Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. Turn to John chapter 17. Very, very familiar chapter. And it should be. But I'm just gonna read one verse, John 17 and verse 24.

Father, I will. Oh, I like those words. I will. that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am. That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world.

I'm gonna tell you something, I do goofy things sometimes. I was looking up quotes for the sovereignty of God on Google. Well, when you do that on a search with Google, every now and then you'll come up with like several questions that people have asked Google. Well, guess what? There's a question on there. It says, what Bible verse says God is sovereign? And I thought, what Bible verse says he isn't? You know? Now they did give an answer, Ephesians 111, which is a good answer. But here's the thing, every verse of this scripture tells us of the sovereignty of God. It's everywhere. Unless, unless you don't see it. If you don't know the sovereign God, you're not gonna see the sovereign God in the scripture or anywhere else.

Oh my, now my title today, and it's a little odd, but the title is called The Believer's Destiny. Destiny. Now I don't much use the word destiny. Now this is mainly because most people really misunderstand the word destiny. You understand? They have a phrase, where it says you control your own destiny. Or I control my own destiny. Well folks, if you do, if I can, it's not destiny. Okay? The definition of the word destiny is a predetermined course of events held to be an irresistible power or agency. You understand, if something is your destiny, it's gonna happen no matter what. That's the definition of that word.

Now, true destiny, true destiny is not an irresistible, impersonal power. True destiny is in the mind and the hands of God Almighty and nowhere else, nowhere else. And oh yes, he is irresistible, but God is not impersonal. God is not impersonal. Because I'm gonna tell you something, this word translated in the scripture predestinate means this, it means determined before. That's all it means. Somebody has been predestinated, it has been determined before. And you will always find in a verse that mentions the word predestined or predestinated, you will find this word, God. God has predestinated us. It's not impersonal. It is, he is irresistible, but that's a whole nother thing.

Now, because the scripture plainly tells us what? Determined before by God, by God. Now I'm not gonna keep you long because really there's no need. The scripture is very clear about this subject. Men are not very clear. Men try to muddy it, men try to dispute it, and there are some that try to deny it. but the scripture's still clear. I found something by Lorraine Bettner who wrote this, and this amused me. Those who reject God's sovereignty should really consider what alternatives they have left. And I'll leave that to you to all ponder on.

But this verse here, father I will. that they also whom thou has given me be with me where I am. And I'm gonna tell you something, these are the words of Jesus Christ. This has been termed the high priestly prayer. This is something that actually need not have been in the Bible except that Christ wanted it in here. You understand? Jesus Christ could have prayed this whole prayer in his head to the Father and the Father would have heard every word of it. But it's here. for us. He wanted it recorded. He wanted us to read it. And he wanted us to rejoice in his prayer to the father. It's there for us. You understand?

I and my father are one. They agree in one. They are one. He didn't have to say this. But he did, that's right. That's right, man, he did. And you know why he said it? For us. For his chosen people. For those whom thou hast given me. You understand, Paul writes it several times, and I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren. There's words of Christ in here. The reason they're in here is he would not have us to be ignorant. He gave these words to us. Oh, it must be said, these words are true. These words are true. There was no guile found in the mouth of Jesus Christ. There was no falsehood uttered. There was no sneaky way around anything. Jesus Christ spoke every word and every word he spoke was true.

Oh my, and it starts with this saying, father. So you know who he's talking to. He's not talking to you. He's not talking to me. He's not talking to anybody else. He's a father. But he says these words, I will, I will, I will. Oh, I'm telling you, this is the will of God manifest in the flesh, speaking to his father. Oh no, speaking to our father. And what'd he say? He says, I will. I will. Oh my, I will. And I'm gonna tell you something, this being the will of the Lord Jesus Christ, guess what else what it is? Guess what else it is? It's the will of the Father. It's the will of the Father. You know how I know that? Jesus told me. Not personally, but he wrote it down. It's here written in his word.

John five and verse 19 says this, then answered Jesus and said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father do. For whatsoever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. The Son only does what the Father does. Father, I will. Also, John five and verse 30. I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge. And my judgment is just because I seek Not mine own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me. I and my Father are one. And I'm gonna tell you something, the will of the Son is the will of the Father, the will of the Father is the will of the Son. There's no difference. Absolutely no difference. And Christ said to the Father, I will.

John six verse 39 says this. Guess what? And this is the Father's will, which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. So Christ here in chapter 17 says this, Father, I will. Father, I will. I'm gonna tell you something, folks. The believer has a future in Christ. We're in Christ now, but there's a future in Christ. Oh my. And this is the will of the Father and of the Son. Those that the Father gave to the Son, what's it say? Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, here it is, be with me. Be with me. And not only that, be with me where I am. Oh, that's good stuff.

I'm gonna tell you something. You understand? I'm gonna tell you this right now. Jesus is not speaking of him being with us now in the spirit, which he is. We are in Christ, he is with us. Matter of fact, he says, where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am. In the midst, there I am. That's not what he's talking about. Because he puts in these three words at the end. Where I am. Oh my. Oh my. Where's Jesus Christ? Right now, he is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high. I'm gonna tell you something. His people that have gone on are with him. They're with him right now. Father, I will. Father, I will. Oh my, where is Jesus Christ? Well, he ever lives to make intercession for us. And his people, are with him right now where he is. Of all that the father gave to him, he said it, I shall lose nothing and raise it up again at the last day. And that last day hasn't happened, but it's coming. Well, where are we in the meantime? With Him. With Him. Oh my.

Believers, and I'll use the word here, believers are destined to be with the Son of Christ, Son of God. The Christ of God. By His own will. Oh. Where He is. Where He is. I'm gonna tell you something. that makes me happy, and it ought to make you happy. Understand, Paul wrote this and taught of it in Romans, Romans 8, 28 and 29, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now that's glorious in and of itself, and that's just the beginning. For whom he did foreknow, he also did, there's that word, determine before, predestinate, to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Understand, those who are called by God, God did foreknow. God also did predestinate to be conformed, to be conformed to the image of his son. I'm gonna tell you something, this is the predetermined work of God in his people, in his people. Those whom the son has brought, all those that the father has given him, oh my. And this was determined beforehand by the will of the Father and the will of the Son. Father, I will. I will. Oh my, I'm gonna tell you something. We talk about it. Where are the believers who have passed on before? Christ says, I will, they be with me. Where I am. where I am, you understand? That's the glory.

I understand there are some people who talk about a soul sleep. That's not taught in the Bible. It does talk about, we'll get to that in a minute, that scripture in a minute, but that word is used, but that's not what it's talking about, soul sleep, where you just wake up after it's all over. No. He says, where I am, there you will be. and you will be there by his will. And there's more coming after that. Oh, I like that too. Well, here it is.

1 Thessalonians chapter four. For if we believe, this is verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. That means those that have died. It's not talking about their sleep. They have died and gone on.

All right, for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Okay? We, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And, here we go folks, and, so shall we ever be with the Lord. What's that mean? That means where I am, there you will be. Where I am, there you will be. Whoa.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. You understand? And Paul wrote this in the present tense. What'd he say? We which are alive. Now Paul's long dead, but he was looking forward to this day because it might've happened to him. It's gonna happen.

And we can say those exact same words right now and be just as true as when Paul wrote them down, that we, which are alive and remain. If we are alive and remain, when our Lord Jesus Christ comes, we're gonna change. It says in another place, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and they're gonna go up and we're gonna go up, and so shall you ever be with the Lord.

Oh, I will that they be where I am. Mm, I like that. I'm gonna tell you something, those words ought to give joy to the child of God. Walter really talked about grace, marvelous grace. That's grace, folks. So shall we ever be with the Lord. You understand? When you're with Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter where he is, there you are. You understand, my problem now is no matter where I go, there I am. Oh, but in that day, no matter where he goes, there we are. There will his people be. Oh. We will be with him where he is.

What's it say? Another place? We shall behold, how does it say? Christ, my glory. My glory. I don't know what glory is. I'm gonna tell you something, folks. You don't know what glory is. But we will one day. We will one day.

David wrote this in the Old Testament, folks. Psalm 17 and verse 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. In righteousness, I shall be satisfied. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. I'm telling you, you're not gonna know anything truly about the glory of God until you awaken his likeness. I'm telling you, we are probably gonna feel so stupid one day, well, ignorant. Because we think, sometimes we think we've arrived. We haven't. We haven't. There is so much that we don't know. There's so much that here, Paul says that we see through a glass darkly. And I mean, he reads welded glass dark. But then, face to face, face to face. And it's gonna be glory to see Christ as he is.

Understand, this is a prayer of David from the Old Testament hundreds of years before Christ was born. but David knew what Paul knew. Father, I will, that those which thou hast given me be with me where I am, where I am. Oh my, this awaits every believer in Christ, and in Christ, every believer has this promise. Where I am, there you will be. Oh, I like that, I do. And I shall be satisfied when I awake with his likeness. I'm gonna tell you something, we probably don't know what satisfied means. But we will. But we will, oh my.

Again in the Old Testament, Job said in Job 19 and 25 and 26 and 27, I know, Old Testament, I know that my Redeemer liveth. That's Christ. Job's saying, I know Christ. Hasn't come. Won't be coming for a while. I know my Redeemer liveth. And that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh Shall I see God? Oh, I like that. Here's even better. Whom I shall see for myself. Nobody else will be seeing for me. I'm gonna see him for myself and mine eyes shall what? Behold. Oh, and not another, though my reigns be consumed with, though I'm dead. I'm gonna see my redeemer. You know why? Father, I will. that he be with me, that all of mine that thou hast given me be with me where I am.

Oh, I know my Redeemer lives, and I will die. We're all going to die. But I also know by his promise, I will see him. I will see him as he is, not through a glass darkly, We, what, we know in part, we prophesy in part. You know why? Because we're just parts. We're unprofitable servants, at best. And we see through a glass darkly. But one day, that dark glass is gonna be taken away. Mm, mm, mm, mm. The Lord has predestinated those that love him to be with him in his own image, in his own image. Oh, Father, I will.

Now, one of those six stubborn statements by Rolf Barnard that I heard through, well, I heard through him on a recording, but long before that, I heard from Henry Mahan. The first one says this, either God is absolutely sovereign or he's not. That's a stubborn statement. I'm gonna tell you this, God is sovereign. Jesus Christ is sovereign. There's a reason he's called the Lord. Jesus Christ. The other thing we're all saying, we sing that song, Jesus saves. No, it's the Lord Jesus who saves. You understand? When that angel came to those shepherds. Today, in the city of David, Bethlehem, is born what? A savior. I'm gonna tell you, the savior is born. But he didn't stop there, he said, which is. What? Christ, the Lord. There's no savior except the Lord Jesus Christ. And he is sovereign. He works all things after the counsel of his own will. His own perfect will.

Oh, What has Christ said? Christ said, believers have a glorious future. This world is not all there is by any stretch of the imagination. Now one day, we've been promised a new heaven and a new earth. Wherein dwelleth righteousness. Yeah, we don't get that either. But I want it. We want it. Predetermined, predestinated, and guaranteed by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Promised to every child of God. Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith.

But here's the hard part, folks. wait upon him. We're not very good at waiting. I'm just interpreting that from the way y'all talk. And the way I feel, and the way I think. We're not very good at waiting, but we need to wait. You understand? He's got his own timetable. We're not privileged to it. Now we know time keeps marching on. but whether or not we march on with it is a whole nother thing. He's promised it though. His word is true. All his promises are yay and amen.