ from the
dead and to seat Him at the right hand of the Father. Now, let
me ask you something. Is there anybody sitting here
who's got that kind of power? Knowing God is by the glorious
power. How much power did it take? All power. Thou has given him
power over all flesh. Matthew 28, 18. All power is given unto the Son.
All power. You know how much that leaves
me? None. Almighty God is pleased to reveal
Himself. This is life eternal that they
might know, be sure, entrust themselves, cast themselves upon,
that they might know Thee. 2 Timothy 1.12, For I know whom
I have believed. And I'm persuaded that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. Knowing
him by faith, not knowing about him. When I say know, I do not
mean the knowledge that a devil has. Demons know that there's
a God. I'm talking about committing
myself, casting myself as one of those four lepers in the gate
of Samaria. Where are we going? Famine here and those in power
over there. We'll cast ourselves. We need
mercy. Knowing Him. Trusting Him. Casting yourself upon His mercy.
And I'm telling you, I'm going to expose my heart just a second.
I'm telling you as I'm saying these words, Dave, I'm asking
God help me to do this. I'm telling you right now. I
know just as sure as I'm standing here, I can quote these words,
and but for the grace of God, they'll be the most empty words
that I've ever said if God Almighty does not empower them to my heart. Faith cometh by hearing. I need
faith right now. I need for the Lord to help me
right now. He that cometh unto me. Lord, draw me. Lord, draw
me. And draw me in my next breath. Knowing Him, trusting Him is
the foundation of all of our hope. Casting all of our care
upon Him, He careth for you. You have a heart for Him, and
I'm talking about to bring nothing, He careth for you. He's given
you a heart for that. Verse 4. I have glorified Thee
on the earth. I finish the work which Thou
gavest me to do." What a sweet passage of revelation. I finish
the work. The Lord in His high priestly
prayer rendered, set forth, declared the Father glorious. In the Father's
to show mercy and compassion to whomsoever He would." Remember
when Moses asked that? I love that passage. Show me
Your glory. I'll have mercy. I'll have mercy. Oh, what a glorious psalm. What
a glorious word. What a glorious grace. I'll have mercy. Almighty God. Psalm 19. has been glorified
in creation. The heavens declare, or they
are declaring, the glory, the will, the purpose, the thinking
of Almighty God's ability to create and control. By the grace of God, you know
what's going to happen in the morning? The sun's going to come up. The
sun's coming up in the morning by God's grace. If He tarries,
the sun's coming up. How do you know? Because He said
it's going to come up. The seasons are going to be the
same. Stars are going to be out tonight if the clouds are not
there. If He doesn't send clouds, we'll see the stars. The heavens
declare the handiwork of God. He's glorified. God Almighty
is glorified in His providential dealings with the world. Exodus 15, 6 and 7 says, Thy
right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power. Thy right
hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the
greatness of Thine excellency, Thou hast overthrown them that
rose up against Thee. Thou sendest forth Thy wrath,
which consumed them as stubble. But here, He's declared glorious
in creation and in providence. But here the Lord says in 17th
form, I have glorified Thee on the earth and I have finished
the work Thou gavest Me to do. The Lord Jesus Christ obediently
accomplished the will of His Father. John 6.39, this is The Father's will which hath
sent me, that of all which He hath given me." Do you notice
how the Lord never gets away from God's mercy to His elect?
Never. This is the Father's will which
hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose
nothing. but should raise it up again
at the last day. God the Father purposed to show
mercy and compassion to whomsoever He would. Is God unjust to leave a man
alone? To leave a woman alone to do
what they want to? No. No. God Almighty can leave a person
to themselves And let them do just exactly what they want to
do and send them to hell. And He's just. Now, let the potsherds
of this world, let them argue with the broken pieces of pottery. Let the broken pots argue as
long as you want to. It's not going to change one
thing. Almighty God, has mercy. Here's my prayer for me, my prayer
for you. Lord, show mercy to me. Lord,
don't leave me to myself. I have glorified Thee on the
earth. I have magnified Your thoughts,
is what He's saying, to show mercy. And now, verse 5, O Father,
glorify Thou me. with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was." Do you know what
he was praying? Father, as I have magnified you
in the accomplishment of the work that you gave me to do,
I pray now, glorify thou me with thine own self. with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was." He has always
been the surety. He's always been the bridegroom
of the bride. He's always been her mediator. Before she was ever brought into
existence, He ever answered for her. You say, forever the blood
was shed. God saw it from before the foundation
of the world. Why? Because He always stood
for her. Never been a time, Father, glorify
Thou me with Thine own self with the glory that I had with Thee
as the substitute before the world was. magnify me, glorify
me as the one who accomplished your will in the putting away,
according to our everlasting covenant of grace, the debt owed
to the law that was broken for your honor and your glory. Father, deal with me now on their
behalf." That's what he said. Deal with Me. Deal with Me. Glorify thou Me with thine own
self. God the Father, in just a little
bit, the Scripture reveals we are going to forsake the Son.
But I am going to tell you this. He would do so in perfect agreement
and in fellowship with the Son. Now, I can't understand the depth
of that. But God is just. But that's His Son. That's His
Son. This is the beloved Son in whom
the Father is well pleased. And God does not change. God's
attitude doesn't change. The Lord Jesus Christ, though
forsaken of the Father, the Father and the Son are one. One in purpose,
one in will, one in mind, one in love. They're one. Glorify
thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world
was. Not the glory of His human nature. That didn't come until time. In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God and the Word was God. And verse 14 of
John 1 says, And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. But there was something He's
talking about that has ever been. He's ever stood in His essential
glory as the substitute. Turn to Proverbs 8, and I'm going
to read verses 22 to 31, and I'm going to close. Proverbs 8. We went through this. Of course, we're going through
Proverbs. Oh, listen to this. Here's the glory that He had
with the Father before the world was, as the substitute, as the
surety, as the mediator, before He ever actually was joined to
human flesh. Before that, He's always been. There's never been a time when
there was not the surety. Proverbs 8.22, I was set up,
I was anointed from everlasting, from the beginning, wherever
the earth was. When there were no depths, I
was brought forth. The word there is made. I have
always been. when there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth, while as yet He had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there. When
He set a compass upon the face of the And He established the
clouds above when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when
He gave to the sea His decree that the water should not pass
His commandment. When He appointed the foundations
of the earth, then I was by Him as one brought up with Him. And
I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him." And listen
to this now. This is the last verse. This
is when there was nothing else but God. There was nothing but
God. Before He said all of these things,
before the earth, before the cloud, before the fat, before,
before, before, what were they doing? Rejoicing in the habitable
part of His earth. And my delights were with the
sons of men. Rejoicing. with them and in them. You know who this is? This is the bridegroom. This
is the master. This is the Lord of glory. Father,
I have glorified Thee on the earth. I finished the work that
You gave me to do. And now glorify Thou me. as the substitute, the ones who
are going to pay their debt and put away their sin, robe them
in righteousness, present them to You, unblameable, unreprovable,
without spot, without blame. Glorify Thou me with the glory
that I had with You before the earth was. Bless these words to our heart,
for Christ's sake. Amen.