Come in on some things. John 17. Our Lord said in John 17 and
9, He said, I pray for them, I pray for them, I pray not for
the world, but for them which Thou hast given me, for they
are Thine." Our Lord said, I pray for them.
Who is them? Who is them? Our Lord is praying
for. Well, those that were given to
Him by His Father. Ain't that what He says? For
them which Thou hast given Me. which He has given me." Seven
times in this chapter, our Lord refers to His people being given
to Him by the Father. Seven times. They were yours,
you gave them to Me. You gave them to Me. You gave
them to Me. And seven times in this chapter
that our Lord says that. And I tell you, he said, in fact,
verse 24, he says, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast
given me be with me where I am. You know
the only people that's going to be with him where he is? Them
that he prayed for. Them that the Father gave to
him. Them that the Father loved before the foundations of the
world. And I said, Our Lord, He says to them, who is them?
Well, these are the ones He gave the words of God to. Look in
verse 8. He said, I have given unto them the words, the words
you gave me. When Our Lord came here, He had
one message, and that was the message of His Father, the message
to honor His Father, the message that the Father gave Him to give
to us. And he only spake what the Father gave to him. And if
he was true to God's word and only spake what God said, how
much should you and I be faithful to only say what God says? If
our Lord was that way. And so he gave them the words.
He gave them the words of God. And anybody that won't receive
the word of God and just picks and chooses at their leisure
and at their pleasure and at the parts they like and leave
the other done, They got to take it all. I mean we may not understand
it all. May not read it all. And there's
lots of it that we read and we don't understand. Like he read
tonight. He came by water and by blood. How many of y'all know
what it means when he said he came by water and he came by
blood? How many knows what that means? Not by water and blood only. So you see there's some mysteries
in the scriptures. There are three that bear witness
in heaven, three that bear witness on earth, and these three agree
in one. Mysteries, mysteries. But to
them He gave words, and that's what the scriptures are, they're
words, and words have meaning. Words have power. Words are means
of communication. And our Lord came to communicate
to us through His blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said
He was the Word. He was the Word manifested in
the flesh. And God sent the Word to communicate
to us, to speak to us, and to teach us and instruct us. And
Christ is the living Word and He is embodied in this written
Word. So He read to them. I'll tell
you who else wrote about them. I'll tell you what it says there
in verse 8. I have given unto them the Word
which thou gavest me. And here's the kicker. They received
them. They said, yeah, that's right.
They received them. That's true. Yes, I'll take.
You said that? I believe that. Whatever He said,
we received it. We take it. He said, that's what
He says. I gave them your words and they
said, we'll receive them words. We'll take them words. We'll
believe them words. And all beloved in receiving
His words, they were convinced. Look what it says next now. They
were convinced. There in verse 8, and have known
surely that I came out from thee. They were convinced, know without
a doubt, that Christ existed before he came into this world. They say they have known surely
that I came out from thee. That God was somewhere else before
I came into this world. I lived some place else before
I came into this world. I was dwelt in eternity before
I ever became a man. I was with my Father, and I came
into this world to give you the words of God. I came into this
world to be the one that the Father gave you to me. He said,
they know that I come out from you. Our Lord says, no man has
seen the Father any time save the Son, who is in the bosom
of the Son, and it is to only whom the Son will reveal Him
to and tell Him out. Now I surely believe it. And
again tonight when he read 1 John 5 verse 1, the first verse there
says, He that believeth Jesus is the Christ is born of God.
Do you know what that means? When you believe that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God, that's not this weak knee, little, weepy,
pitiful, begging, pleading, weeping, crying. baby born in a manger
laid, pressed out at Christmas time and pressed out at Easter
time, that's not Him. When we talk about Jesus is the
Christ, that this is the one that God Himself sent into this
world to save a particular people, that He was His name was called
Jesus because God gave Him that name. He was the Christ in His
office and in His power and He came here to do a work the Father
gave Him. So when you say, well, I believe
Jesus and I believe in Jesus, that's not what He's saying there.
He says, you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the one that come
forth from God Himself from all eternity. That there was a time
He wasn't here. There wasn't a time He wasn't
in the flesh. There was a time that He wasn't
come here to redeem His people. There was a time that He assumed
human nature. There was a time that He had
to go to the cross. That's what we're talking about
when we said He didn't believe that Jesus is the Christ. And that's why He said He received
them words. Look over in John 10 with me
for just a minute. Just a minute. Let me show you
something about them. They received these words. Oh,
no, surely that I came out from that. I tell you, I hear people all
the time make fun of the Lord and make fun about Him coming
out, you know, being virgin born and that He was with God and
that He was sinless and that He could possibly save anybody.
And what fools we are for believing that. I've heard several people
say that. It's the age. And it's always been that way
that they make fun of those who trust Christ. But when we say
we've known surely that He come out from the Father, that there
He was in His glory, there He was in His power, there He was
in His majesty, there He was in the delight of His Father.
And one day He left glory, and God put Him in the womb of a
virgin. And that's when He came out from the Father. And I tell
you, every step he took, every word he said, every deed he did,
everything that happened to him in this life, was because he
came out from the Father. And we've known that surely. Look what he said here in John
10. And I think it's in verse 24. Look what he says. Talking
about them now. Then came the Jews round about
him and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If
you be the Christ, tell us plainly. See? They didn't believe that
he was Jesus the Christ. Our Lord said, I told you, and
listen to it, you didn't believe it. You don't believe I'm the
Christ. You don't believe that. The works that I do in my Father's
name, they bear witness of me. Now listen to this now, but you
believe not, because you are not of my sheep as I said unto
you. Now listen to me, my sheep hear my voice and watch what
he says, I know them. I know them. The same ones you
prayed for with us, I pray for them. With the same one he says,
I know them. And they follow me. They follow
me. And oh, let's go back over here
to John 17 with me for just a minute. Oh, they knew he had been before
he came into the world. They knew that he had delight
with the Father. And then he says there, again
in verse 8, he says, They know surely that I came out from thee,
and they believe, now watch this, that you sent me. You sent me
here. I didn't just decide one day
to get up and come to this world. The Father sent me. He says they
believe that you sent me. And I say we believe that God
sent the Lord Jesus Christ into this world that we might know
God, that we might be saved by Christ, that we might experience
the love of God, experience the grace of God, experience the
redemption of Christ. And he says we believe. He says they believe that you
sent me. And so we see by this they believed. They gave him the word, they
received him, knowing surely that I came out from thee, and
they have believed that you did send me. By this seeing that
we believe that thou didst send me, that we understand by this,
that faith cometh by hearing. These fellows heard some things,
they heard what Christ said, they believed what Christ said,
they understood what Christ said, and then faith comes by hearing. And that's why, look at the progression
here. He said, I have given them thy
words. That's the first thing somebody does, they hear the
Word. We preach the Word, we take the Words of God, we read
the Words. Then it says they received. You say, boy, that's true, that's
right. Oh my, yes, that's right, that's
right. And then it says, and they know. And they've known. And after they heard, they received,
and they know, and then it says they believed. And that's what
I'm telling you is knowledge, spiritual knowledge and understanding
is the fruit of receiving God's Word. Believing comes last. Believing comes last. You've
got to have some word going to your brain, to your knowledge,
to your mind, your understanding. You receive that into your understanding,
into your mind, into your heart, and then you say, I know, that's
right, I know, and believe. Believing comes last. And I'll
tell you something about faith. Faith is intelligent. Faith's
not ignorant. Anybody here that's got faith
in Christ and God's given you faith, you could tell me. You
could tell me the reason you have that faith, where you got
that faith, how you got that faith, and how you understand
something about Christ. And that's why you believe, because
you believe some words, you receive some words, you understood some
words, and now your faith has some understanding and you can
explain your faith. And if you can't, you ain't got
it. People say, well, we just go
by blind faith. No, we don't. Oh, no. That's
why Paul said, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. Well, how are they going to call on Him whom
they have not heard? And whom they have not believed,
how are they going to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And
how are they going to hear without a preacher? And now, he says,
look what he says in verse 9. So these fellows that I gave
you the word, that you gave me they received these words they
know me and know where I come from and they believe that you
sent them said these are the people I'm praying for these
he prays for he says I pray for them I pray not for the world I pray
for them I pray not for the world And you know why he doesn't pray
for the world and prays for us? Look down here in verse 14. I
have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because
they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. When he says here, I pray for
them, I pray not for the world, this is the first thing we understand
is that the believer is not of the world. He prays not for the
world. He said, I pray. And I pray for
them that thou hast given me. He prays for his people. He prays
for them as his mediator. He prays for them as the perfect
man. As a perfect man who even prays
for his enemies. He holds no revenge in his heart.
He loves his neighbor. He even said on the cross, Father,
forgive them. They know not what they do. Look
with me in Matthew 5, just a minute. Verse 44. Matthew 5, verse 44. Our Lord even prayed for His
enemies. He'll make even His enemies to be at peace with Him.
And we were enemies and He made us to be at peace with Him, didn't
He? So you see, beloved, our Lord
taught us even to love our enemies. So the believer is not of the
world. He prays for His people as the perfect man prays for his enemies. And our Lord
said here in John 5, verse 44, He said there, you know thou
shall love thy neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say unto you,
love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use
you and persecute you. Now did our Lord not do that
for us in every single instance there? Were we not His enemies? Did we not curse Him? Did we
not hate Him? Did we not despitefully use Him?
So everything in that verse He did for us, and now He tells
us to do that for other people the same way. So He's a perfect
man. And He prays for us as our great
High Priest. Just like Aaron only pleaded
and interceded for Israel, Aaron only bore the names of the children
of Israel on his breast, only bore the names of the children
of Israel on his shoulders, and he only offered sacrifices for
the children of Israel. And Christ only bears the name
of His people, and bears in His heart only His people, carries
only their names, carries only their burdens, carries only their
weight, and He prays for them. because as our great high priest
and then he says I pray not for the world the Lord Jesus Christ
people he separated from the world they said you gave me them
out of the world and you know what God's people are in a separate
category all together separate category and this is a question only you
can answer only you can answer this question Am I of the world? There's two classes of people
in that verse right there. Them that Christ prays for and
them that are of the world. Those who belong to Christ and
them are of the world. And you're the only person that
can answer that question whether you're of the world or not. You
know what the world is? The world people think is being
worldly is going out and dressing a certain way and going to certain
places and doing certain things. But the world has a fashion.
They have a fashion. They do things in a certain fashion,
in a certain way. He says, walk not according to
the fashion of this world. Now the fashion of this world
doesn't mean how they dress. Not how they dress. It's the
fashion. It's the things they think and they do and they act
and their ambitions and all their pride and all the things that
make the world to be the world. And Paul says, you know what,
not according to the course of this world. The world has a course. They have ways they walk. They
have paths they walk in. There's a study course that you
can take, a pattern you follow, governed by a course. You know you're governed by a
course. And that's what they're governed by, a course. They're
very interested in how everybody else is doing, where everybody
else is going, what everybody else is thinking, what everybody
else is going to do. Governed by the prince of the power of
the earth. Do you know what being a whirling is? I'm going to tell
you. It's a life lived apart from
God. My children are whirlings. Your children, if they don't
know Christ, is worldly. If you're here tonight and you
don't know Christ, you're a worldly. A life lived apart from God.
Without thinking of God. It's not what we do in particular,
it's our fundamental attitude. And it's our fundamental attitude
towards everything. It's our attitude towards God.
What do I need God? What do I need to do in service?
What do I need to come worship for? I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I enjoy going here. I enjoy going
there. The last thing I want to do is be in church on Sunday
night. I've got four wheelers to ride. I've got fishing to
do. I've got boats to get in the water. I've got TV shows
to watch. I've got beezy chairs to sit
in. I need some time for myself.
That's the world. And I'll tell you then the thoughts
we have towards ourselves. Selfish, selfish, just what we
want, what we think, what we can get, what makes us feel good,
what makes us feel comfortable, what gets us by. And all this
attitude towards life and this world. I heard an old black preacher say
years and years ago, every once in a while he'd stop and he says,
this is the way the world thinks, get all you can, can all you
get and then sit on the can. And that's pretty much what the
world thinks. Did all you can. Can all you get and then sit
on it. That's the way the world is.
And that tells us everything you think about yourself toward
God, toward ourselves, towards life in this world. Paul said,
be not conformed to this world. How many times have you said,
boy, this world's in a sad shape. This world is going downhill
so fast. Not talking about us, we're talking about that out
there, the attitude, the nature, the fastness, the paceness, the
materialism, the grasping after the brass straw, the grasping
after the brass ring, the grasping after everything but God and
Christ. And our Lord, let's look over
here at 1 John 5, just a minute. 1 John chapter 2, excuse me,
1 John chapter 2. Look what he said in 1 John 2,
in verse 15. Our Lord says here, John said
here, love not the world. Don't love that world. Don't
love that world out there that's mad and crazy and hungry and
thirsty after everything but God and everything but Christ.
Everything but the word. Hungry and thirsting after ambition
and pride. Money and fame. Popularity and
ease. Everything, every book you read
is made in the world. It's got to be somebody, some
celebrity or somebody half naked on the front of a book to get
your attention. To sell you something that ain't
worth all them when you got it. And he says, love not the world.
Don't do it. Worldly dust doesn't mean just
not going and doing. Our Lord says, you know, He told
about this one group, He said, depart from me ye workers of
iniquity. I never knew you. They said, wait a minute. Look
at all the works we've done in your name. Look at all the deeds
we've done in your name. Look at all the things we've
done in your name. They were worldies. They were doing it
in the name of Christ, but they were worldies. Christ said, I
don't know you. You can be a worldly right in the middle of the church. And look what he says here. And
I'll tell you something about a man who was worldly. I'll tell
you a fellow who was worldly was the Apostle Paul. What do
you mean by that? He says, I was a Pharisee of
Pharisees, a Hebrew of Hebrews, touching the law. I was blameless.
You can't get more worldly than that. You can't get more ungodly
than that. You can't get wrapped up in self
more than that. And oh listen, look what he says. Love not the world, neither the
things of the world. I heard a fellow say one time,
I can take that word things there and preach against anything that
anybody does that I want to choose to preach against. I can take
that word things and I can tear everybody up. Well, he wouldn't tear me up
because I don't care about things, I care about a person. But if
any man loved the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. You know what's in the world? The lust of the flesh. I talked
about Paul being a worldly man. His lust of the flesh was. I was a Pharisee of Pharisees.
Touching the righteousness of the law. Boy, look at me. Oh
my. He had such ambition to be somebody. I said it to Peter Gamaliel.
I was somebody. And lust of the flesh don't mean
you have to go out here and lust after a woman, lust after a man,
or lust after a car or something like that. It means that you
just, if you're lusting after ambition, lusting after somebody
to appear, that's lusting. When you're lusting after somebody
to think greatly of you and how they react to you, oh it's just
awful. And then lust of the eyes. And
that don't mean us lust to the eyes that we want our appearance
to look good. What it means is how we appear
to somebody else. That lust to the eyes means how
does other people look at me? How does other people view me?
Why does everybody think about me? How do they view me? How
do they view my actions? How do they view what I do? How
my personality? How do they view, you know, what
they see about me? Did you know what so and so said
about you? And that's what they're interested in. The lust of the
eyes is not what you and your appearance, I want my appearance
to look good so everybody knows. No, no, it's how we want other
people, how they appear to us. That's why he said, I was a pharisee
of pharisees. But I tell you the only thing
that matters is how do you appear to God. And how do you appear to God?
Then he called about the pride of life. The pride of life. Oh my. You know what the pride
of life is? That's the things that we boast
in. That's why Paul said, I was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Pharisees,
Pharisees. After the flesh I could boast
about anything. And the pride of life is the
things we boast in. The things we're proud of. Our
birth, our family, our religious tradition, our schooling. That's
why he says, I was a Hebrew, I've touched the law, I was blameless.
And what will all this amount to in the final analysis? The final analysis, what will
it all amount to? What will it all amount to? When
we get to the end, when it's all said and done,
what will it amount to? If you're worried about how you
appear to somebody else, wonder how you appear in the sight of
God. If you're wondering about what it means to be worldly, and I'll
tell you this, and look what our Lord went on to say. And
this is not of the world, not of the Father, but of the world.
And here's what happens to the world. This is what's going to
happen to my family, your family. This is what's going to happen
to those folks in religion that's got all this pride, and brag
about their churches, and brag about how many people they've
got coming, and how many conversions they had, and how much money
they took up, and how many souls they won. This is what he says,
and the world passes away. And every lust that everybody
had is going to go with them. But
you know what? He that doeth the will of God.
How long is he going to be here? He's going to be here forever.
Going to be with the Lord forever. And now let's go back over to
John 17. John 17. You know, fools make a mock at sin. God made man upright and
He goes out here and He seeks him out in many inventions. And I tell you, our Lord Jesus
said this, He said, if you're going to be my disciple, if you're
going to belong to me, And you want me to present you to the
Father. And make you acceptable to the Father. You're going to
follow me. You're going to believe me. You're
going to deny yourself. And you can't have nothing between
me and you. That's what he said. He said, Accept a man, take up
his cross and follow me. He can't be my disciple. If he
loves his father more than me, he's not worthy of me. If he
loves his mother more than me, he's not worthy of me. If he
loves his brothers more than me, he's not worthy of me. If
he loves his wife more than me, he's not worthy of me. If he
loves his children more than me, he's not worthy of me. That doesn't leave us much option,
does it? And that's the way I want it. Because when it's all said
and done, it's just you and Him. Right? Mommy ain't going to face
God for you. Daddy ain't going to. Your wife
ain't going to. Your children ain't going to. We're going to face Him by our
sin. We're going to go out one by one by one by one by one and
everybody's going to face Him for a second. And that's why
I said anything, anything. Go ahead and love your mother.
Put her before me. And see what happens. Go ahead
and put your father before me. See what happens. You go ahead
and put yourself before me. See what happens. Go ahead and
make your life Your main reason for living is satisfying your
flesh and going where you want to go and do what you want to
do and see what happens. But he said, if you're going
to be mine, if you're going to belong to me, you're going to forsake everything. Is that not what he said? Now, let's go back to John 17.
That's enough of that. But that was enough, wasn't it?
That's true. Now he says, I pray for them.
I pray not for the world. He prays for them which thou
hast given me. Thou hast given me. He prays
for them which thou hast given me. Billions upon billions upon
billions of people have been on this planet. Generation after
generation after generation has passed into eternity, unprayed
for by anybody under any circumstances on this world. Unprayed for by
anybody. But here our Lord Jesus says,
I pray for them. He prays for His own. You know
our Lord said over here in John 14, 22, look what they asked
Him a question. He says, I pray for them. You know how many people
go out into this world that nobody ever prays for them? I tell you, if you want to get
your children's attention or somebody's attention one of these days,
you keep telling them, I pray for you and I pray for you. Just
tell them one of these days, I ain't praying another prayer for you. Just
say, I'm not praying another prayer for you. You ain't paying no attention,
you won't listen to anything I got to say, so why should I pray
for you? I bet I'd get their attention. Oh, you're not going
to pray for me? Oh my, please don't stop, please
don't stop. That's what they'd say. But oh,
look what he said here in John 14, 22. Judas saith unto him,
Naught is scarier. Lord, how is it that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world? How is He
going to manifest? He said He's going to go away.
He said, how is it that you're going to make us know you and
manifest yourself to us and the world over here ain't going to
see you and the world ain't going to know anything about you? Same way
He prays for us and prays for them that we're given to Him.
We see Him and the world don't see Him. We know Him and the
world don't see Him. So how will you pray for us and not the world? And that's what He's saying here.
I pray for them that were given to me. And how many people in
this world, as far as outward life goes and all their religion
and all that, they put a lot of people to shame in many ways,
yet they're left out. And we're taken in. Why? What's the answer? Grace. Free, sovereign grace. The very
word grace, by definition, means that not everybody's going to
receive it. The world calls us selfish. I'm sure you've heard
this too. They call us selfish. They say,
we think we're superior. We think we're elitist. They say, boy, you don't think
you're the only one to save. You're the only one to call yourself
the elect and that. Well, we are. God made us that
way. He's the one that calls us that.
Well, let them say what they will. But from our very heart
of hearts, we're going to express our profound praise and thanksgiving
to the Father. For that free and sovereign grace,
He said, I pray for them, I pray not for the world. And then look
what He says there, in verse 9. He says, I pray for them,
not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me. And
here's why He does it, for they are Thine. That's the first reason. I pray for them because they
are Thine. Thine by election. Thine by eternal, effectual life. Thine by what? Thine, because
you chose them in eternity before they ever existed. Paul said,
He separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace.
He told Jeremiah, before I performed you in the belly, I knew you.
And I tell you, that's what he says,
they were thine. So I pray for them, they were
thine. And I tell you what, all mine are thine and thine are
mine. And everything that the father had an interest in, the
son had an interest in, and they can't be separated. What the
father and the son, they're one and the same. And what one did,
the other did. What one was interested in, the
other was interested in. What belonged to one belongs
to the other. And I tell you what, he says, and here's the
third reason. This is really something. He
said there in verse 10, this is the second motive. All mine
are thine and thine are mine. Because they have the second.
Yours and mine are the same ones. They belong to you, they belong
to me and thine. Mine belong to you and yours belong to me.
We all have the same interest. And here's what, this is just,
and then look what else, the reason why he prays for them.
And I, in verse 10, and I am glorified in them. I am glorified
in them. Let me tell you something. This is a statement of fact.
This does not say, I hope to be glorified in Him. I'd like
to be glorified in Him. If they let me, I'll be glorified
in Him. But this is a statement of fact.
I am glorified in Him. I am. Do you feel like He's glorified
in you? Not a one of us feel that way.
But he says he is. And all of what way was he glorified
in them? Well, because the world knew
him not, but we did. He gave us his word, revealed
the Father to us, he gave us faith, gave us obedience, And
then it says in verse 6 up there, he says, I manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they
were, and thou gavest to me. And listen to this, they have
kept thy word. They kept it. Not only do they
believe it, they keep it. They don't reject it, they keep
it. And you know what that word keep
means? put it in a safe place and guard it. And we've kept
His Word. And going to keep His Word by
His blessed grace. I pray for them. You reckon the
Lord's praying for you tonight? You reckon the Lord's got His
name, your name on His breastplate? You reckon he's carrying your
name on his shoulders up here? Like Aaron did? If you're not sure, I'll tell
you what I'd do. I'd go to him and ask for mercy.
I'd go to him with both hands turned up. I'd say, see these empty hands? I ain't bringing nothing but
me. That's what I'd do. I'd come with empty hands and say, Lord, have mercy on me. Our Father, in the blessed, blessed
name of Christ Jesus our Lord, who is so wonderfully gracious
to us, patient and kind, and longsuffering, And, O Lord, we are so, so thankful
for our Lord Jesus Christ, for the blood He shed, for the prayers
He prays, for the strength who is His, that He is ours. Lord, we keep Your Word because
You taught us Your Word. We wouldn't compromise it by
Your grace. And we keep what we know, love
what we know, cherish what we know, and believe. God save you
people in this place. Oh, Lord, open hearts, open understandings. Oh, save sinners. Oh, there's
a sinner in this place. There's a sinner in the sound
of my voice. There's a sinner who's never
ever embraced the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, God, there's a sinner. work, work, work in their heart
until they have no rest, have no peace, and do it for Christ's
sake. Amen. Amen. O how merciful, how
merciful, blessed Lord, how merciful Thou art to me. O how merciful, how Blessed Lord, how merciful Thou
art to me.