The Lord Jesus Christ is praying for his people here. Now, I look out over this congregation
and I don't see one visitor, not one. I don't see one person who has
not heard this gospel before. And I don't, for a minute, think
that everyone in here has heard it. But nevertheless, this is familiar
to everyone here. The Lord is praying for his people. The reason I said that is because I preach the same thing every
time, and sometimes I'm tempted to think, well, you know that
the same things are what comfort me. We've already looked at John
17. We did seven messages through
it, nine messages at one time. As we were reading that, I got
a great blessing just reading that with you. The same things. That's what God the Holy Spirit
does for his people. He keeps just
telling them the same thing. Keeps reminding them. Isn't that
what our Lord said, John? He'll bring to remembrance. Oh,
I'll say it. He'll keep reminding you of John
17. We'd do well to preach on this
once a week, start to say a year. Well, the Lord is praying to
his Father concerning his people. Not just the apostles here, as
he tells us that. He's praying for all believers. He's praying for all believers.
Look at verse 20, "...neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their word, through
their epistles, through their preaching, and praying for all
of my people." That's what he means by the world, John, and
that the world may know. That's what he means. The world
of believers, the people out of every tribe, kindred, nation,
tongue under heaven, the world, that they all, all God's people
in the world may know. All right? Believers, believers,
that's how you distinguish them. What does it mean to believe
Christ? That's really a silly question,
a useless question. That means to believe all he
is. It means to believe all his sin. It means to believe all
he did. Right? What does it mean to believe
Christ? It means to believe Christ. And
he's going to tell us here who he is. He's going to tell us
what he did. He's going to tell us who he
did it for. And a believer believes. A believer doesn't but, but,
but. A believer believes. Right? And a believer rejoices. And
a believer loves the truth. A believer doesn't carve at it
or argue with it. He loves it. Why? Because Christ is it and Christ
said it. The truth. Now if you believe
and love who he is and what he's done and what he says here, he's
praying for you. Let's look at it. We stop at
the end of verse 3. Let's begin with verse 4. Christ
said, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do. I have glorified thee on the earth.
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. Jesus Christ
was sent. He just said that, Vicki, didn't
He, in verse 3. This is eternal life to know
that God sent Him. That's what John meant in 1 John
4 when he said, Everyone that believeth that Jesus Christ is
come is born of God. That means He
was before He got here, and that He came here with something
to do. sent by God. In other words, he had a job
to do. God sent him to do it. And we're
going to see in a minute, they're going to believe he did it. Believe
it. Believe that he was before he
got here, that God sent him to do something, and he did it when
he got here. And he went back, and he's doing
it still. God sent Christ to this earth. What was the work? He said, I
have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. What was
the work that God gave Christ to do? What did he send him here
to earth to do? Well, he said it in the first
line there, verse 4. I have glorified thee in the
earth. This is vital. This is where
it starts. Christ came down here not for
the principal purpose of saving people, but he came down here to glorify
God as a man. That's why all things are created.
That's why God created man to begin with, to glorify God And man sinned and came way short
of that glory. All we have is come way short
of that glory. Every person who has ever lived
has come far short of this glory, but one. God made the first Adam to glorify
him. He failed, didn't he? God made
the second Adam to glorify him. He succeeded, didn't he? And God said it out loud, there's
the man. He glorified me, I approve of
this man. That's why Christ came. That's
the first reason Christ came, to glorify God as a man. And
in doing that, the second reason he came, he did it for me. He did come to save. And the
way he did that was glorifying God for me. You understand what
I'm saying, don't you? Oh, yeah, you do. He lived a
holy life, a righteous life, like God demands of men. Why
did he do that? For himself? Just to show us that he could
do it? To prove he did it for me. He lived this life for me. He glorified God for me, because
I can't do it, John. He did it for me, and He imputed
it, or charged it, to my account. And so I have glorified God. This man has glorified God. Yet
not I, Christ, live within me. He did it for me. You see that?
That's why He did it. That's what we're talking about,
righteousness. When we say righteousness, imputed,
that's why Christ came. to establish righteousness."
He said, I finished it. I lived a perfect life as a man,
and I have imputed it on your people. It's theirs now. They're
now justified, they're now considered by God holy, righteous, unblameable,
unapproval, accepted by God, holy, holy, a holy sons and daughters
of God Almighty, because I lived thirty-three years and glorified
you, and now it's theirs. I give it to them. Now wait a
minute. Their sins have to be paid for
then. He had to do that work. he had to take our sins on him,
and he had to be punished for our sins, didn't he? Well, I
read a little later on where he was hanging on that cross,
he said he finished that too. He said, I established righteousness,
I glorified you as a man, and given it to them. Later on, hanging
on that cross, after he was made sin for us, after the Lord laid
on him the iniquity of us all, I hear him say this, I finished
that too. That's done. Sins paid. Righteousness established and
imputed. Sins paid for and gone. Now there's nothing left to do.
He did it all. Don't you love this word, I finished. Finished. We talk about the finished
work of Christ. don't we? We believe, we trust,
we believe the Christ who finished the work that God gave him to
do, and that's the work. Now look at verse 5. Now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I
had with thee before the world was. Glorify thou me. Now, this is the first thing
he asks God for. You notice it? He said, glorify,
verse 1, look at that. Father, the hour has come, glorify
thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. See that? It's the first thing he asked
for. And then he talks about God giving him all power and
giving him a people and giving him a work to do and how he finished
it. And in verse 5 he repeats it
again, Jeanette. He says, Now, Father, glorify
thou me." Glorify me. What didn't he say would glorify
him? What did he ask for? Christ asked
the first thing he asked for. What is it that he asked for? Look at it again, verse 5, Now,
O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self. With the glory I had with thee,
with thee. Verse 22, down there it says,
The glory which thou gavest me, the glory thou gavest me? Glorify me with thyself." This
is what the Son of God asked He asked for God the Father. Now this is, this gets to the
heart of vital religion. This gets to the heart of what
a man's in this thing for, a woman. This gets to the heart of it.
Examine yourself. Christ, the Son of God, said
the one thing he desired was God. He said, that'll glorify me. to be with you. You understand
what he's saying there? David, a man after God's own
heart, said, Whom have I in heaven but thee? Why do you want to
go to heaven? Why do we want to go to heaven?
Huh? Well, the world would say, I
want to be with mama. Don't they? I want to see my
loved ones. And that will be wonderful, and
we will see them, and we will know them, and we will rejoice,
and it will be joyful, a joyful time. Yes, it will, but it won't
be anything like when we see him. Because David went on to say,
And whom have I on earth? There's none on earth I desire. beside thee." That's what Paul
meant when he said, for me to live is Christ. That's what he said. He said,
for me to live is Christ. He said, I have a desire to depart
and be in heaven where I can enjoy a pie in the sky with Mama
and the sweet by and by in a circle and ever beyond. But he didn't
say that, did he? For me to depart and be with
Christ. It's far better. But for me to
live as Christ, to know him, to know him, to be with him,
God, Fanny Crosby wrote this, just to be there and to look
on his face, will through the ages be glory for me." That's what
Christ said. Glorify thou me with the glory
that I had with thee from the beginning. I love that story
of that old preacher. A black preacher one time was
preaching a message, and this other preacher told the story.
He said he came in and slipped in on the back row, and the preacher
was preaching, and he hollered out, and he said, and he called
the preacher by name, Brother, whatever his name was, Brother
Smith, where was God before he created the universe?
And the preacher hollered out, I don't know, where was he? And
the preacher said, where was God before he created the angels? I don't know, where was he? Where
was God before he created mankind, the animals, all things? I don't
know, preacher. Where was he?" And that old black
preacher said, "...he was in his glory." God the Father and God the Son
dwelling in glory, having need of nothing and no one. In verse 22, I direct your attention
again, "'The glory which thou gavest me,' which I had, and
you're going to give me again, I'm going to be with you. I've
given them.'" We've been in His presence already, haven't we? Uh-huh. I've seen the Shekinah glory,
haven't you? I've been glorified, not fully,
not completely. Scripture says so. For whom he
did predestinate, he called. Whom he called, he justified.
Whom he justified, he glorified. I've seen the glory of God in
the face of a person. Jesus cried, God who caused the
light to shine out of darkness has shined in this old heart
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the gospel
of Christ. I've been there. Joe, I've been
there and watched the high priest go in and pour the blood on the
mercy seat. Haven't you? We've been standing
right there and seeing the glory of God. Oh, we've just seen it
through a glass dimly, but it's bright at that. Even through
dim glasses, it's mighty bright to me. Think about when he takes
off, when we shuffle off these mortal eyes, when we see him
as he is. You think the gospel is glorious
to you now, Nancy? At times when literally you are,
you feel like Enoch, don't you? feel like you've walked on in
the glory. Well, I hadn't seen it. You ain't
seen nothing yet. You ain't heard nothing yet.
I heard some preaching the other day, and I just wanted to, it
was, we're ready, get it, come get us. Well, you ain't heard
nothing yet. That's what Paul said when he
got back from hearing it. I heard things, and not just
see things. He said, I heard things, and
he went on to try to describe it, and he said, it's like, I can't tell. He said, it's unlawful. Unlawful to hear or tell. Can't
tell it. Nothing to compare it. Nothing
to compare it. A man who is a pinhead, who tries?
Well, the world seeks out the vain glory, riches and honor
and all that. The believer, the son of God,
wants to know God, wants to be with God. So Christ says, I long
to be with you. Now look at this. Look at verse 6. I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gavest me out of the world." I have. Stop right there a minute. I want you to notice with me how
many times he says, I have. Not, this is what I want to do,
if they'll let me. Not, I shall do it if I get their
cooperation. Not, if they will, then I will. I want you to notice how many
times he says, I have. I have. Look at verse 4, I have
glorified thee on earth. I have finished the work thou
gavest me to do. Verse 6, I have manifested thy
name." Verse 8, I have given unto them the words, and they
have believed. Verse 12, down there, while I
was with them in the world, I have, I kept them in thy name. Those
that thou gavest, I have kept. I have kept them. Verse 14, I
have given them thy word. Verse 18, As thou hast sent me
into the world, even so have I, I also have sent them into
the world. Verse 22, The glory which thou
gavest me I have given them. Verse 25, O righteous Father,
the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these
have known thee. Verse 26, And I have declared
unto them thy name, and will declare it. I have, I have. You see, the gospel which is
another word for the good news. The gospel, the good news, is
not what Jesus can do. The gospel is what Jesus Christ
has done for His people. Huh? Don't you hear preachers
standing up all the time now? Jesus can. That doesn't do me
any good. Because without Him, I can do
nothing. That's not good news to me. He
can if you let Him. Well, I can't do anything. I'm
without strength. I'm without help. I'm without
hope. Huh? Here's the good news when Christ
says, I can and I have. Isn't that good news to you? I have. I have. I've done it. I've done it. The gospel is not D-O. Two letters. It's four. D-O-N-E. I've done
it. Now, everybody in here has heard
me say that before. I'm not saying that for the sake
of some visitor in here. Does this cause your heart to
rejoice again? Do you hear it? Same old illustration,
same old thing, over and over again, isn't it? Done. Done. It is done. The great transaction
is done. I am my Lord and he is mine.
Done. I have. I have. And look at what
he says there in verse 6. I have manifested, I have declared,
I have revealed, I have made known thy name unto the men which
thou gavest me out of the world. Down they were. Stop right there. Down they were. Down they were. Before the world began, he foreknew
and chose a people in Christ. Before the world began, to the
praise of what? Glory! Same thing. The glory of his grace. And they
were, but they have to be in time. They're going to have to
hear the gospel. Oh, God knew them, foreknew them,
foreloved them, chose them, gave them to Christ. He's called the
Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God, in His mind,
justified them, sanctified them, set them apart. They were saved. Sure for heaven is it they were
already there. They were in Him before the world began. I've been, I was in a heavenly
place before I was born, Christ. And they were, but in time they
have to have the gospel revealed to them. They have to believe
the gospel, and it's not of themselves. Flesh and blood won't reveal
it to them either, but the Father in heaven through the preaching
of the gospel, he says, I manifested thy name, thy name. Christ revealed the Father, made
known to his elect, those whom God chose before the world began,
made known himself to them. Made known. What's his name? It says he manifested
his name. Remember, Joe, the song we sung? I said, remember that. Assist
me to proclaim the glories of thy name. Christ said, I have
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out
of the world. Look at verse 25. O righteous
Father, the world hath not known thee. But I have known thee, and these
have known." God Almighty makes known to His
people His elect. The name of God. His elect. His elect. His elect. his chosen, those whom God chose
before the world began. If we had a visitor here, they
might carpet that and say, wait a minute, I don't believe that.
Then you don't know his name, do you? His very name means that. Do you know that? His name means
that he elects. I'm going to show that to you.
Look over at Exodus Chapter 33. Look over there,
Exodus chapter 33 with me. Now Christ said that the world
doesn't know you, but these have known you. He said, I've manifested
your name unto them. I've manifested your name to
them. The world doesn't know him, even though they use his
name. But you know something? That's
how I know they don't know him. Don't you? Don't you, Henry? That's how you know that people
don't know him, the way they use his name. Hmm? Hmm? You can tell, because they're
on a first-name basis with the King of Glory. They don't know
him. They use his name carelessly,
flippantly, irreverently, without fear. They use it for anything
and everything. That means in vain. Don't they? They don't know him. They don't
know him. You just don't use that name
any old time in any old way. They use it to curse with. It's
obvious that men don't know him and curse with his name. It's
obvious. But those who use it in a way that's not absolutely
glorifying him in religion. What Jesus told me the other
day, let's use it in vain. By putting his name on billboards
and bumper stickers and even bathroom walls, it tells me they
don't know him. Because the psalmist said, they
that know him make mention his name is exalted. It's to be given the highest
place. Those who know His name use it
very carefully. They use it with fear. They use
it with reverence. They use it sparingly. They use it to exalt Him and
praise Him with, not as a catchword or a by-phrase, but only to exalt
Him and praise Him with. Right? And I like the psalm that says,
They that know his name will put their trust in him. Well,
here it is. Here's the name that he makes
known unto his people. Look at it. Now, I'll hurry.
Exodus 33. Moses is speaking to God. Who's
he speaking to? Who's he speaking to? God? Speaking
to Christ. And God's going to speak to Moses.
Who's going to speak to Moses? Christ is. No man has seen the
Father at any time. No man hath heard him at any
time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared him. Now I want
you to notice the language here. You're going to hear the same
voice. that we're hearing in John 17.
Moses heard it there. Look at it in Exodus 33, verse
19. The Lord said, I will make all
my goodness pass before thee. I will proclaim the name of the
Lord before thee. John 17, he said, I have manifested
thy name. Who's talking to Moses? Jesus
Christ is. Read on. and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious." Sovereign grace. And we'll show mercy on
whom I will show mercy. Sovereign mercy. He says, I've
manifested thy name. And here's one of his elects.
Here's Moses, one of his elects. that he's telling this name to.
Chapter 34, look over there. Here's his name. Here's what
Christ is revealing to Moses, and here's what he reveals to
us. Look at verse 5. The Lord descended in the cloud.
The Lord descended. He never leaves his throne. Oh,
yes, he did. He came down in a cloud. Scripture says when he went up
in the cloud, the angel said he'll come in like manner. Clouds
in the dust of his feet. And he stood with him there.
The Lord God, whose Spirit stood with Moses, standing there. God
standing there with him. Yes, he stood on this earth at
the latter day. His name was Jesus Christ, standing
there. Him. John was standing out there
one day, and there was a man walking by,
passing by. A man passing by before John.
John said, Wait! There he is. God. The Lord passed by before,
and proclaimed, made manifest. Look at this. Here's Here's what
he made manifest. The Lord. Every word is important. Henry, did you notice it? The
Lord. Not a. The Lord. The Lord. The eternal one. The word Lord here is Jehovah. That's the word here. It means the eternal, existent
one. It means I am. I am the Lord
He said, I have manifested thy name unto those you gave me. Now, there's people running around
today saying he never said he was God. Oh, yes, he did. I heard him say it quite often. Because, you see, I know his
name. Don't you, John? Don't you know his name? Oh,
they didn't know his name. The soldiers and the people came
to get him in the garden. They said, Who are you looking
for? And he said his name. I am. That's his name! People say he
never said that he was God. Yes, he did! I know his name!
Heard him say it. I am! I am the way, I am the truth,
I am the life, I am the door, I am the bread, I am the water,
I am, I am, I am! Who is he? God, that's who he
is, in human flesh, stood on this earth, proclaimed his name
unto those who gave him. I don't believe that. Then he
didn't tell you who he was, did he? He ain't introduced himself,
has he? Whom shall I say, Moses said,
whom shall I say hath sent me? Tell them, I am. that I am." You know, that's
what he says there in Exodus 34. Look at the next thing. The
Lord, the Lord, the Lord God. Now, it's not, it's two different
names, but it's one and the same. The Lord God. The name God here
is is El, Elohim, where when Christ was hanging on the cross
and said, Eli, Eli, that's the name he's saying here. And the name here means all-powerful. I am the Eternal One, in Him
we live and move and have our being. I am that I am, all-powerful. His name means who He is. Now listen to it. Listen very
carefully. One of the brethren brought this out in a conference. When he says, I am that I am,
what he's saying I am who I am." He's saying what he's saying
in language which men don't understand, which only we'll understand if
he reveals it. He's saying, I am what I am. Or, I do what I do. I think what I think. I will what I will. Are you with me there? They say
God can't. Oh no, I am that I am. I do what I do. I am what I am.
I will what I will. I have what I have. I am. We are not, we can't ever say
that. We can't ever say that. Are you with me? He's saying, I am that I am. Because of who I am, I do what
I do. His very name here, Barber, are
you with me? He's saying here, I save like
I save. I act like I act. I create. I destroy. I wound. I heal. I kill. I make alive.
I save. I damn, because I am. He can't know that his name means
that he can, that he is, that he does. I am that I am. Do you follow that, John? Somebody
understanding what he's saying there. Huh? That's what he revealed. People that say, call on the
name of God and claim to believe God, do they believe he is what
he is? God's people do. Because he says
it, it's so. Because he does it, it's right. Because he says whom he will,
it's right, it's fair, it's just. I elect so be it, because you
are what you are. Cannot I do with my own what
I will? Yes, I am that I am. I like that, don't you? That's
what it's all about. That's what salvation is. Salvation
is God taking an old son of Adam and making him love I Am. Be
I Am. See, people love what they are.
A natural man loves what he is,
what he can be, what he can do for God, and so forth. Oh, the
believer loves what God is. Lieber hates everything about
him, saying what he is. He loves what God he is, who
God he is, how he does things, everything. Have you noticed, people, you
want to know how close this thing is getting to ending? I've heard men use this very
term now, something you never would have heard ten years ago.
I heard some athlete recently say this. He said, I am that
I am. This thing is getting close,
buddy. He manifested his name unto his
people, and I was going to go through those names there, but
we've heard enough. Back to the text. John 17, I've
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me, thine
they were, and thou gavest me, and they have kept thy word. They have kept thy word." Whatever
God says, believers believe it. Whatever Christ says, believers
believe it. Whatever God's word says about
Himself, believers believe it. Whatever God's word says about
them, believers believe it. God's people believe. And we're
going to see all the way through this prayer how he talks about
his word, his word, his word, his word. We heard him talk about
his name, didn't we? Several times, three times at
least, declaring his name, but you know he's magnified his word?
What's the rest of it, John? Above all, his name. We're going
to see him say something about his word, eight or ten times
or more. about his word, and how that he revealed his word
unto his people. The word of the world is not
the word. Oh, they all got a copy of it, but they don't believe
it. God's people do. They keep it.
They hold to it. All right, Brother Joe, you got
a hymn picked out? 127. Have anything to do with
the name? 127. That's good. 127. Stand with
me and let's sing the first three stanzas, the first, second, and
the third of Hallelujah, what a Savior. Men of sorrows, what a name for
the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned he stood, Sealed my heart up with his blood. Hallelujah! What a Savior! Guilty, vile, and helplessly
spotless lamb of God's mercy. Pull us from the kennel seat. Hallelujah! Lord and Savior. Thank you and you're
listening. Good night. Thank you.