Come and reign over us right
now, just for about 30 or 40 minutes. Reign over my mind. Control my thoughts. Arrest my heart. I have said this quite often, and I merely repeat what I heard, that this is the greatest prayer
ever prayed, which followed the greatest sermon
ever preached. We just went through chapters
14 through 16, the greatest sermon ever preached. Now we come to
the greatest prayer ever prayed, and I've entitled it the Lord's
Prayer, which I believe it truly is. Not the one that he gave
his disciples to pray. That's the disciples' prayer.
This is the Lord's Prayer. Christ, our great High Priest,
is praying to God the Father for His people just before He
is to go to that cross and make that one sacrifice for sin forever. It's significant that He did this now or then. In the Old Testament, when He instituted worship or the sacrifice,
the tabernacle and all. Do you remember what was just
before the veil, before you walked into the Holy of Holies, before
the high priest went into the Holy of Holies to put that blood
on that altar to make that sacrifice for sin? Do you remember what
was right before the veil? That's right. It was an altar
of incense. And what that represents is this
prayer right here. Not the prayers of the Saints.
But the prayer of the great high priest right here. And so this
is the one true great high priest offering up this prayer to God
before he walks into the Holy of Holies with his own precious
blood to put away our sin. And I love that verse of Scripture
in James that says, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much. He is the righteous man. All
right, let's look at it. He says, these words spake Jesus,
and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father. Now stop right there a minute. It says he lifted up his eyes
to heaven. And it said this in another place,
over in 11, it says that he lifted up his
eyes to heaven and said, I thank thee, Father, that thou hast
hid these things. Do you remember the story that
our Lord told of the Pharisee and the publican? It says the
publican, the sinner, who is in the back, would not so much
as lift up his eyes to heaven, it said, but smote on his breast,
the scripture says. Smote on his breast, said, God
be merciful. He couldn't look up. But this
man, this is the only man who could
ever look toward heaven. You know, I see people doing
this today, don't you? In religion. Well, you see them
doing this on TV. You've seen him do that? That's
significant. The day we're living in, no fear
of God before the rise. No man can look toward God except
Christ. It says he lifted up his eyes
to heaven, looked God in the face, and says, this is a man
now, and says, And this is my high priest now. This is my representative. This is the one who's going to
go to God for me to put away my sins. And this is what he
says to this thrice holy God whom no man can look upon. He
looks him right in the face, God in the face, and he says, I'm encouraged already. This
is my representative now. Now if I pray to some man, if
I have some mere man as my intercessor, some past dead saint, you know,
whether it be Christopher or Saint whoever it may be, or Mary
herself, now she can't look into God's face. God won't hear her on my behalf. Won't do it. If
God hears her, he'll hear her on Christ's behalf. He doesn't
hear her for me. I'm going to say this because
I just saw it. It's fresh on my mind, watching
that Catholic TV station. And this is what they said verbatim.
He said, Just as Christ could not come to this earth except
through Mary, even so he does not reign except through Mary. He said she depends on Christ
even, or he depends on her even now. That's what they said. That's what they believe, people. Mary doesn't look into God's
face. I believe she's there. But when she prayed, do you remember
when she prayed? Do you remember what she said? She's a sinner. She's not the
holy Virgin Mary. She was just a virgin to have
Christ. After that, she had several children.
And she's a sinner no better than any woman in here. And she
needed the blood of that One whom she bore to put away her
sins like any woman ever born on this earth. And he prays for
her, not her for him. This is the only one, the only
man. There's one mediator between
God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. Not a woman, the man. Not many men, the man, Christ
Jesus. And he looked into God's face
and said, Dad, I believe he's going to get what
he asked for. If I go to my father, And ask him anything, he's going
to give it to me. And the heavenly Father delights
to hear his son. That's what he, remember when
he said back there, I know that thou hearest me, you always hear
me. Remember that? Back at Lazarus' grave? And now
he said, I didn't say this for my sake or your sake. I know
you always hear me. I said it for them that hear
me. and every verse deserves a sermon
by itself. But I've got to go on. He says,
The hour has come. Father, looking in the God's
face and says, Father, the hour has come. The hour. All time and eternity, the infinite
Eternal purpose of God, which was ordered in all things, and
sure, preordained, planned, purposed, millenniums and millenniums and
millenniums ago. In the mind and purpose of God,
between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
it all boils down to this. This is the center of time. This is high noon when the sun
is about to be at its, his zenith. This is when the sun has, is
about to arise with healing in his spread wings. The hour is come. The hour, I
know that fool likes to say the hour of power. That's what he
calls his TV program. This is the hour of power. all power, sin-remitting, soul-saving
power. The hour has come. Father, and
what is it all about? Look at it. Glorify thy Son,
that thy Son also may glorify thee. Glorify thy Son. That's what it's all about, to
the praise of the glory of his grace. And we read that in Ephesians
Oh, people, if you were paying attention, if you were listening
to the various songs being played by this instrument, everything
was so fitting with this message. With his blood, he has saved
me. With his power, by his blood,
he's saved. With his power, he has raised
me. To God be the glory. That's what it's all about. And
in Ephesians 1, it said that he will gather together in one
all things in Christ, even in him, to the praise of his glory. Glorify
thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. How did Christ,
how was Christ glorified? by hanging on a cross. How was
he glorified by hanging on a cross? Well, with the crown of thorns. Because of, by virtue of the
crown of thorns, he became the king of kings. With the death he died, he became
Lord over life. The scripture says, "...because
he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Therefore
God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow and glorify him." To the glory of God the Father.
Christ glorified God in all his character by hanging on that
cross. How did he do that? How did Christ
glorify God by dying? This deserves 45 minutes by itself. How was God glorified by Christ
hanging on the cross, by Christ dying? Well, the holiness of
God is seen. How God hates sin. even to the
point of when he finds it on his only begotten Son, he's going
to punish it. He's a just God. It glorifies
his justice. Put it away, sin. And I've rejoiced
before in thinking about that. That God's justice demands that
I go free. The fact that God Almighty poured
out His wrath and His justice against broken sins on Christ. Therefore, God's justice demands
that I go free someday. That if I stand before God someday,
His justice will find no fault in me. Just like all the accusers
of Christ could find no fault in Him, God's justice can find
no fault in me." Why? Paid. There's no mark against
him. Oh, my. He glorified his justice. He glorified his mercy. All mercy is not seen except
at Calvary. True mercy is not seen. That
is, us not getting what we deserve? Oh, you can't see mercy except
at Calvary, can you? Huh? But God, who is rich in
mercy, how rich, how merciful is God? He spared not his own
son to spare me. Now there's mercy. That glorifies
God's mercy, doesn't it? Infinite mercy to me. I'll not
know it, I'll not see it except that way. Is grace giving me
what I do not deserve? That's only seen at Calvary,
isn't it? Giving me what Christ did, I
did nothing but sin, but he gave me heaven. Why? Because of what I did? No, because
of the one hanging on the cross. Mercy, grace, love, oh love,
greater loveth no man than this. The love of God is glorified
nowhere like on the cross. Nowhere. Now, to the glory of
God the Father. Read verse 2 now with me. Christ
says, Father, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, glorify
thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee, as thou hast given him
power over all flesh. Power over all flesh. That's
freedom. He should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given him. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians
15 real quickly. God Almighty has given Jesus
Christ all things. All things have been given into
the hands of Jesus Christ because he went to Calvary. That's what
the Scripture says. The earth, like Psalm 24, says
the earth is the Lord's. What Lord? The Lord Jesus Christ. The world, the earth and all
its fullness, the world and all inhabitants thereof. Who owns
them? Jesus Christ. Just like Pharaoh
gave to Joseph all the storehouses and all the people had to come
to him, God had given to Christ all people and all things in
his hand. In his hand. Look at 1 Corinthians
15, verse 22. Look here. As in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive, every man in his
own order, Christ the first fruit, afterward David, or Christ that
is coming, then come at the end, when Christ shall have delivered
up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put
down all rule and all authority and all power, for he must reign."
till he hath put all enemies under his feet, the last enemy
that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under
Christ's feet." When he saith all things, it's manifest that
he's accepted. God put all things under his
feet. Back to the text. Power over
all flesh. All souls are his to dispose
of as he sees fit. Now, throughout this prayer we're
going to see several things that it says, that he says, which
God hath given him. Are you with me? Several things
which Christ mentions that God hath given to him. Several things. The first thing he said there
was verse 2, power over all flesh. God has given Christ all power. He is Lord. He reigns and rules. All right? Here's the next thing,
that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him. God has given Christ all power,
all authority in heaven and earth is given unto him. All authority
in heaven and earth over all souls, but is a special sense in which God
has given a people, particular individuals, to Christ to save
them. God has given Christ a people,
certain individuals. They were chosen by God according
as he had chosen us in Christ. When did he do it? When did God
choose these people and give them to Christ? Ephesians 1,
4, I've just started quoting it. According as he has chosen
us in Christ, when? Before the foundation of the
world. Not when we believe, no. He chooses us before the world
began that we might believe. And he gave them to Jesus Christ. He gave these chosen people,
these elect people before the world began, gave them to Christ
in an agreement to save them. God purposed to save the people.
He chose every one of them, wrote their names in a book, sealed
that book up and said, Now, son, you're going to have to go down
and live for them, establish righteousness, die for them,
pay for all their sins, and then come back and ever live for them.
Will you do it? I'll do it." And they struck
hands, and the Son came, and he said, Father, the hour has
come for me to do what you sent me to do, to go to Calvary. Now, I've already lived this
life, and I've woven this seamless robe of righteousness, and I've
covered them in it. I do now therefore impart it
to them, impute it to them. Now I go to the cross. to shed
my blood, my sinless blood, to remit their sins for your glory,
for my glory, to give eternal life to the ones you gave me
to do it for. I'm shedding my blood for your
chosen people, no one else but for them. But for them. Oh, my. Eternal life. to as many as thou hast given
him." It doesn't say, darn it, it doesn't say as many as will
let him. It says as many as God has given him. All right? Verse
3. Now, this is life eternal. And this is life eternal. This
is eternal life. Christ is about to tell us what
it is, and He's going to tell us how we received it. This is
how we receive it. It's given to them. It's not
earned. Eternal life is not earned. It's
by grace. It's given to them. Who gives
it to them? The priest? Well, a priest, yes. Be great, high priest. Who gives
it to them? The soul winner? Well, a soul
winner, yes. So what? Who gives it to them? The Father? Well, yes. Jesus Christ gives it to them.
That I should give, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. What is this life eternal? Christ
describes it. Now turn back quickly to Ephesians
2. All right, we just We just touched on it here. We read one
verse there in Ephesians 2, didn't we? Turn back quickly. This won't take long. Ephesians
2, it says he gives eternal life to as many as God has given him.
So what that means is, they don't have it until he gives it. Right? He gives life to as many
as God gave him. So that means, John, that until
he gives life, they're dead. Isn't it? That's what it says
here in verse 1. You hath he quickened. Who quickens? God hath quickened. Verse 5.
When we were dead, he hath quickened us together with Christ. Raised
us up. That's what it means to quickened
to make alive. And you hath he quickened who
were dead and trespassed in sin." All right? They were dead. Christ
said, now back to the text. Keep your places, keep your thumb
there in Ephesians, all right? Back in the text, Christ says,
this is life eternal, all right? They get it by Christ giving
it, by Christ earning it. by Christ living and dying. They
get it. And He gives them life because
they were dead. He said, I am come that they
might have life. Life eternal. Now what is it? What is life eternal? Now here's
what, that's how they get it. They get it from Christ. His
doings and dyings and givings. Now here's what it is. Here's
what it means to be alive. Eternal life is not just the
duration of it, it's the quality of it. Do you hear that? Eternal life is not just how
long it is, it's what it is. It's what it means to be alive.
You have to be made alive, eternal life, who were dead. This is
it, verse 3, that they might know thee, the only true God,
in Jesus Christ whom Now, didn't we just read over
there in Ephesians 1 that the eyes of your understanding might
be open? You see, a dead man has all of
these characteristics, or lack of them. He's blind, isn't he? A dead man is blind. A dead man is deaf, right? He can't hear you no matter how
much you holler at him. He's in the earth. He's earthy. He's deaf. He can't hear. He
can't speak. He won't speak. He cannot. He will not. Right? He's lame. He can't walk. He
can't take the first step. Call all you will. Wish all you
want. Beg Him all you will. He won't
take the first step. Why? He's dead, as Barnard said,
graveyard dead. Graveyard dead. But God. Now, that's how we were spiritually. That's how all of God's people
are spiritually when he finds them, when he imparts this life
to them. They're all dead like that, aren't
they? Were you? You see your calling, brethren?
Huh? When he called you to life, how
that you were dead? Huh? I sat under message after
message after message, just like you're hearing right now. Didn't
hear it. Not interested. Listen up now. I couldn't see any beauty in
Christ. I wasn't interested in the gospel.
Was that you? I wasn't interested in Christ. I was just interested in getting
out. I didn't hear his voice. There
were some people sitting there with tears in their eyes. I was
struggling to keep mine open. There were some people whose
hearts were pricked. They said, Did not our hearts
burn when we heard the gospel this morning? My heart didn't
burn, my heart was hard. No, I don't say that. and some
people who were endeavoring to walk according to the Scriptures,
according like Christ. I didn't. I wanted to walk according
to the course of this world. The sooner I'd get out of here
and put my running shoes on, the better. Get these hard, uncomfortable
church shoes off me and get my Nikes on me. They weren't Nikes
then. They were Converse. Get my converse
all stars on me. I'm headed out. Run the course
of this world. But God called me by his grace. Opened
my eyes. Time I came in, sat, and time
after time after time I didn't see anything. I don't see. What
are you all getting excited? I don't see what you're getting
so... I see. I don't hear what you... I don't hear anything. That's
not touching me. Oh, he's talking to me. You were
preaching to me, weren't you? Heart pricked. And it's hard
to kick against those bricks. Heart softened to receive the
engrafted word. That's the day of his power.
Whose power? Christ's power. When he says,
this is it. This is the day. So and so is
going to hear my voice. It's all up to him. He knows
when, if. He knows if. He knows his own. And he knows when. Now that's
the power he uses to bring to life the word of
his power. And this is life. This is life
eternal. Take an old dead not god-hating, not gospel-hating,
church-hating rebel, and absolutely chained him. My, my, that's the power of God. That's the power of pride. This
is eternal life. To know thee, he said, and I
close with this. I close with this. He says, this
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God. You know, people are just as
dead in religion, aren't they? And they have a zeal for God,
but it's not according to knowledge, knowing, knowledge. They don't
know the true and living God that they worshiped and idolized.
They worshipped the God of their own imagination. They worshipped
the God they thought. I thought I was altogether such
a one as myself. I thought you like a preacher
said you were, that you like a man, that you can't unless
he lets him. I thought you loved everybody.
I thought, I thought, I thought. It ain't like you thought. Salvation
has come to know. It ain't like you thought. Salvation is for God to say like
He said, I'll set things in order before your eyes. Thou thoughtest
I was altogether such a one as the gods of this world, the god
you thought I was." He said, here's salvation that you'll
know I'm God, and you're in my hands. But you don't let God do it. You don't let go and let nothing. You won't let go unless He lets
you. You won't receive him, except
he receive you. You won't call, you won't see,
you won't come. He said, they will not come unto
me. But bless God, John, he said,
all that the Father giveth me shall. And this is life eternal when
a man sees God is God, and he forsakes that idol God he used
to worship and turns to the living God and says, This is my God. That God you've got, the God
of this world is not God at all. This is the true and living God,
God who is God. And Jesus Christ whom he sent. This is what John says in 1 John
4. He said, This is life eternal. This is everyone that believes
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is born of God. What
does that mean? Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
What does that mean? It means everything he just said,
that the hour has come, that God has given him a people From
the very outset, Barbara, he said, God said, call his name
what I've named him, Jesus. What for, Lord? For he shall
save his people from their sin. He won't attempt, he will atone. He doesn't try, he succeeds. He shall save not everyone who
lets him, but his people, God's elect people. This is eternal life. For a man
to have, a woman to have their eyes open to see, hey, we don't
accept Jesus. We're the ones up for condemnation
or acceptance. And it's only because Jesus Christ
came and said, I accept that one. It's only because Hosea
said, I'll take Gomer. Not Gomer taking Hosea. Hosea
taking Gomer. And paying the price, Jesus paid
it all. This is eternal life, and there
ain't nobody saved. except they see him this way. See it this way? Yes, this is
the way. The truth and the eternal life. Right? This is the true God and
this is the true Christ and this is eternal life to realize, to
know this God and this gospel, this Christ. I hope you do. All
right. John, what number did we have
picked out there? Forty-two? Is that it? All hail
the power of Jesus' name. Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem
and crown him Lord of all. Let's stand and pray. Let's sing the first verse. the
second verse as the last. All hail the power of Jesus'
name, let angels prostrate fall. Ring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all. Ring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all. He chose the seed of Israel's
grace, He ransomed from the fall. Tell Him who saved you, God is
great, and crown Him white. Lord of all, and Him who's saved
by His grace, and crowns Him Lord.