If you turn back to John chapter 15, I want to read this passage of scripture that I want to preach from, beginning in verse 17. Tonight, I'm going to be preaching on the Urim and the Thummim from the Old Testament. The two stones that were in the pouch on the breastplate of the high priest, what they mean. Ezra chapter two, the Urim and Thurman. But let's begin in verse 17 of John 15.

These things I command you that you love one another. If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own. But because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord.

If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they've kept my saying, they'll keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake. because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they'd not had sin, but now they have both seen and hated. both me and my father. But this comes to pass that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause.

But when the comforter has come, four times in this last address, he calls God the Holy Spirit, the comforter. What a name. When the comfort has come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceeded from the Father, he shall testify of me and you also shall bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning. Not from the first day I called you or when I commenced my public ministry. This is not talking about a calendar date.

He says to every believer, you have been with me from the beginning. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. And the Word was God in the beginning. You were with Him. Isn't that incredible? We're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation. through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. You've been with me from the beginning. There's never been a time when I was not with Him from the beginning. I don't know what else to say, but wow, that's amazing. It's true.

Verse 17, these things I command you, that you love one another. You see, you're not going to get any love from the world. Love one another. If the world hate you, verse 18, You know that it hated me before it hated you. Now this world, and by the world is meant everybody that is not a believer. You know the world means different things at different times, but here it means everybody that's not a believer. If the world hate you, you know it hated me before it hated you. It hated you. The world hates Jesus Christ. And that hatred is not manifest until they hear the truth. If you had asked the average person, do you hate Jesus Christ? Of course not. I think he was a great man, great teacher. I have a lot of respect for him. I don't hate Jesus Christ.

Now, if you talk about the Christ who said in verse 16, you've not chosen me. But I have chosen you, the Christ of election, the one who chooses. Salvation is in his hand. Your salvation is utterly up to him. I don't believe that Christ. I know you don't, but his people do. and they love Him, but the world hates the Lord Jesus Christ that is the sovereign God who chooses whom He will save. Just as the Father chose the elect, Christ did too. This is a reminder to us of how much salvation is by grace, His choice, not ours. That Christ the world does not love.

Verse 19, if you were of the world, again, this is everybody who doesn't believe. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Now, if your origin was of the world, the world would love you. but because you're not of the world. Your origin, now think about this. Your origin is not of this world. Your origin is Jesus Christ. That's your origin. That's where you're from. Somebody, where are you from? I'm from him. That's my origin. Because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. What does it mean to be not of the world?

It means to be of God. He that's of God, heareth God's words. You therefore hear them not because you're not of God. If you're of God, you'll hear the gospel. You'll believe the gospel. He that's not of God, heareth not God's words. Everyone that's of the truth, heareth my voice. I love what the Lord said about his people in John chapter 17.

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Now you can hear that and think, I don't even know what to say about it. How's the Lord not of the world? Well, he's not a part of this created world. All of his people have been with him from the beginning. What a blessed privilege. What a blessing of grace to be of him and not of this world. Verse 20. Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant's not greater than his Lord. I'm a servant, he's the Lord. The servant is not greater than his Lord.

If they've persecuted me, they'll also persecute you. If they've kept my saying, they will keep yours also. They persecuted me, they'll persecute you. They kept my saying, they're going to keep yours also because you're going to be saying what I said. Somebody once said preaching is just saying back what God's already said. You're going to be saying what I said, and therefore the world will persecute you.

Verse 21, but all these things were they doing to you for my namesake. If the world gets mad at you, remember, it's not you they're mad at. It's Jesus Christ and your association with him, what you say with regard to his person, his work. It's going to be for my sake.

Because they know not him that sent me. They don't know God. Verse 22, if I'd not come and spoken to them, they'd not had sin. But now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me, hateth my father also. For if I'd not done among them the works which none other man did, they'd had not sin. But now they both seen and hated both me and my father.

Now turn back to John chapter nine, if you would. Verse 39, And Jesus said, For judgment I am coming to this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind. Somebody says, well, I can see why God saved me. You've been judged. Somebody says, I can't find one reason in myself as to why he'd save me. He's giving you sight. That's why I came.

For judgment, I'm coming to this world that they would see not, might see. And they would see, might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said unto him, are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, if you were blind, what's that next statement?

You should have no sin. If you cannot see one reason why God would save you in and of yourself, God's revealed that to you to reveal to you why he would save you for Christ's sake. But if you say, we see, you're yet in your sins. You're yet in your sins, your sin remains. Now, back to our text in John chapter 15.

If I'd not come and spoken unto them the gospel, they'd not had sin. But now they have no cloak for their sin. They're no excuse for their sin. They've heard the truth and they've rejected the truth. He that hateth me, hateth my father also, if I'd not done among them the works, which none other man did.

Now you think of the works that he did. He created matter. Only God can do that. He brought matter in existence in the universe that had not been there before. Only God can do that. He controlled the weather. What manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea do obey Him? He raised the dead to life. He suspended all physics walking on the water. He did what no other man did. He gave the blind sight. He healed the sick simply as an act of his will. And I don't mean they got up trembling from their wheelchairs. No, they rise up and jump and walk. He did what no other man did. No one has an excuse. They're unbelief.

Look back to John chapter 10. Again, John chapter 10, verse 22. And there was a Jerusalem, the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him. Can't you just see him surrounding him?

And said unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you. And you believed not. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness of me. I do what only God can do. I am God. You believe not, because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. Back to John 15.

Verse 24, if I'd not done among them the works which none other man did, they'd had no sin, but now they have both seen and hated, both me and my father. But this comes to pass, the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, they hated me without a cause. Every natural man hates Jesus Christ. Now, it's not brought out today here, but every natural man hates Jesus Christ.

And that's seen most clearly in the cross, where the scripture says, Pilate delivered Jesus to their will. And what was their will? To nail him to a cross. And that is the will that you and I have when we're born into this world. A hatred of Jesus Christ. Somebody says, well, I don't hate him. Well, the Bible says you do. I'm not going to try to argue you into believing that, but the Bible says you do.

And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, where in times past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. among whom we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others, but God." There's the difference. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace are you saved.

Notice it says they hated me without a cause. I gave them no reason to hate me. They hated me freely because of the wickedness of their disposition. It's all of us by nature. They hated me without a cause, out of maliciousness and antagonistic attitude toward me.

But, verse 26, this is the same but as but God. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of me." You also shall bear witness because you've been with me from the beginning.

Four times in this last address to his disciples, the Lord calls the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, God, equal with the Father, equal with the Son, but he subordinates himself to both. He says he'll not speak of himself. We're gonna look at that in just a moment. God the Holy Spirit is called by Jesus Christ the Comforter. What a name. The Comforter.

The gospel, the divine message is a message of comfort. Every time the gospel is preached, it comforts God's people. You may be convicted, you may be reproved, no doubt, but if that's all it is, it's not gospel preaching. Every time the gospel is preached, God's people are comforted by the gospel.

Isaiah 41, comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, not whisper, cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Not only are they forgiven, she's justified.

They're blotted out. Now, there are two descriptions of God's people in that passage of scripture who need to be comforted. First, they have a warfare. And second, they have iniquity. A warfare and iniquity. Every believer has a warfare going on. The two men in the same person, the flesh and the spirit, Contrary one to the other. And there is a warfare because of that.

Now tell her that her warfare is accomplished. You're justified. You're saved by the grace of God. Your warfare is accomplished. Your sin, your iniquity is pardoned. is put away. What a message of comfort. It wasn't anything I did to achieve this or earn this. This is His great work. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith the Lord. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.

Cry unto her. Her warfare is accomplished. Her iniquity is pardoned. She hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. But when the comforters come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, and then he's given this glorious name, even the Spirit of Truth. God the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

He never uses error. Amen? He never uses error. Why should he? He's got the Holy Spirit. He doesn't need to use error. I've heard people describe preachers who are preaching a false gospel and, well, God couldn't find somebody who would preach the truth, therefore, no, he doesn't use that. He does not use that. God, the Holy Spirit, is the Spirit of truth.

He only uses the truth. That's all He is. Aren't you thankful He's the Spirit of truth? Even the Spirit of truth, and what does He do? He shall testify of me. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. He shall testify of me. Look in chapter 16, verse 13. John chapter 16, verse 13. How be it? When He, the Spirit of truth, that's what He calls Him again, is come.

He will guide you into all truth. That's a promise. from the Lord Jesus Christ concerning the Comforter, God the Holy Spirit. He will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself. You know, somebody that's always talking about God the Holy Spirit doesn't know God the Holy Spirit. Now we want to give him his due as God, but what does God the Holy Spirit do? He testifies of Christ.

That's his purpose. He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he'll show you things to come. Listen, I know the future. All of the elect will be saved. Those who do not believe will be cut off. All of God's people will spend eternity in heaven. All of those who do not believe will spend eternity in hell. That's the future, I know it.

He'll show you things to come. Verse 14, he shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I that he shall take of mine and show it unto you. Now, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He shall testify of me. Now, God the Holy Spirit testifies, first of all, of who Jesus Christ really is. He's the God-man.

Y'all remember when I was young, I'd always read commentaries, and when I'd read John Gill, he'd talk about the hypostatic union of Christ, and I thought, well, Go and read the next line. I had no idea what that word meant. But the hypostatic union of Christ, it does have a meaning. Jesus Christ is one man, one person with two distinct natures.

He is fully God, just as if he were not man at all. He's absolute deity. And he's fully man, just as if he were not God at all. How mysterious. Two natures, the divine nature, God, human nature in one distinct person. And he must be that way to save us. If he's not God, he can't save us. If he's not man, he can't save us. He's the God man. Great is the mystery of godliness.

God. was manifest in the flesh. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. This is who Jesus Christ is. He's the creator. He's God. He's man, the one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ, Jesus. He testifies what he did. Who he is, what he did. Well, for one thing, he created the universe. All things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made.

He took upon flesh. He came in the flesh. He was before He came. He came in the flesh. As a man, He worked out a perfect righteousness in behalf of His people. He kept the law perfectly. He died. Why? He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. That's why He died. The only reason for death is sin. Jesus Christ died on Calvary tree, he was not the innocent being punished. He was guilty. He was made sin and he put away the sins of God's people. He was raised from the dead. He was delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification. God the Holy Spirit testifies of him.

Where is he now? Where is he now? When he by himself purged our sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Why'd he sit down? Because his work was finished. Salvation accomplished. And I love to think of him sitting. He's not walking back and forth, frustrated that his will is not being done.

He's at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning, controlling everything and everyone. That's who God the Holy Spirit testifies of, Jesus Christ. He's coming again. When he comes again, he's going to raise his people and they're going to be perfectly conformed to his image. There's going to be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness and all of his people will spend eternity beholding his glory. What a prospect.

Listen, the stuff going on right now, nothing. God's gonna burn it all, and every believer is going to spend eternity beholding the glory of Jesus Christ. They'll not have that sinful flesh anymore to deal with. It's been put down, and now we behold Him.

Now, verse 26, but when the comfort has come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me. Verse 27. And you also shall bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.

Now this is said to every believer. This is not just said to the 12. He's speaking to every believer when he says you've been with me from the beginning. He's not saying you remember the date when you first saw me when I first started my public ministry.

You've been with me ever since then and therefore you're going to bear witness. No, that's not. You've been with me from the beginning. Behold, I've loved you with an everlasting love. A love that had no beginning. A love that will never end. You've been with me from the beginning. You know what my resume is? With Him. That's it. With Him. That's all I got. That's all I want. With Him.

You've been with me from the beginning. Remember when the Lord said in his great high priestly prayer, Father, I will that you, them that you have given me be with me. What's better than that? Where I am, that they may behold my glory for thou lovest me before the foundation of the earth. You're gonna testify of me. because you've been with me from the beginning. Now what I thought of in thinking about this was Paul on the road to Damascus. Would you turn with me to Acts chapter 22? This is Paul's testimony. Acts chapter 22.

Now this is a testimony that I'm interested in. I like what one person, when men give their testimonies, I heard somebody call them their bragamones. Bragging about either how bad they used to be and how good they are now. I don't even know what I want to say about it, but I hate those kind of testimonies. Let me give my testimony, I'm not interested. But I'm interested in this testimony.

This is the testimony of the Apostle Paul, inspired by God the Holy Spirit. He says in verse one, men and brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I make unto you. And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence. He saith, I am verily a man which am a Jew. Born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. He's telling where he went to seminary and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers and was zealous toward God as you all are this day.

And I persecuted this way, this way of Christ, this way of salvation by grace. I persecuted this way. The Lord said, I am the way. I persecuted this way unto death. binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest hath bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders, from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass that as I made my journey, somebody once said Paul wasn't on the way to a prayer meeting. He was on his way to kill Christians. Now it's come nine to Damascus, about noon. Suddenly there shone from heaven a gray light round about me. In Acts chapter nine, that light was above the brightness of the sun. And you think of the sun at noon. This is above that.

And he did what only anybody would do in a circumstance like this. I fell into the ground. You know, I've said before he fell off his horse. It doesn't say he fell off a horse. Maybe he did. I don't know. But he hit the dirt. He hit the dirt. I fell into the ground and heard a voice singing to me, Saul, Saul, Why persecutest thou me?

Well, he wasn't persecuting others. I mean, Christ himself, because Christ is the right-handed father, he's persecuting these people. Kill them. You do that, you're persecuting me, the Lord says. The union that exists between Christ and his people. You persecute them, you're persecuting me. The Lord takes a personal.

I love that. I'm so united to Christ that when somebody thinks about Him, they think about me. You can't be saying that. Well, I know that I can create bad feelings from people, from me acting in a bad way. I realize that, but still, this is not taking away from the reality of union with Jesus Christ. He said, you persecute them, you persecute me. And I answered, verse eight, who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecuteth. Making sure he knew which one he was talking about, Jesus of Nazareth. Don't you love his name, Jesus of Nazareth? I do. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, more afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, what shall I do, Lord?

He now knows who he is. And the Lord said unto me, Arise, go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all the things which are appointed for thee to do. Appointed, when was this appointment made? Before the foundation of the world. Everything that is appointed of me for you to do.

And when I could not see for the glory of that light being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came to Damascus and one Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Ananias. Here's the only time we read of him, Ananias. He was a devout man. Somebody the Lord had saved. But he, you know, Paul is a big fish. The Lord's gonna use him more than anybody else to expound his gospel. I think I would have sent Peter or John or somebody like that. The Lord sends him a nobody that you never hear of again.

And when the Lord first appeared to Ananias, Ananias said, he said, go to Saul. He said, I've heard of this man, the evil he's done to the saints. I know him. The Lord said, go thy way. He's a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name. Verse 12, Ananias, a devout man, according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which were out there, came unto me and stood and said unto me, Brother Saul. He's a brother now. Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I look up upon him and he said, the God of our fathers hath elected thee, chosen thee. First thing he heard.

I can't even express the contempt I feel for somebody that thinks you can't preach election and preach the gospel. First thing Paul heard. Now remember, election tells us who God is. Election tells us that salvation really is all of grace. Election tells us that God gets all the glory and salvation. First thing he heard. Somebody says, well, that's for believers to discuss, not to preach or confuse people. Sinners are already confused. This is who God is.

The God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldst know his will. That's not talking about He said, I want to know what the will of God for my life is. I want to know what kind of job I ought to take. I want to know where I ought to move, or where I ought to live, or who I should marry. That's all fine and good, but that's not what he's talking about.

The Lord said, this is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing. raise it up again at the last day. It's the will of God that all the elect be saved. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on Him should not perish, but I'll raise him up the last day."

Now, notice the order. Seeing and believing. If you see who He is, you will believe. If you ever see who he really is. You will believe, I have no doubt about it. If you don't believe, it's because you've never seen who he is. If you see who he is, just like a thief on the cross, when he saw who he was, oh, he knew he was Lord. He didn't look like Lord, but he knew he was Lord. And he said, remember me when you come in your kingdom, you're not gonna stay dead, you're gonna come back as a mighty reigning king, remember me. How did he know all that? Because he knew who he was. Everyone that seeth the Son, believes on Him, has everlasting life. Verse 14, He said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know His will, His will of redemption.

You know it. No doubt about that. You know it. See that just one. You see how God can be just and justify the ungodly through the just one. You see that? You're mystified by it, you bow before it, but you see that. I see how God can justify me, not just forgive me, but justify me through that just one, what he accomplished on Calvary Street.

See that just one and hear the voice of his mouth. You know this is God speaking. Now I haven't heard the voice of his mouth audibly like Paul did, but the Lord did say, my sheep hear my voice. I know them, they follow me. We've heard the voice of his mouth, for thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what you've seen and what you've heard. Now this is what every believer bears witness to. His will, that just one, And these are the words of his mouth. This is gospel truth, the very word of God. Now, all who've been with me from the beginning, this is their message.

Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the excellency and the glory of our Redeemer. How we thank you for the comforter, the spirit of truth. How we thank you for who you are. Now, Lord, I ask in Christ's name, I ask that you would unite our hearts together in this prayer to pray as one. We pray that you would reveal yourself. to each heart here. Lord, it's only as you make yourself known to us that we can be your witness and testify of you. If you don't make yourself known, we don't have anything to testify of. Oh, we pray that we might be of that number who are with you from the beginning. In Christ's blessed name we pray. Amen.