I want to put it before you today.
Are you a sheep or a goat? You know something about sheep
that's striking? They're stupid. They're not intelligent at all.
They're just dumb animals. You know, a sheep will get out
of the pen and wander and never find its way back unless the
shepherd goes and finds it. I'm beginning to understand just
a little bit why the Lord refers to his people as sheep. I have
manifest thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the
world. Wait a minute. It sounds like
that there are specific people. that have been given by God the
Father to Jesus Christ for Him to give eternal life to. I pray
not for the world, I pray not for the cosmos, the whole world,
but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine."
Wait a minute. Does that mean that all God gave
to Jesus Christ, God has prayed for them? for their security,
for their eternal life, for their salvation. For I in them, and
thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that
the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them as thou hast loved me." Now, wait a minute. Did he just say that God loves
me? Like He has loved Christ? Can
that be true? That God Almighty has loved me
as He loved His own Son? Can it be that He loves me with
the same kind of love? Oh, yes. Father, I will that
they also whom Thou hast given Me be with me where I am that
they may behold my glory which thou has given me for thou lovest
me before the foundation of the world. What? Jesus said, father,
you love them just like you love me and you love me before the
foundation of the world. That means He loved me before
the foundation of the world. Loved with an everlasting love. That means God didn't begin to
love me. He's always loved me. Say, Pastor, you're preaching
over my head. Mine too. We're bound to give thanks for
you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation. You know, we all have a free
will. It's all up to us. God's done all He can. No, that's
not what it says. You won't find that in Scripture.
God does save us willingly. We're not saved against our will.
When God quits us and gives us life and begets us, He makes
us willing. And we run to Jesus Christ. So if here today you're having
thoughts, can it be that He's loved me, the crack addict, the
heroin addict, the self-righteous church addict? Can it be that
God has loved me? If you're asking that question,
you have sheep tendencies. Sounds sheepy-sheepy to me. And God calls His sheep through
the preacher preaching the gospel. And I'm preaching good news.
Noel! Noel! Good news! Good news! What good
news it is at this time of year that God gave Christ to people. That's not something we fight
here. We embrace that and love that and we sing, blessed assurance,
Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory
divine, born of His Spirit. Bought with His blood, amen?
We rejoice in that.