What they can't hold me That's a fitting hymn for this
time, where it's now, the end of the year. All right, let's
turn to John 17 again. This will be the last a series
of messages from this that we would do well and we
could enjoy, going right back to verse 1. Now Christ said in verse 22,
He says, The glory which thou gavest me I have given them. that they may be one, even as
we are one. We saw that back in chapter one,
didn't we? That the Word was made flesh
and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He says, glorified them. I, the glory you gave me, I have
given them. We have beheld his glory. I have
seen some of the glory of the only begotten of the Father.
I've seen his beauty. Isaiah, now Isaiah said, I hasn't
seen, either haven't heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man. He's talking about the unregenerate world. The things that God has
prepared for them that love Him. But the eyes of His people have. They have seen Him by faith.
The ears. I have heard His voice, haven't
you? I have seen, in part, but I have seen Him. His glory, haven't
you? The beauty of the Son of God.
I've heard His voice. I've heard Him speak to me very
really. I've felt His touch. It has entered into my heart.
That's what salvation means. For the things of God to enter
into a man or a woman's heart. Like Moses. I'm no different
than Moses. I've beheld his glory. He's made his goodness pass before
me. How about you? Remember Moses on the mount?
When he said, show me your glory. Then he said, okay, I'm going
to hide you in a cleft of the rock. That's where I am. Isn't
it you? He said, then I'm going to make
my goodness pass before you. That's the gospel. And I've seen
it pass before me, time and again. He said, I'm going to declare
the name of the Lord to you. I've heard it. I know that name.
He said, and I will be merciful. I will be gracious. I've seen
and experienced His sovereign mercy and grace. Haven't you?
I've beheld His glory. No less than Moses. No less. And Christ says this, He says,
that they may be one, even as we are one. Now all of God's
people have beheld His glory. In part, we see in part, we know
in part, we preach in part, but nevertheless, we have. That's
what it means. See, that's what it means to hear the gospel. Come to know
Christ. That's that passage in Corinthians
that says, God who caused the light to shine out of darkness
has shined in our hearts to give the excellency of the knowledge
of the glory of God. The excellency of the knowledge
and glory of God in the face, to see it in the face of a person.
And all his people have seen it and heard him. Now verse 23. He says, I am in them, and thou
in me. Christ in us is our hope of glory. Christ with us. Christ among
us. If there are two or three gathered
right now in his name, he's with us. Very really, he really is. I in them, I among them, I with
them. And he says, and thou in me.
God in him. God was in Christ reconciling
us to himself. God in Christ. That they may
be made perfect. That they may be made perfect
in one. How's that? How are we made perfect? Well, in one. Who? Just one, we are made perfect
in Him. We are accepted in Him. We are
perfected by Christ. We are conformed. We are also
being conformed to His image. Listen to this verse in Ephesians
5. It says that we might be, till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God unto a perfect man, the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ." So it's God's will, and this is
what Christ is praying, that we might be made like Christ,
and that we might someday actually be with Christ. And that's what
Ephesians 1 says. In the dispensation of the fullness
of tithes, he is going to gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. He is
going to bring them all together, even in one, in Christ. You see how the apostles are
just repeating what Christ has already said? I in them, thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in me. And, read on, that the world
may know that thou hast sent me." There it is again, John. Brother John and I were discussing
this again in the study earlier on, how Christ so often says
he is sent by the Father. He's sent by the Father. We looked
at that this morning in 1 John 4, how John said later on that
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is of God. And what that means is every
preacher, every person who knows, who believes that God sent his son. When Christ comes,
that means he had to have been somewhere before he got here,
right? You can't come unless you're somewhere else to start
with. He's come in the flesh. For him to come in the flesh
means for God to send him here. And since God knows all his works
from the beginning, since God has an immutable purpose that
shall stand, And he said, this is my purpose. I've chosen a
people before the world began, and I've chosen this one, the
mighty elect, in whom my soul delighted. I've chosen him to
be their Savior, and he named him accordingly, Jesus, for he
shall save. And God sent him to this earth
to do that. Every preacher that preaches
that is of God. Every person that believes that
is born of God. you come to get them and take
them back with you. And the rest of them you're going
to set a match to. No, not a match. You consume
them with the breath of his mouth. So that's what it means to be
sinned. And Christ says that the world may know that thou
has sent me. Now listen, compare that with verse 21. Remember,
verse 20, he says, I am not praying for these disciples alone, but
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, who's that, all believers, might be one in us,
that the world may believe. See that, Steve? And right here
he's saying the same thing, that the world may know that thou
hast sent Why? Because God so loved the world,
the world of his elect, that he sent his Son. And they're
going to know him. They're going to know he was
sent by God. And why? You see that? And they're going
to know this, too, that you've loved them. Thou hast loved them
as thou hast loved me. the love that God hath to us,
John said. John said, Behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. God's people know something
of the love of God to them. Why? Because he sent Christ. That's the greatest display of
his love, isn't it? That he sent his Son down here.
His only begotten Son. That's what, remember when God
said to Abraham after he'd taken Isaac up on that mountain to
sacrifice it? Do you remember what he said about his love? About Abraham's love to God?
Do you remember? He said, Now I know that thou
lovest me, seeing thou hast not withheld thine son, thine only
son. And now I know that God loves
me, seeing he has not withheld his son, his only begotten son.
Do you see that? That's what Christ said. And
you have loved them as thou hast loved me? You think about that. And the only
reason God loves me is because of Christ. That's the only reason that God
loves me, is because of Jesus Christ. It's all for Christ's
sake. But now that I'm in Christ, He loves me like he loves Christ. That's amazing. I'm altogether
unlovely. He's altogether lovely. Why would
he love me? I'm the black sheep. He's the
one without spot or blemish. I'm the prodigal son. He's that
obedient one who's always been with the Father, the well-beloved. Why does he love me? Because
it pleased him to make me his child. Hmm. Read on. Read on. It says here, that the world
may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou
hast loved me. And in verse 24, and here's where
I want to really dwell. Father, I will that they also whom thou
hast given me Be with me where I am." Father, I will, that they also. Now, he just said, I'm coming
to you, that they are staying here. So Christ is going to be
with the Father, and he says, and I will that they also be
with me and be with you. Be with me where I am. Christ is the only man since
Adam to have a free will, a sovereign will. Only man whose
will can influence God. Only man who could make any claims
on God. What he says here is, Father,
saying to the Holy God, he said, I will. This is what I want. Making demands of God. That's
exactly what he's doing. This is my will. He's the only
one that can do that, isn't he? Only man who can claim things
from God. Now, I know what these people
say, sons of Siva. say about their will and their
power with God. But Christ is the only one with
a free will and the only one with power with God. The only
one. And he says here, I will. I will. I will. And here's what he wills.
Here's what he desires. I will that they also whom thou
hast given me be with me where I am." I will, that they be with me
where I am. Look at what he desires for us. That we be with him, that they
may behold my glory. Now, this is a wonderful thought. Listen carefully. There's two
ways to look at this. Christ desires for us to be with
Him. You think about that. He desires
for His people to be with Him in glory, someday, to be with
Him. He's looking forward to me being
with Him. Can you think of yourself in
that context? He's looking forward to you being
with him some day. He greatly desires that, your
presence with him. I will, that they be with me
where I am. Do you remember when he said
to his disciples as they were about to partake of
that supper, Remember, he said, with desire, have I desired to
eat this Passover with you. Remember that? He said, I've
looked forward to this. To paraphrase, I've looked forward
to eating this Passover with you. And he said, but I won't
eat it again. Until. I eat it again with you in heaven
someday when I come into my kingdom." He's looking forward to the time
when we all can sit down at the table. No absent from the table
this time. Not just eleven, but the whole
family. That's what you like about these
times of the year, isn't it, Brother Henry? You like it when
your son and daughter come and all your little chillings get
around you, you know, and family. It's a good time. Well, the father and his son desired
that, desired for his people to be with him. You think about
that. He desired that. Someone gave this proof. One
of the old writers. It was Thomas Manton. He said,
He said, we can prove this, that he desires the company of, the
companionship of his people from the fact that he came to this
earth and spent time with them long before he became a man. You know that? Christ visited
this earth long before he took a body. Several times. Listen,
this is what the scripture says about that. In Proverbs 8, it
says this, he rejoiced in the habitable part of his earth. He says, my delights were with
the sons of men. The first sinner, Adam fell. Who came visiting? Hmm? The Savior. Oh yes, the voice of God came
walking in the garden. Who's the voice of God? Mind
you, came walking in the garden. Voices don't walk. The Word was
made flesh. Christ came down to the very
first sinner, Adam. I believe Adam was saved. I really
believe he was saved because he heard the gospel. He was the
first sinner, and Christ is going to get all the preeminence, isn't
he? He's going to save the first and the last. And Christ came
to Adam at first when he visited him. He said, Adam, Adam. And then he preached the gospel
to him. Abraham. Remember Abraham? The angel of
the Lord visited him several times, didn't he? Huh? Several
times. Revealed his covenant to him
several times, didn't he? Huh? Abraham. That's Christ. Visiting with
his people. He loved having him in his company.
Came to visit. Ate dinner with him. Yeah, he
did. Sat down and ate dinner with
him. Remember? Abraham killed the fatted calf.
What about Jacob? He wrestled with Jacob. He wrestled
with Jacob. Came down and took hold of that
old boy. That's what you call hands-on. He wrestled with Jacob. Daniel? Daniel was in the lion's
den. Christ went down and stood right
beside him. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. There's three of
his choice servants. He went in that fiery furnace
and said, don't worry, boys. And that old wicked king says,
well, I see, didn't we throw three in there? I see four, and
the fourth one's like unto the Son of Man. That's who it is. He's with His people. See that? His delight is with
the sons of men. He's looking forward to me being
with Him. Think about it. Isn't that a
blessed thought? Listen to these verses. Jeanette's
going to like this. The Scripture says in Isaiah
65, I will rejoice in Jerusalem. and joy in my boy, his people. Much more so than Nancy, than
you enjoy those two grandchildren coming over to your house. Much,
much, much, much more. You love those grandkids. You
love to see them. He's going to enjoy seeing you much more. Much more. Listen to this. Listen
to this. It gets better. Zephaniah 3.17. Write that down. Zephaniah 317. Listen to this. The Lord thy God in the midst
of thee is mighty. He will save. He will rejoice over thee with
joy. He will rest in his love. He will joy over thee with singing. He's going to sing to us. That's what they say, he's going
to sing to us. When Mindy and I were dating,
she wishes I'd still do this, but when we were dating, I'd
serenade her. I'd get my guitar, you know, play her, I'd write
little songs and sing them to her, you know, love songs, ballads
of my love, the Mindy Ballard. I did. Well, this says that the
Son of God is going to sing to us a song of the Beloved. Isn't
that what song of Solomon is? The song of the Beloved. He's
going to sing. You know what we're going to
do after we hear him sing? We're going to say what those officers
said when they came back from hearing him speak. Nobody ever
sung like this. Oh my, his delights and his glory
is for us to be with him. His glory is for us to be with
him. And it's going to be our glory to be with him. And that's
what he says here, I will that they whom thou hast given me,
they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. Every word is significant in
this thing. I know you saw that, where I am. Where he is, yeah,
he is. He that cometh to God must believe
he is. Who? I am. Where I am. Who's Christ? He's I am. He's
seated on the throne. We're going to see God, aren't
we, with our eyes? We're going to see Christ. Where
I am, that they may behold my glory. I love that song. When by his
grace I shall look on his face, that will be glory for me, to
behold his glory, to be with him, beholding his glory. Let me see if I can illustrate
that. I had an older brother who I
idolized growing up. a star in all sports. He played football, basketball,
baseball, ran track, you name it. He did it and he starred
in it. He was captain of nearly every team that he competed on. And I idolized him. I looked up to him. I loved him.
He could do no wrong in my eyes. Then he joined the Army when
he was about 20 years old, joined the Army. And he won every award
he could win in the Army as well, in basic training down in Fort
Jackson, South Carolina. He won the highest honor they
had down there, physical training honor. In one particular time, he One
of the boys failed to make it through the obstacle course.
He picked him up on his shoulders and carried him across the finish
line. He was just a rugged, I looked up to him, I idolized him. Then
he went to Advanced Infantry in Fort McClellan, Alabama and
won the highest award there, the number one Advanced Infantry
soldier in the whole camp. Number one. And I went down there,
I was a 14-year-old boy. at the time, and I went down
there when they were giving him those awards. And generals came out there,
you know. Here my brother, you know, was
being decked with these medals of honor. They were honoring
him. And I was there. beholding his honor. And he got
me aside after it was all over and took me around, took me a
tour of the whole place and introduced me. He wasn't ashamed to call
me his brother. He introduced me. I was with
him, beholding his glory. And someday, in the same way,
we're going to be with Christ, and he's not ashamed to call
us his brethren. He's going to introduce us to
the angels. Bear with me. That's my brother. That's my brother. Be with Christ,
beholding his glory. Be with Christ. Is there anybody
that you can think of whose company you never tire
of. Some of you are nodding your
head. Someone that you just enjoy being around constantly, their
character is just that kind of person, you just enjoy being
around. It's probably somebody who's
Christ-like, isn't it? Multiply that. Whatever good
traits you enjoy in people, multiply them infinitely. That's the altogether
lovely Son of God. Any smile you enjoy looking at,
right there's one. It makes me feel better just
to behold it, the way you see He is. To be with Christ. That's going
to be heaven. It is. It's going to be heaven.
To behold his Lord. And look at the, if you want
to call it argument, look at the grounds on which he demands
this of the Father. Look at it, verse 24, the last
line. Look at what he says. This is what I will, the last
line says, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the
world. You love me. And this is what I want. I thought of this the other day.
We bought our daughter. We splurged. I mean, we splurged. We spent $1.4 million this Christmas. Close. If we had it, I'd have
spent it. Why? She's been nothing but a
pure joy. an obedient child from day one,
hadn't she? God says that about us. If you'd
be willing and obedient, you'll eat the good of the lamb. He
delights to bless, to heap blessings on His obedient children. But
there's only one, really, who's ever been completely obedient.
So you know what God did? He gave him everything. I say about my daughter, you
know, if she's obedient, if she stays as she is and pleases me,
the sky's the limit for her. I'll do anything within my power
for her. Well, Jesus Christ is and did, and the sky wasn't the
limit because he gave him that too. Gave him the sky. He said, ask of me, it's yours,
my obedient child. because he was obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. God hath highly exalted
him. That's my son, and I'm well pleased. He has everything. He deserves
it. I said love's extravagant, didn't I? And it is. And so Christ says, You loved
me. You loved me before the world began. Now this is what I want.
Read on. Verse 25, O righteous Father, The Father loves to hear that.
Oh, righteous Father, the world hath not known thee. The world
knows not and believes not a righteous God, a holy God, a just God. They don't believe God is God. They really don't. But Christ
says, I have known thee, and these have known thee. Look at
what he says again. that thou hast sent in man. These have known. That's why
he sent Christ, because he's a righteous father. That's why
he sent him. These have known that. The world has known. Not known.
But these have known. And I've known that. And that's
the reason God sent Christ, to make him a bloody sacrifice,
because God's a holy God. Christ is not sent as an example,
but he's sent as an atonement, a sin offering, a substitute,
because God is the righteous God. He's a holy and righteous
God. That's his name. Look at verse
26. He said, I have declared unto
them thy name. A holy God. The world doesn't
know that, do they? But we know it. These have known
that, that God is holy. Why do we know that? Because
Christ has declared that name undone. He's declared it. And
look at what he says here. And will declare it. He continues
to declare it. He never quits declaring it.
And I never get tired of declaring it. Do you? Do you get tired
of hearing it? Christ keeps saying the same
thing over and over again in his prayer. Now he's speaking
to God who knows everything. But God loves to hear it. Christ
loves to say it, declare it. And his people love to hear it.
Over and over. Now tell me about God again. How high is he? He's higher than
I am. How sovereign is he? All-powerful. Tell it again, a little louder
this time. I have declared unto them thy
name, and will declare, will continue to declare, and magnify,
read on, that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them. That the love wherewith thou
hast loved me God reveals to us his love for
his Son, like we were just saying, that God loves his Son, and he
reveals that to us. And he's praying here also that
the love—listen very carefully, I'm about to quit—he's declaring
unto us and praying for God's love to be shed abroad in our
hearts. He's praying that the love, wherewith
thou hast loved me, the love that God has for Christ, might
be in us. You see what he's saying? God
loves the Son supremely. So he's praying that we might
love him supremely too. You see that, what he's saying?
That the love wherewith thou hast loved me might be in them. That you love me above all others,
put that in them to love me above all others. You know, and I mean
this, I bring up my daughter a lot, and you'll, well, I'm
not going to apologize. I love her. She's a delight to
me, and I love her. You know, and I say these things
sincerely. It honors me more. It does more
honor to me. And I'm really more happy when
people love and know and esteem my daughter even more than me. You know what I'm saying? You
do. Because when I said the other day, when I asked that question,
That it wouldn't bother you a bit if anybody got you any gifts
at all, would it? Wouldn't bother you a bit. What
if nobody knew your name, John, but everybody loved John Sheasley
II? Would that be all right with
you? You mean that, don't you? Well, sure you do. That's exactly
how God feels about his son. Exactly. You believe that, Deborah? Debra,
you're a bank teller, right? You're not a success in life,
are you? You're probably not going to
be president of that bank, are you? Or CEO. You probably won't even
be manager of a branch. Or branch, as they say. You're
probably just going to be a teller. What if your daughter obtains
more and succeeds more than you? Is that all right with you? Will
it bother you if they know her name and don't know who you are?
Huh? See what I'm saying? But that's
impossible with God and his son. But the sense of it, do you understand
the sense of it? Barbara, do you understand the
sense of it? It honors the Father. He that honors the Son honors
the Father. And anybody that doesn't, this
world, everybody talking about God, God, God, God, doesn't want
to hear it. Jehovah, Jehovah, Jehovah, it's
abomination in his ears. Isn't it? because they're bad-mouthing
his son. Don't even take my name on your
lips. That's my son. Exalt him. He's God. The Father says, Thy
throne, O God, is forever. Now, you call him God. Earthlings. And anybody that doesn't, doesn't
honor the Father. Isn't that right? I and them. I in them, this is
the last line, that the love wherewith thou hast loved me
may be in them, and I in them, that Christ may be formed in
us, that we be like him, like him. And in the next line, there in
chapter 18, it says, Now when Jesus had spoken these words,
he went forth. Going to the cross, the high
priest prayed his prayer in censer before the veil. Now he's going
to take the blood in, pour it on the mercy seat. Now we're
going to read about that. Now we're going to study that
one within the veil for the next who knows, who knows. All right,
let's stand and be dismissed and pray. Our Heavenly Father, how we thank
You for Your Word. It's everything. Your Word is everything. It's everything
to us. It's all that we have. It speaks of Him who is all,
and in all. It tells us that. It tells us
who you are, who Christ is. Our desperate need of Him, and
it tells us of our need fulfilled in Him. How we thank you for
your Word. We especially know we hold no
part of your Word any higher than any other. It's all your
Word, inspired by you. And we hold no passage higher
than any other. Yet, O Lord, how we doubly thank
you, especially thank you for this portion of your word which
we have just studied. And we pray that by your Spirit
you might remind us over and over of these things. Take these
things, the things of Christ, the things of our great High
Priest, the things of who he is, what he's done, I have, I
have, what he's done for his people, who he is, the I am,
what he's done, where he is now, take them and show them unto
us. Remind us over and over and over
again. And we'll have joy because Christ
said these things. I speak in the world. that they
might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. O Lord, that we might
know the fullness of joy that comes in knowing Christ. That is our prayer. Bless this
word to your people. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.