Now we started looking at four
requests that Christ made in this high priestly prayer. This
is the intercession that Christ makes right now from the right
hand of God for His people. First thing He prayed for was
for God the Father to glorify Him. He said, Father, the hour
has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son
also may glorify thee. And that's the first thing in
salvation. God has got to receive the glory. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit are going to receive all the glory. And
this is where most folks mess up, right on the foundation,
is this part right here. God's got to receive all the
glory. And then he prayed for his believing
people. He prayed in verse 11, Holy Father,
keep through thine own name those whom thou has given me that they
may be one as we are. He was praying for those he had
called out. We saw that. And the Lord intercedes for believers.
He continues to intercede for those he's already quickened
and called by his grace. Now today, our subject is Christ's
third request. Our great high priest also intercedes
for those that he shall call out, for those that are yet to
be called out. Look at verse 20. He says, neither
pray I for these alone, that is, for these that already believe,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. which shall believe on me through
their word. Now it's a great comfort to know
Christ prays for you and I who believe. That's great comfort.
But it's a great comfort and assurance as well to know that
he prays for those who shall believe. That's a great comfort. We love to hear Christ speak
in such a way that it teaches us he's in total control of everything
that's come in the past. He knows it before he brings
it to pass. And he has a great love for his
people continually. The names of his people are on
his lips continually. He's continually interceding
for his people before the throne of God. Scripture says he ever
lives to make intercession for us. And it's his intercession
for us that brings us to believe. It's His intercession that brings
us to believe. The first thing we see here is
that Christ knows and loves His people before His people ever
know or love Him. He says there in verse 20, I
pray for them which shall believe on Me through their word. That
means He's praying for them before they ever even know Him or believe
on Him. We saw last time Christ only
prays for those that God the Father gave him out of the world. Look here at verse 9. I pray
for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me. Here the world is speaking
of the unregenerate. We're going to see in a moment
the world speaking of those he calls out of the world. But right
there, he says, I don't pray for the world, I pray for them
you've given me. Now, let me ask you this. Why
does Christ say, I pray for those that you have given me, but I
do not pray for the world? Why does Christ say that? Why
does he say it? I want you to understand something
about God's love. God loves in righteousness and
in holiness. He loves the eternal, everlasting
love of God that these scriptures speak about is only in Christ
Jesus. It's only in Christ Jesus. And
it's in the holiness and righteousness of Christ Jesus. Listen to this. Psalm 146.8 says this, The Lord
loveth the righteous. How do we make righteous? It's only in Christ. The Lord
loveth the righteous. All right. Psalm 11 5 says, But
the wicked and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth. He
don't say he hates the sin, he said, he says, the wicked and
him that loves violence, God's soul hates him. What do you think
hell is? Reckon what that is? That's God's
righteous hatred against sin. That's what it is. That's what
it is. Now, that's why Christ said,
I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me, because whenever God gave them to Christ, God loved his
people and chose his people in Christ Jesus. He made us holy
and accepted in Christ Jesus when he chose us in him. So the
love of God is in Christ Jesus. in whom his people are holy and
righteous and have been in our head because we stood in him.
We stood in him from eternity. This means it can't be undone. And that's the great comfort
for us as believers. It can't be undone because we
were in him from the beginning. Paul said in Romans 8, 39, nothing shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing. It's in Christ Jesus.
Now the carnal mind The natural mind hates that God's love is
everlasting and that his call is effectual. And the reason
the carnal mind hates it is because it takes glory away from man
and gives it all to God. That's the reason the carnal
mind hates it. But if we read the scriptures and if God makes
us honest, that's the only way we're going to read the scriptures
and be honest about it. But if we read these scriptures and
we're honest by God's grace, there is no way you can read
these scriptures. and think that God begins to love His people
whenever we begin to love Him. That's not so. And you cannot
find that in the Scripture, that God starts loving you when you
start loving Him. No, no. Listen to this. Jeremiah
31, 3. The Lord hath appeared of old
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting
love. That means it don't have a beginning
and it don't have an ending. It's as eternal as God. I've
loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness have I drawn you. God's eternal. And those that
God loves, today, He loved them. Yesterday, He loved them in eternity
past. And He loves them tomorrow. And
He's going to love them for all eternity. He don't stop loving
His people. There's no beginning or end to
His love. There's no hatred yesterday and
then love today. That's just not so. Christ knows
and loves His people before as yet His people ever even know
Him. Long before that. Psalm 103,
17 says, The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. upon them that fear Him and His
righteousness unto the children's children. The reason we fear
Him, the reason we've been made righteous in Christ is because
His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. Get this now,
if you don't believe my gospel, You don't believe the word that
God speaks in His Word. Right now, just pretend this
is of you, this is so of you. Just pretend that you believe
and God showed this to you and it's true of you. And try to
understand this. If this is true of you, that
means whenever we send in Adam, that first representative head
in time, when we send in him, It didn't change a thing for
His people in Christ because God had already put us in Christ.
So that it can't be undone, it can never be forfeited, it can
never be changed because we stood in our head. That's what it means
for Christ to be a surety for His people. When you read the
Scriptures and it says Christ is a surety for His people, you
know what a surety is. When you go to get a loan, you
got to have a surety. That means if you default on
the loan, somebody else is going to make the payment for you.
Well, with God, it's not like that. With God, it's this. Christ
said, they will default. I'm going to cover it. So that
when God chose His people in Christ, He never looked to His
people. He looked to Christ. And however Christ was in eternity,
that's how His people were in eternity. And what Christ did
in time was to come and actually put our sin away and then when
He calls us to bring us into the realization of what He's
done for us. But we've been in Him from eternity. And this is
eternal security, brethren. It's so comforting to a believer.
The mercy of God is from everlasting to everlasting. From everlasting
to everlasting. Now, notice how the Lord Jesus
loves those He's already called and He loves those He shall call
equally. He prayed for those that He already
had called. He said, I pray, Father, You
keep them. And then he prays this, Neither I pray I for these
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word. He prays for them both equally the same. Loves them
both equally the same. All that the Father gave to Christ
are equally loved. They're equally loved. There
are no big sons in His house and little sons in His house.
We're all children of God in His house. Loved of God equally.
All our names were written in that book of life of that lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. Every one of his people
were redeemed by the same precious blood. Every one of his people
are born of the same Holy Spirit. Every one of his people are going
to inherit the same eternal inheritance because this is what God gives
to his people. And even while we're sinners,
while as yet we're sinners, how could God love us when we were
sinners. If He says He hates the wicked
and He hates those that love violence, that's who we were.
That's exactly who we were in our sin. How could God love us
then? At one place, in the Lord Jesus
Christ. I wasn't in Him, though. I hadn't
believed yet. God's love for us don't have a thing to do with
our love to Him. God loved His people long before
we ever knew Him. That's what I'm saying. That's
how He loved us. He loved us in our head, in Christ.
God commended His love toward us. That means He already loved
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He came forth. It didn't change Christ's purpose
to come forth and lay down His life for us. That's what He agreed
to in eternity. Look over at Titus 3. Titus chapter
3. And then He came and He showed
it to us. Look here at Titus chapter 3, verse 3. It's speaking to believers. Paul's including himself in this
group. We ourselves also were sometimes,
that means a long time, we were foolish, disobedient, deceived,
serving different lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful
and hating one another. That was us. And we called it
righteousness. We called it, well, I'm not as
bad as the other fellow. But that's all we were. But after
that, the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousness
we've done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. You see, it's
all in Christ. Me and you were just sinners.
That's all we were, hateful and hating one another. And nevertheless,
Christ came forth, laid down His life for His people, The
Holy Spirit came forth, regenerated us, and He taught us the Gospel,
taught us what He'd done for us. Because His love's in Christ.
His love's in Christ, even before we knew Him. Alright, now here's
the second thing we see here. Notice that this is a certainty,
that they shall be given faith to believe. They're gonna be
quickened to life, they're gonna be given faith to believe. He
doesn't say this in hopes that they will, look what he said,
neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word. They shall. How can he make that
statement? How can he say they shall believe
on me? He's God, that's how, and he's bringing the path. He's
the one that's going to make them believe on him. Christ suffered
for each and every one of his people. Each and every one of
them. He took the sin of each and every one of them. He answered
to divine justice for each and every one of his people. He was
buried and he rose again for each and every one of his people.
And whenever he died, for each and every one of his people,
Romans 6 says, our old man is crucified with Christ. What does
that mean? That means it says that the body
of sin might be destroyed. That means when Christ was crucified
at that time, my body of sin was crucified. In other words,
that's me hanging on that cross. That was me hanging on that cross.
That was my body of sin hanging on that cross. And it was...
It was being punished by the divine justice of God and satisfied
divine justice. When he gave up the ghost and
said it's finished, that meant justice has had its limit. It's
full. It's satisfied. Justice has been
poured out on Clay Curtis in the person of his substitute.
Justice was poured out on Ravi Dudnath in the person of his
substitute. On Eric Lutter in the person
of his substitute. And now, When Christ was quickened,
we were quickened together with Him. When He came out of that
grave, we came out of that grave together with Him. When He was
raised up, we were raised up with Him. When He sat down at
the right hand of the Father, we sat down with Him. And God
did that because He had purposed that He would come to us and
give us life, and give us faith, and teach us this gospel, and
show what He had done for us by His grace and His kindness
toward us freely. Look over to Ephesians 2. I want
you to see that. Ephesians 2, 4. This is a review,
but look back over there again. Ephesians 2, 4. It tells there in the first three
verses, we were just dead in sins. That's all we were. But
it says in verse 4, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His
great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in
sins, quickened us together with Christ by grace, so you say.
He quickened us together whenever Christ came out of that grave.
We were in Christ. We were in Him. And look here,
verse 6, And He raised us up together, when He raised Christ
up. And He made us sit together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus when He sat down. That's where
His people are. And here's why He did it. That
in the ages to come, He might show To everyone He did this
for, He's going to show them the exceeding riches of His grace
and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. How's He going
to do it? He's going to do it by His grace
through the gift of faith. Look at verse 8. For by grace
are you saved through faith, and that's not of yourselves.
It's the gift of God, and it's not of works, lest any man should
boast. That's why Christ said over in John 10, 16, He said,
Them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice,
and there shall be one foal and one shepherd." It's because justice
is satisfied for them. They're seated at God's right
hand. They've got to be called out. They've got to be told this
good news. That's why not one of them is
going to be lost. He said in John 6 verse 39, This
is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise it up again at the
last day. This is why he won't lose any of his people. Because
he's done all this for his people. This is how come he didn't lose
Abel in the beginning. Well, how could Abel be righteous? How could he go to heaven when
he died? Christ hadn't been to the cross yet. It's because from
eternity he was his surety. He was righteous in Christ, loved
in Christ, holy in Christ. God knowing already what he'd
do, there's no possibility he wouldn't perform it. And he went
forth in time and did it. Now we're on this side of the
cross. And he's going to come to each one of his people on
this side of the cross and teach us this too. He ever lives to
make intercession for his people, saying, I pray for them that
shall believe on me through their word. You know the scripture
says, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
You who have been made righteous, you pray for one another, you
pray for your brethren, we pray for those who shall believe.
We don't know who they are. We pray for them that they, in
the Lord's time, they shall believe. And the righteous prayer, the
prayer of a righteous man avails much. I tell you this, the prayer
of the righteous man avails all the time. All the time. And Christ is the righteous man
at God's right hand. You think about the reason you
plant a garden. Why do you plant a garden? You got hope that you're
going to see tender plant come up. You're going to have some
fruit come off of it. So you plant a seed. That's why we preach. We know that we have this promise
from the Lord that there's some people that shall believe. And
that's why we preach. Now look at this third thing.
This is the last thing. Look at this. Each one shall
be saved through the gospel. Now look at verse 20. He says,
I pray for them also which shall believe on me through their word. God ordained that His people
would be called out through the message that declares God's work,
His person and His work in Christ and Him crucified. That's why
I sit here every time and tell you what God has done for His
people from eternity, in time, what He's doing now, what He
shall do. Because that's the message through which He's going
to call His people out and bring us to glory in Him and worship
Him and stop worshiping ourselves and our works and all our humanitarian
efforts. He's going to make us bow to
Him and see He's our only righteousness. Look over at 2 Thessalonians
2. And He saves His people to send
His people forth with the Gospel, to support the Gospel. He calls
His preachers and sends them forth because He's going to save
through this Word, through this Gospel. As He ordained it from
eternity. Look here, 2 Thessalonians 2.13.
We're bound to give thanks all the way to God for you, brethren. This is to believe because you
were beloved of the Lord. You were beloved of the Lord.
You were loved beforehand by the Lord. Because God hath from
the beginning chosen you to salvation. But He didn't stop there. He
says through sanctification of the Spirit. That means we got
to be born of God. We got to be born of God. And
belief of the truth. Because we just saw in Ephesians
2 He said I'm going to show them what I've done for them. And
I'm going to give them the gift of faith and they're going to
believe on me by my grace. Where unto? To this belief of
the truth. He called you by our gospel. to the obtaining of the glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice what he says there. He
called you by our gospel. Our risen advocate in head. He's
the one who sends forth his preacher. Because he's the one that's going
to have us to hear about his work that he's done for his people.
And so he calls and equips and sends forth his preacher with
the message. But it's him that comes and calls you when the
message is going forth. And he calls you to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look back now at John. I want you to see this. Look
back there at John 17. And I'm going to go real slow
here because I want us to get this part right here especially.
In the day of his power, you know, he said, When the Lord
raised him, he said, Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power. And if you read the end of Ephesians
1, it says God raised him and made him the head over the church
that he might fill all in all and gave him all power. And if
you don't stop reading there, you just go right into the second
chapter of Ephesians 2. It says, and he's the one that
quickened us. Christ did. That one that he gave all power
to. And when the Lord raised him, he said, they'll be willing
in the day of your power. How's that going to come to pass?
Christ tells us in his prayer. In the day of his power, we're
quickened to life and we're given faith to believe by Christ giving
us the glory that God the Father gave to him. What in the world
is that? What's the glory that God the
Father gave to Jesus Christ? Look at verse 20. He's going
to tell us. He said, I pray for them also which shall believe
on me through their word, that they all may be one. As thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in
us. That's how He's going to make us one. Just like the Father
and the Son are one. Now read on. That they also may
be one in us, that the world... Now here He's talking about His
people scattered throughout the world. His people scattered throughout
the world, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. We know it's just talking about
His people because that's who He brings to believe on Him.
Not everybody believes on Him. A lot of people that don't believe
on Him. But He's saying here, I'm going to bring them to believe
on Me. That's what He's saying. Watch this now. Next, He declares
how that's going to be brought about. Verse 22. He's saying
here what He already did for those that believe. The glory
which Thou gavest Me, I've given them. The glory that You gave
Me, I gave to them. That's how come they believe.
Those that believe. The glory God the Father gave
to Christ, He gave to them. Christ put in us the glorious
image of God. which the Father gave to Christ
in His humanity by God dwelling in Christ. Do you get what I
said? The way He quickens you to life
is Christ enters into you in Spirit. And He gives you, He
recreates you in His image. And He's saying, that's the glory,
Father, You gave to me. Whenever He took that human body,
Scripture says He's the express image of God. The image of God
is in that humanity of Christ Jesus. And when He enters into
His people, He gives you the image of God. Now look, He says
it right here in the text, look. He says that they may be one
even as we are one. Now here's the glory He gives
us. I in them and thou in me. You see it? I in them and thou
in me. You know, when the Gospels preach,
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3, 18, when the Lord starts working
it, we all with open face behold, as in a mirror, the glory of
the Lord, and are changed into the same image from glory to
glory by the Spirit of the Lord. I in them, Christ said. I in them. That's how they're
going to be changed into this image. And then he said over
in Colossians 3.10, there's a new man created after the image of
him that created him. After the image of him that created
him. Christ is the one that creates that new man in us. He says,
I in them, I in them. And that glory he gives into
you, making you after his image. He said, and thou in me. That's
the same glory that Christ has in him. God dwells in Christ.
And so when Christ enters in, God dwells in Christ and Christ
dwells in you. He's going to say that. What?
Now this is the glory He gives us, brethren. I in them and thou
in me. Look back at John 14. John 14
and look at verse 20. In verse 19, he said, Because
I live, you shall live also. Now watch what he says in verse
20. And at that day you shall know
that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Do you see
that? This is being born again is what
we're talking about, being recreated in his image. Now back over in
John 17, look at verse 23. When he does this, here's the
result of it. Verse 23. that they may be made perfect
in one. And that the world, that's his
people, may know, this is how we know, brethren, that thou
has sent me and has loved them as thou has loved me. Do you
see that? This is to believers, this is
to his people he calls out. This is the wisdom of God in
saving his people through the gospel. The incorruptible word,
Christ comes in the spirit of the Lord, enters in, and gives
you the glory that God the Father gave Him by God the Father being
in the God-man. And it's that image of God. We
can't come into God's presence till we're created in His image,
in the righteousness and holiness of Christ Jesus. Paul said over
in Colossians, he said, the hope of glory is Christ in you. That's
how we're made partakers of the divine nature. That's how we're
made one with Him. One with Him. Look at Ephesians
1, one more time. Ephesians 1. And he said that they may be
made perfect in one. And that one's Christ. See, we
don't enter into how one, believer, we are with God in Christ. That's an amazing word. I in
them and thou in me. We're one with Him. Look at this
right here, verse 8. He hath abounded toward us in
all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery
of His will. That's what he's done in this
gospel. According to his good pleasure which he purposed in
himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, that
means when the stewardship of Christ has reached the fullness
of time, he's going to gather together in one all things, and
you can put all his people, because that's what things mean, all
his people in Christ, both those that are already in heaven and
which are on earth, they're going to be gathered together even
in him. And that's what he said in John
17. I pray for them that shall believe on me through their word
that they may be one even as we're one. That's how one we
are with God and Christ. We're one even as Christ and
God are one. with Christ dwelling in us. And
he says, and I'm going to do this by giving them the same
glory you've given to me. And when I do this, they're going
to know and they're going to believe you've sent me and you've
loved them just like you've loved me. How does God love Christ
from eternity? That's how he loves his people.
You reckon his love ever stops for Christ? No. You think he'll
ever start loving Christ and then stop loving Christ? No.
And he said there, you love them just like you love me. That's
how he loves his people. That's how he loves his people.
They shall hear my voice, he said, and there shall be one
foal and one shepherd. It's gonna happen. Now, do you
hear his voice? Do you hear his voice? He said,
come, let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be white as wool. How's that? I'll tell you this. If He's given you the ability
to call on Him, to come to Him in truth, it's because He's entered
in by His Spirit. And He's given you a new image,
a new heart. And He's called you and drawn
you and He's teaching you this Word. And He's bringing you to
call on Him and to cry out because you see a need of Him. And that's
how He does. He doesn't leave a thing to chance
in this, brethren. Nothing. Nothing. From beginning
to end, A to Z, he does it all, everything. Leaves nothing to
chance. That's why he can say, I pray for them that shall believe
on me through their word. Because they shall, they shall. All right, let's stand together. Father, thank You for Your Word.
How thankful we are that You've put that Word in our hearts so
that we can actually understand what You're saying and enter
into it as much as we can on this earth, in these bodies of
death, that You've created a new man in us that's one with You. As You said in Colossians, it's
fit to be partaker of the inheritance with the saints in light right
now. Lord, there's nothing that you're going to do to our new
man when we die. We're going to go be with you
immediately because you formed that new man. You made us new
by dwelling in us and making us one with you in God. Lord, this is amazing oneness.
It's astounding oneness. It's beyond our comprehension. Lord, we thank You. We see it
in Your Word. We thank You for the faith to
believe You, to trust You. Lord, we thank You for interceding
for us. We thank You for praying for
Your people. We thank You. We pray, Father, that It might
be some of our children, it might be our loved ones that you're
interceding for, that you're gonna call them out. Lord, we
pray it'll be this hour if it's your will. We know that you won't
lose one, and we're thankful you've made our will to be your
will. You've given us a new will, and
we bow to you and trust you, Lord. We pray this, that you
would get all the glory and the honor, that you'd be high and
lifted up before every person that hears this message. We pray
in Christ. Blessed and holy name. Amen.