The Lord Jesus Christ, the great
High Priest, is praying for His people here. He's praying for all of those
whom God chose before the foundation of the world, all believers,
and he describes them. Look at it again. Look at verses
6 through 8. Our Lord says, I have manifested
thy name, declared thy name, made clear,
revealed thy name unto the men men and women, people, young
people, the persons which thou gavest me out of the world, chosen
out of the world. I have made known your name." He's talking about his people
here. He's describing who it is he's praying for. These people
know the true and living God, like he said in verse 3. They have eternal life because
they know God. They know God is God. And they
know Christ is Christ. They know his name, Jesus. I told one of the brethren after
the service last week, I said, you know, we, we use his name,
Jesus, but we know what it means when we use it. It means he shall sing. I'm careful to use that name
because it's his name of humility and humanity, and I strongly
believe that his title needs to be used in accordance with
that name every time. Like Mr. Jesus, Mr. So-and-so. He's the Lord Jesus
Christ. But I don't despise that name. You've heard me speak of those
who use it, but I don't want you to think that we don't highly
esteem that name, the name Jesus. How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear. That is one who believes it means
what it means. I can say Jesus and delight in
that name because I know it means He shall save. Call His name
Jesus. Why? It means Savior. There's another Jesus out there,
but my Jesus is Jesus, just like my Lord is Lord, and my Christ
is Christ. They know His name. Christ said,
I have revealed thy name unto the men which thou gavest me."
That's how you know they're elect. Read on. They have kept thy word,
verse 6. They have kept thy word. They
have been given God's word. They have
had the word of God, and Peter said, This is the word which
by the gospel It's preached to you. They've had the gospel revealed
to them, preached to them, and they've kept it. They've laid
hold on it. They've received it. Yea, they
have embraced the truth. They love it. That's what kept,
God's word means. Read on. Verse 7. Here's the
people he's describing. They've known. Now they've known. They know that all things whatsoever
thou hast given me are of thee. They know, God's people, who
know God, who He is, who know Christ, who He is, what He's
done. They know this, that God has
given all things into the hands of Jesus Christ. all things, in him all things
dwell, all fullness, all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He must
have the preeminence in all things. They know Christ is all, and
in all, and Lord over all. I've given them, verse 8, look
at verse 8, I've given unto them the words which thou gavest me. And they have received them.
And what do we have that we have not received? John said it, a
man can receive nothing except it be given him. We believe,
we do believe to the Savior of our souls. But why? Because it was given to us. Faith
is the gift of God. We've heard the gospel. Oh my. We've heard the gospel. And we've
believed it. But you know we've heard the
same thing that other people have heard at different times.
And didn't receive it. And didn't believe it. Rejected
it. Huh? You've had your loved ones
here. Your family in here. This very place to hear this
same gospel. And their reaction was so different. Who makes it seem different?
Huh? We've received it. These people, I've given them
thy word. Who are they? Those whom thou
hast given me. That's who. So we have nothing
to boast in. What do we have that we have
not received? Now if we've received it, why are we glorious if we
have not received it? Let's never be guilty of that.
Verse 8, And they have received the word, that believeth the
word, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they
have believed from the heart that thou didst send me. They
know for a certain thing. They know surely who I am, where
I came from, why I came, what I did. They know this. They know who Christ is, they
know where he came from, they know who he is. I quote that
Isaiah 25 all the time, where the people says, this is our
God, we've waited on him. Say, this is our God, he saved
us. We know who he is, he's God,
that's who he is. Why'd he come? He came to save
his people. Did he do it? Yes, he did. Where
is he now? Sitting down. He's not leaning
over the banisters of heaven wanting anybody to do anything,
hoping anything. He's expecting. When you're sitting
down with your arms crossed, you're expecting. You're expecting
all things to be delivered and made sure just like He purposed
them. That's our God. And He's revealed
that to us. Now, He says, I pray for them,
verse 9. That's who I'm praying for. I
pray for them. Mine elect, your elect, not for
the world, but for them which thou hast
given me. For they are thine, and all mine
are thine, and thine are mine." That's who I'm praying for, Christ
says. Praying for those you've given
me, those you have elected, those whom you have chosen before the
world began and gave to me in a covenant. That's who I'm praying
for. Not the world. I'm praying for all men. So it could be clearer, Sam.
Huh? Could it be any clearer? Could it be, darn it, any clearer?
Christ is praying for God's chosen, God's elect. And just as Christ did not pray
for all people of the world, Christ did not die for all people
of the world. Here he's praying for his elect,
those whom he has in his heart, those whom he has engraved on
the palms of his hands. He's praying for them. This is
a high priest. Just like the high priest of
old had names on his breastplate and on his miter. And then after
he prayed, the high priest went into the Holy of Holies and offered
blood up. Who'd he do it for? The same
ones he prayed for. Not everybody, but those names
that were given him. And Jesus Christ, when he died,
he did not die for everybody in the world. He died for his
elect. Is that right? It sure is. He laid down his
life for the sheep. That's what he said back there
in John 10, didn't he? He said, I am the good shepherd.
I know my sheep. That's who I came to save. I
came to seek and to save every one of them. I'll find them,
because I'm the good shepherd. I never lose any of them. And
I came to die for them. I am going to lay down my life
for the sheep." And they turned to some of them and said, You
are not my sheep. As I said it, I have no more
sheep. Now that guy, I like that. I
love that. I love that. That makes him who
he is. We're going to see that in a minute. That tells me who
he is. And see, Christ is praying for
his people here. And because God, listen to me,
because God always hears and grants what Christ asks for. Listen to me. Because Christ,
because God always hears and grants, forgives Christ what
he asked for, therefore everyone whom Christ prayed for will be
saved. Everyone of you. And because the blood of Jesus
Christ, God's Son, cleanses from all sin, everyone he died for
will be saved. Because of who he is. You see? Why would anybody argue with
that? Hmm? You see, Christ has all
power. Why is it that everybody he prays
for and everybody he dies for will be saved? Because he has
all power. He said, all authority is given unto me in heaven and
earth. as thou hast given him authority over all flesh, that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
Everybody he prays for. There's power in his prayer.
All power in his prayer. That's what he said there at
Lazarus, too. I know that you hear me, and I know you give
me whatever I ask for. Every time. The effectual, fervent
prayer of this righteous man always avails everything he asks
for. Well, if I don't hear some amens
this morning, I tell you, somebody's not with us here. We're talking
about our hope here. We're talking about our great
high priest, and he's praying for you. Your salvation depends
on who he is and what he did. Your salvation depends on his
prayer. God the Father always answers his prayers, everything
he asks for. I'll give you an illustration. When he was hanging
on that cross, He cried, Father forgive me. They know not what they did. Now there were thousands of people
around that cross. Who was he praying for? Praying
for three thousand people. Five thousand people. Just a little while later at
Pentecost, three thousand people. same one whom Peter said, Now
you with wicked hands have taken and crucified the Lord of glory,
the one that hung on the cross and asked God to forgive you. And they believed. Why? Because Christ asked the Father. That's why. He said, Forgive
them. God did it. He forgave them because of the
blood. And a little while later, several
thousand That's why, because there's all power in his prayers
and there's all power in his blood. Well, everyone he dies
for must be saved because there's power in the blood. That's why. Ain't no power in my decision.
Ain't no power in that water. Ain't no power in church membership.
But there's all power in the blood. Power, power. Look at verse 20, back to the
text there in John 17, verse 20 and 21. He says, Now I am
not praying for these alone, or that is, these eleven disciples
here, one to come, Paul. I am praying also for them also
which shall believe on me through their words. Believers. So Christ is praying for me. You John, you believe the record
that John wrote, that Paul wrote, that Peter wrote, that Jude wrote. Huh? You believe the record?
That's you that he's praying for you. Not just for Matthew,
and Bartholomew, and Thomas, and James, and John, and Peter,
and Andrew, and Thomas. He's praying for John Kingsley
right now, right here. The Father always hears him,
and he's asking for some things from you. those that shall believe on me
through their word, that they all may be one," verse 21, "...as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me." That doesn't confuse you, does
it, what he just said? He said, I'm not praying for
the world. And in saying there, he says,
if the world might believe. That doesn't confuse you, does
it, like John 3, 16 does some people? The world. Doesn't you, Ed? I know. We've
talked about this. Huh? Who's the world? Who does
God love? The world, as Christians say.
That the world may believe. Who is that? It's the world of
believers. That's what it is. Out of every
tribe, kindred, nation, tongue under heaven. of people out of
all the world. Christ doesn't pray for all persons
in the world, but a world of persons. See that? Christ doesn't pray for all persons
in the world, but a world of persons, which no man can number. God sure has, though. God numbered
them. Oh, He's numbered the stars.
And if it's something seemingly so insignificant as burning balls
in the sky, he's got them all numbered. What about souls? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. He's got them all numbered. And he says, so he says, that's
who I'm praying for. That's who I'm praying for. Now,
back to verse 10. He says, they're dying. Or verse 9, they are dying. They
are thine. I like verse 6, Thine they were
and thine they are. Thine they were and they are
thine. Thine they are. That really just
struck me. God foreknew me, foreloved me. And does he love me now? He sure
does, darned they are. What about in the future? Oh,
darned they will be. Loving everything. God's love. This is why. You see, perfect love, John said. Perfect love casts out fear. Who's love? If you love God perfectly,
it'll cast out all fear of you, of you being damned someday,
your love. If you, if you can just have
perfect love, then you won't need the fear that, no. There's not but one perfect love. Herein is love. Not that we love
God, but that he loves us, and doth love us, and shall ever
love us. Huh? That cast out my fear. Fear of being damned. Now, Barbara,
he chose me before the world began. Like the Virgin said,
he had to then, because if he had waited until after I was
born, he wouldn't have been. And he loved me then. He set
his love and affection on me then. But isn't that why we were
yet sinners? I am a sinner right now. Well,
does he love me now? He can't love me now. Oh, yes
he does. Well, I'm going to keep on sinning,
and I'm going to act like Peter, act like I never knew him, and
be just a disgrace to his name. Will he keep on loving me? Yes!
He said, Your mother and father may forsake you. I will never,
never discard that fear. And to you, Job, I'll never love
him like I ought to love him. I'll never believe, or remain,
or abide faithful like I ought to. Boy, but he does. That's
my husband. He's my husband. So he says, they're dying. They
are dying. And am I? They're dying. Am I? Oh, my. are all believers, are
children of God, joint heirs with Christ, the firstborn among
many brethren. And look at this line here. I
like this. And I am glorified in them. I am glorified in them. The glory of God, the glory of
Christ, The glory of God, the glory of
Christ, the glory of God's Holy Spirit is at stake here. The salvation of the elect is
at stake here. This is why it is certain that
all who Christ died for shall be saved. His glory is at stake
here. His name is on the line. His name's on the line. If you
put your name to something, if you write an agreement, and you
agree to make so many, like, installment payments and so forth,
if you don't pay up, if you don't fulfill your word,
your obligation, buddy, your name is mud, isn't it? Become a laughingstock. God's
name's on the line here on the agreement. His name's at stake. His glory's at stake here. That's
why every one he purposed to save shall be saved. Every one
whom Christ died for shall be saved. Every one whom God's love
shall be saved. All whom the Holy Spirit operates
on, they will come to Christ. God's glory depends on it. His
name's on the line. His reputation's on the line. And listen to me. That's
why, if you're with me, you'll like this.
Since His glory's at stake, and since His name's on the line,
That's why he's not going to leave it up to anybody to do
it for him. If you want a job done right,
what are you going to have to do? Do it yourself. Scripture
said in Hebrews 1, when he had by himself purchased our sin,
he didn't ask me for help, I'd have ruined it. If he didn't ask for my cooperation,
I wouldn't have given it. He said, I'm going to go down
there and I'm going to save him. And he shall be saved. Put his
hand to it and let me in on it, and it won't get done. Oh, this
man, when he was by himself, the Purge guard said, sat down,
job done. Job done. His name was on the
line. You know, if I've got a job to
do and my name's on it, I'm going to make sure it's done right. And that's what God did. He said,
I am glorified in them. I like that language, saying,
I am glorified in them. God is glorified in me. I am
glorified in them. I am. He sounds like it's already
happened. Nothing. I am glorified in him. Not I shall be. But he acts like
it. He's talking here, John, like
it's already done. It has been. No longer God or
all his works from the beginning. Victim factor. Say it doesn't. Whom he predestinated,
he called Paschal 10. Whom he called, he justified.
Whom he justified, I am. I am glorified. It's as good
as done. And see, what I'm trying to say
here is that whether or not you're
saved depends on who saved you. It depends on who He is. Why
do you think He keeps saving thy name? Look at verse 11. Now, Father, I'm no more in the
world. I'm leaving. These are in the
world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name, according to who ye are, those whom thou hast given
me." Verse 12, "...while I was with them in the world, I kept
them in thy name." If you're saved, depends on who's
saved. Is that right? You ask somebody if they're saved,
and listen to how they answer. Are you saved? Yes. Why? Because I am. You need to save yourself, huh?
Then it won't last. I told you about Spurgeon, one
of his converts, one night. That fellow, that drunk that
approached him in the alley one night. Some drunk came staggering
up to Spurgeon after a meeting, and Spurgeon was walking home,
and some drunk came up to him and said, Mr. Spurgeon, you know
me? He said, No, I don't believe I do. He said, I'm one of your
converts. He said, in that quick wit that
he had, in that English way, he said, You must be so, my dear
fellow, because you're certainly not one of God's. So whoever has saved themselves
won't be saved. They're not saved. If some poor
fellow named Jesus was knocking at your heart's door and couldn't
come in until you let him, and you exercised your free,
almighty, sovereign will and invited him into your heart and
accepted him and made him Lord for the little crown of his head,
you're not saved. If you let him in that door,
one day you just might kick him out. Isn't that right? You just might kick him out.
But the body of the God of glory comes to your heart and says,
like David, like they said about David. I love that. They said
of David, those enemies of David said, they were standing on the
wall and David was going to have that city. And they said, he
can't get in here. And the very next line it says,
he went in. Didn't say anything, just went
in. Broke their wall down. It's the
Lord of Glory says, I'm coming in. Right there. Ed Berry. I'm coming in. He's mine. I'm a thine. Thine or mine. I am. I have been,
I will be, I ever shall be glorified in him. He's mine. I want to
save him. God's people are saved against
their will. Somebody added, with their full
consent. He'll break down your heart's
doors. He decides. Not until then will you be saved. All the way through here, All
the way through, the Lord says, I am, I am, I am. And He also says, and I have,
I have, I have. And this is all my salvation,
because He said, I am, and He said, I am. Now, I say the same
things over and over again, but this is good preaching. The world
talks about what Jesus can do. Can do this. God can do this. If you let out, God can, God
can, God can. There's no good news in that.
For a helpless, hopeless, without strength, ungodly, gutter, snipe,
pinner, the good news is when he says, I have. Not he can,
but he has. You see, good news and not he
will. If you shall, the good news is
I have and you shall. You will. That's the good news
to me. That's the good news. Christ
said, I am come that they might have life. Not hope to, I am come that they
might have life. I am the resurrection and the
life, you see. I am the way, the truth, and
the lie. I am the good shepherd. I am the door. I am the true
vine. I am that I am. And so therefore, he says, I
have. Because I am, I have. Because of who he is, that's
what he does, you see. We're right back on this, aren't
we, Sam? It all comes back to this. Because
of who he is, it's what he does. He elects because he is. I have done what I have done
because I am who I am. I choose. I had to choose and
have saved because he is. I have finished the work. I have
finished the work thou gavest me." Why? Because, for ever,
O Lord, thy works are finished. What God does, he finishes. God
never started anything and he didn't finish it. That's because
of who he is. I've started so many things.
Don't go over to my house right now. There's so many things unfinished. Don't say amen to me. So many
unfinished things over there. Man proposes, doesn't he? To do this, do that. We get so
many irons in the fire, don't we? And so often they say that. God never puts one iron in the
fire He doesn't take out, finish, pose, work, make. But God has begun, He's finished
it. He's author and the what? Finished it. You see, I have done what I have
done because of who I am. I have finished the work because
that's me. He's finished it. You see that? Somebody getting
past the blessing line. I have given them eternal life.
Why? Because that's who he is. I am
life. He comes in, you've got to have eternal life. If Christ
is in you, you've got to have eternal life. Why? He is life. I am that life. I have kept all that thou
hast given me. I've kept them all. Why? Because
God doesn't lose anything. Never has, ever will. Verse 12, I didn't read all of
that verse. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in my name. Kept them in my name. Pay close
attention now, people. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept, and none of them is lost. Why? Because that's who he is. But
the son of perdition, Judas, why? Because God said so. Scriptures might be fulfilled.
God said there would be a son of perdition, and Judas was it.
He was elected to that position. Look over at chapter 18 now.
Look over there. You'll see the same thing, the
very same verse quoted. Verse 4, beginning there, Jesus,
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him. Why does he know all things?
Because known unto God are all his works unto him. It's God.
That's right. known unto him all things that should come upon
him." Read on, "...went forth, and said unto them," remember
the soldiers, chief priests, and officers came to get him
with lanterns and torches and weapons and so forth? Verse 4,
"...he said unto them, Whom seek ye? And they answered him, Jesus,
Jesus of Nazareth." thinking the man named Jesus. Jesus said
unto them, I am. The inside of him, that's in
our talent, he just said, I am. And it says, "...Judas was with
them, stood with them," verse 6, "...as soon then as he had
said unto them, I am, they flew back and fell to the ground."
They hit the ground. A whole mob of them hit the dirt,
in the dust. Let me ask them again. They're
all lying around like that. Who are you looking for? And they must have been getting
up then, you know, and bursting themselves. They said it's a
little bit meeker this time. And he said, I've told you, I
am. Therefore, look at the next line,
you seek me, because he's got to go. Did you catch that there, Bruce?
Because I am. Therefore, they've got to go. Who saved you? Yeah, I am. Well, therefore,
I am saved. Huh? I've got to go to be with
Him. I've got to be saved. Why, His
name is on the line. His glory is at stake. I am glorified. I and them, thou and me, thine
or mine, mine or thine, we're all one. Well, everything's at
stake here. Their salvation, God's glory,
my name, my glory, their hope, their peace, their comfort. It's
all at stake here, and Christ says, The next line there, Janette,
he says, it's my joy. I've kept them in your name,
that my joy might be in your name. That gives you joy? He's
smiling, he must have. I am, therefore, let them go. All right, Brother Joe, you got
a hymn picked out? 199. 198. One hundred and ninety-eight.
One hundred and ninety-eight. Stand with me, let's sing the
first and the third stanza. First and the third. One hundred
and ninety-eight. There's a fire in the blood,
fire in the blood. Could you light the big burning
can? There's a fire, there's a fire
in the blood. There's a fire, fire, won't you
light the fire in the blood? I wonder why he died in the precious
blood of a lamb. I'm. And I, I wonder where you are,
with the Christmas moon on the way. Thank you, you're good to
me. And I, I wonder where you are,
with the Christmas moon on the way. Thank you, you're good to
me. I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this,
I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I am this, I don't know what to do. I don't
know what to do. It's a very nice place. Thank you all for all the work. I think that's a really good point. I think that's a really
good point. So, I'm going to go ahead and go ahead and
show you a little bit of what I'm going to show you. I'm going to go ahead and put
it back in there. All right, let's go ahead and
get started. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. you