Welcome to Reign of Grace. This
program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries,
an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany,
Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege
to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace
and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program
will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening. And
now for today's program. Welcome to our program today.
I'm glad you could join us. If you'd like to follow along
in your Bibles, I'll be preaching from the book of John, chapter
17. This is the closing part of the
Lord's Prayer, which began in John 17, 1. The Lord Jesus Christ
praying to the Father for His people, as the intercessor
of His people. And the title of the message
today is Unity of the Father and the Son. Or unity with, I'm
sorry, unity with the Father and the Son. The Apostle John
had written years later than this, but he had written over
in his first epistle. Listen to these words before
I get into the last part of the Lord's Prayer in John 17. This
is 1 John 1. And he says in verse 1, he says,
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled of the word of life, And that word of life
is Christ. And John is referring to, in
a very descriptive way, his life on earth as he walked with the
Lord Jesus Christ in those last three, three and a half years
of Christ's life on earth before the cross. John being one of
his disciples. And he says in verse two, he
says, for the life was manifested. This life was made known. How
was it made known? It was made known in Christ,
especially at His resurrection. But John goes on, he says, and
we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the Father, God the Father, representing
the sovereignty of the Trinity and the source, an originator
of salvation. And he says, with the Father
and was manifested unto us. How was it manifested? Through
Christ. Now look at verse three of 1
John 1. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you
that you also, now talking about believers here, This is God's
chosen people, redeemed by the blood, regenerated by the Spirit,
that you also may have fellowship with us. A unity of fellowship,
he says, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son. And so what happens here, what
we see is that the Lord Jesus Christ brings His people whom
He redeemed whom he saves into an unbroken, eternal, uninterrupted
fellowship with the Father and with himself and with the Spirit,
the Godhead. And so I'm not gonna talk about
the Trinity today, but that's the implication here, is the
Trinity of the persons of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, one God now, who subsist in three persons, not three gods. I know a lot of other religions
will call us polytheist because they say we have many gods. Because
we call the Father God, we call the Son God, and we call the
Spirit God. But it's not polytheism, it's
one God. one God in three persons. Now
over here in the prayer that we're talking about in John 17
in our text, listen to what he says. I ended last week on verse
20 and he says, neither pray I for these alone, that is for
the disciples that were with him at that time before he went
to the cross, which would include the 11 disciples, 12 minus one,
Judas is a false disciple. But there were other disciples.
And he says, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also,
which shall believe on me through their word. And I preached a
couple of message on that. Those who shall believe. You
see, every sinner for whom Christ died on the cross, Old Testament
and New Testament, will believe the gospel. Now this is one thing
I can tell you, you know, I can't look, you know, false preachers
today, they'll look at everybody and they'll say, well, Christ
died for you. Well, I know he died for his
sheep. That's what the Bible says. I can't personally tell
you he died for you, but I can tell you this, if you ever come
to faith in Christ, that means he did die for you. And that's
what he's talking about. We saw so many scriptures on
that in John six and John 10 and other passages. So he says,
I pray for those who shall believe on me through their word, that
is their testimony, testifying and witnessing the gospel of
God's grace in Christ, how God saves sinners. And listen what
he says in verse 21, that they all may be one, one unit, one
church, not many denominations, not many beliefs, not many baptisms,
but all may be one as thou father art in me, as the father and
the son are one. One God in nature. And He says,
and I in thee, the Son and the Father. See, there's a fellowship
between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He's not leaving
out the Spirit here because all of this is manifested by the
Spirit who has His particular role in the salvation of sinners,
which is the revelation or the manifestation of the truth of
the Father and the Son and how God saves sinners. And he says,
that they also may be one in us. One with the Father and the
Son. We come unto the Father through
the Son. And we do that as we are motivated
and led by the Spirit. And the Father, when we talk
about God the Father, The Scripture speaks of God as being the Father
only of those who are saved. The spiritual Father. Now somebody
says, well now, don't we believe God's everybody's Father? Well,
there is a way you can say that. He's everybody's Father by creation
because He created all beings. But Adam fell and alienated himself
and sold himself out to the devil, to Satan. And we fell in Adam. And therefore, the Bible calls
us by nature, and this is even God's elect before conversion,
children of the devil. He told the Pharisees that, you're
of your father the devil. But God is the father of His
chosen people in Christ. And He sent Christ into the world
to die for their sins, to satisfy justice, to bring out everlasting
righteousness. And it's only in that way that
we can truly, spiritually and eternally and assuredly call
God our Father. If you'll look over in passages
like Romans chapter eight. Let me just, we'll turn over
there and just read a passage here. Look at verse 13. He says, and this is Romans 8
and verse 13. He says, for if you live after
the flesh, you shall die. Now, what is it to live after
the flesh? Most people would look at a passage like that,
and they would only relegate that to the most immoral people
of the world. The drinkers, the whoremongers,
the drug pushers, the robbers, the thieves, the murderers. And
they are living after the flesh. But let me tell you something.
The person who is religious and sincere and trying to work a
righteousness of their own, be saved by their works, they're
living after the flesh too. Now you need to understand that
or you will not understand the Bible. The worst thing a person
can do is to come before God pleading his own works. Because
you see, that doesn't glorify God, that doesn't honor Him.
That denies Christ. Salvation is by grace. Totally. And that means that
we don't work for it, we don't earn it, and we don't deserve
it. Now, does that mean we're not supposed to work at all?
No, we're supposed to work, but not in order to gain or attain
God's favor. That's a free gift. For by grace
are you saved, through faith, that not of yourselves, not of
works, lest any man should boast. So a person who's trying to be
saved by their works is living after the flesh. So go back to
Romans 8, 13. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. You see that salvation's by the
work of Christ. It's based on His righteousness,
not yours or mine. His goodness, not yours or mine.
And he says, but if you through the Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. That is, you
put them to death. And what that is, that's another way of putting
repentance. If I'm trying, let me give you
this example. If I'm seeking, to save myself
by my works and think in my minds that I've attained it, that I've
done enough. Well, that's evil. Again, that
does not glorify God. That dishonors Him. It denies
Christ. It's a matter of pride. God brings
us down in humility. So what happens when the Holy
Spirit brings me to mortify the deeds of the body? Well, He causes
me to put those things that I thought were recommending me unto God,
things that I thought God was pleased with, on the death row. In other words, put them to death. They're dead works. That which
the Bible says in Luke 16, 15, that which is highly esteemed
among men, their works, their morality, their religion, their
charity, their sincerity, is an abomination to God. How? When it's aimed at establishing
your own righteousness before God. That's a denial of Christ. That's a dishonoring to God. So when the Spirit brings us
to mortify those deeds, We repent of them, and we cling to Christ. And so he says, if you through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. Now, if you mortify the deeds
of the body, you're clinging to Christ for salvation, and
that's life. And then verse 14 of Romans eight.
He said, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God. They're the children of God,
spiritually. eternally. And he says in verse
15, for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear, that's legal bondage that causes people to work for their
salvation. That's what that is. He said,
but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba
Father. Now that Abba Father is a special
term that only a true child of God can use in addressing the
Father. If you're not a true child of
God, if you don't believe in Christ and you use that term,
you're using it wrongly because you give no evidence of being
a child of God. And he says in verse 16, the
Spirit itself witnessed with our spirit that we are the children
of God. God is our Father. Over in John
chapter six, I read this one a few weeks back. He talks about
the fatherhood of God. In John chapter six and verses
44 and 45. He says in verse 44, the Lord
said, no man can come to me except the father which hath sent me
draw him. Now you see that God the father,
he draws his people to himself. with cords of love and he draws
them through Christ. If God is not your father, he's
your judge. And if he's your judge, he'll
judge you based upon your works. And so it says, the father draws
his people, and I'll raise him up at the last day. And verse
45 says, it is written in the prophets, and they shall be all
taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the father cometh unto me. Now go
back to John 17. That's how a sinner is brought
into union with Christ spiritually, the father and the son. If we're
saved by the grace of God, evidenced by the spiritual union that the
Holy Spirit brings about in the new birth, bringing us to faith
in Christ and repentance of dead works, If we're children of God
in that sense, we've always been legally, eternally united to
Christ. God made a covenant with the
Son before the foundation of the world and gave His people,
chose His people and gave them to Christ. But that's our standing. But as to our state in this world,
we're born in sin and depravity, enemies of God, children of the
devil. But if we are united to Him legally
before the foundation of the world, as the scripture says,
at some point in time, and this is what Christ is praying for
here. Look at it again, verse 20. Neither pray I for those
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their
word. that they all may be one, as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent
me." In other words, at some point in time, you're going to
be brought into a spiritual living union, a faith union with the
Father and the Son. And the Spirit who convicts of
sin and shows us that we're sinners in need of God's grace, that
if God were to ever give us what we earned or deserve, it would
be death and hell. But He also shows us the love
and grace of God that can only be found in Christ and based
upon His blood alone, His righteousness alone. And that's how we learn
how God can be both a just God a righteous judge, and a loving
father, a merciful father, a gracious father. That's how he can be
both a just God and a savior. Well, look at verse 22. Well,
let me say this, he says, that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me. Some people believe that that's talking about the
world of God's elect, and it could be, because they're really
the only ones who are going to know that the Father sent the
Son. But in the end of time, When
Christ comes back to judge the world, that fact, the fact that
God the Father sent Christ into the world, God the Son, is going
to be known and acknowledged by even His enemies. The Bible
says in Philippians 2 that every knee will bow and every tongue
will confess that Jesus is Lord. Not in a saving way now, but
as a conquered enemy. So either way, but verse 22,
he says, and the glory which thou gavest me, I have given
them that they may be one, even as we are one, the glory. Now
what is that glory? Well, that glory is salvation. That glory is eternal life and
glory. And he says, I have given to
them, they didn't earn it. They did not deserve it. He freely
and fully gave it to them. And that's what Christ does.
The Spirit, when He shows us the reality of God's grace, He
shows us, as per 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 12, the things that
God has freely given to us. And what has God freely given
to us? All things in salvation. All things in eternity. He's
given them. And they were gifts given through
Christ. He that spared not his own son, how shall he not with
him freely give us all things? Unconditionally. Well, look at
verse 23. He says, I in them, and thou
in me that they may be perfect in one." That word perfect there
means complete. Now, sometimes the word perfect
refers to law or moral purity, such as in the sense of righteousness. Well, believers right now, you
have a righteousness, but it's in Christ and it's imputed to
you. But you have none within yourselves,
no goodness. Our works still fall short of
God's standard, the perfection of righteousness that can only
be found in Christ. One day when we leave this vile
body and go to be with the Lord, we'll be perfect in ourselves.
There'll be no sin, no sorrow, no tears, no sickness, no death,
all of that. But here he's talking about completeness.
that they may be made complete in one. And he's talking about
the complete church of the living God. Every last one of them shall
be saved. Not one will be missing. As somebody
said years ago, there'll be no vacancies in heaven. There'll
be no empty seats. And he says in verse 23, he says,
and that the world may know that thou has sent me. Now we've already
dealt with that. He's either talking about the
world of God's elect, who are the only ones in salvation who
will understand how the Father sent the Son. God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law. Or he's talking about that conquering
forcefulness that Christ will bring with Him when He makes
His enemies bow the knee. And he says, that thou hast sent
me and hast loved them, that is his people. There's no love
from God outside of Christ, as thou hast loved me. So it's a
spiritual unity. It's a love unity. And it's a
love that cannot be broken. Who can separate us from the
love of God in Christ? Nothing, Romans eight tells us.
And that love ensures everything that God requires to secure the
goodness of the objects of His love. His goodness, that is.
All things work together for good to them that love God who
are called according to His purpose. So that all the things that God's
people go through on this earth, in their suffering, in their
persecution, sickness, whatever, even in death, cannot separate
them from the love of God in Christ. And the Bible says, herein
is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent
his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Now when he talks
about the father sending his son, how did the father send
him? Send him to be the propitiation for the sins of his people and
secure their salvation. The objects of God's love will
benefit from that love eternally. Not one of them will be lost.
And all else are objects of God's hatred, meaning his wrath, his
justice against sin. He told the Pharisees, if you
believe not that I am, you will die in your sins. See, I don't
want to die in my sins. I want to die in Christ. Die
in the faith. I want to be like Paul, to know
him and be found in him, not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
of Christ. And so he says in verse 24, Father, I will. I love this. He said, I will. that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am. This is his will, this is God's
will, and it won't be broken. He says that they may behold
my glory, which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before
the foundation of the world. And just as he loved the sun
before the foundation of the world, he loved them before the
foundation of the world, unconditionally. That's what mercy and love and
grace is all about. Verse 25, he says, O righteous
father, O just father, the world hath not known thee, but I've
known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. So here
he's talking about his people, his children, who know him in
the gospel by the power of the Spirit, know him as the righteousness
of God. The world hasn't known him, the
unbelieving world, those who live and die and unbelieve, And
so in verse 26 he says, and I have declared unto them thy name,
who you are, that which identifies and distinguishes God from idols.
And I will declare it, I'll continue to declare it, because there's
others to be brought into the kingdom. And I'll declare it
throughout eternity, that the love wherewith thou hast loved
me may be in them and I in them. You see, the expression of God's
love here, the expression of His glory, is wrapped up in the
glorious person and the finished work of Christ. And that's how
sinners are brought into unity, union, with the Father and the
Son. by the power of the Spirit as
He spiritually turns our eyes and our hearts. He gives us a
new heart, new eyes, new ears, and turns us to Christ to look
upon the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The Bible
says, for in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And this is why He was going
to the cross. This is why He was going to die.
To save His people from their sins. In order for them to be
saved. In order for the love of God
to achieve His goal in their love. Christ had to be their
surety, their substitute, their redeemer. He had to go to the
cross and satisfy justice and bring forth an everlasting righteousness
of infinite value. whereby God could be both a righteous
judge and a loving father. And that's what he's praying
for, all things in light of his sacrifice, his substitutionary
work, his blood, his righteousness. And that's where the grace of
God that reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord, that's where it is. You want grace from God? You
want to say that God loves you? Well, my friend, do you know
Christ? Do you know the Christ of this
book, the Christ of the Bible, who He is, what He did, why He
did it, where He is now? Because that's where the love
of God resides, in the person and work of Christ. And if I'm
going to be a partaker of that love, then I must be in Christ. Because as I've said, outside
of Christ there is no love. There's only hatred. The Bible
says that. The Bible says God hates all workers of iniquity.
Who's he talking about? He's talking about sinners who
live and die without Christ. But there's a blessed unity here
for the people of God in Christ. I hope you'll join us next week
for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us
for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought
to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry
of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive
a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of
Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us
at 1-1-0-2 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia. 31707, contact us by phone at 229-432-6969
or email us through our website at www.theletterofgrace.com. Thank you again for listening
today and may the Lord be with you.