The Hour is Come

We turn to John 17. That message was a blessing, brother. I think that that is a wonderful description of every believer. Every believer is one who has done justly, who loves mercy, and who walks humbly with their God. There are no exceptions to that. John chapter 17, verse one. These words spake Jesus, and he's talking about everything that was said between John 13 and John 16. You'll remember when he washed the disciples' feet, and then he had this last word with his disciples. He knew he was going to be crucified the next day. They didn't know it. But he knew it.

It ends up with these words in chapter 16, verse 33. These things have I spoken unto you, this glorious message, John 13 through 16. These things have I spoken unto you that in me, you might have peace. The only place of peace is in him. I have no peace from anything else. Simply being found in him. Paul put it this way in Philippians 3, 9, Oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him. When God comes looking for me, there's only one place I want to be found. in him. Somebody said, well, I'd love to be preaching the gospel when he comes back, or I'd love to be reading the Bible or witnessing or praying when he comes back. Not me. I simply want to be found in him. Not having my own righteousness. I don't want to have anything to do with that. If my fingerprints are on it, I want it gone. that I might win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

These words spake Jesus after he said, these things have I spoken to you that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, trial, trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. That's why I can be of good cheer. That's why you can be of good cheer. He has already won the victory. Now these words fake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven. You know, I've seen people kind of lift up their eyes to heaven when they're praying. And I think, how do you do that? You know, we read about the, Publican in the temple. He had his head straight down, didn't he? Beaten on his breast. He wouldn't look up. To think of a man looking up, you know, there's only one who could do this.

The son of God. He could look up into the very heavens and see his father. These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, The hour has come. Just another note on this. We're allowed at this time to listen to the Lord, pray to his father.

This is the Lord's prayer. You know, people quote Matthew six and Luke 11 and call that the Lord's prayer. This is the Lord's prayer. He's not teaching us how to pray. He is praying to his father and you and I are allowed to listen in and he's praying for his people. This is Christ's great high priestly prayer for every one of his people. When he was praying this prayer, if you're a believer, he was praying this for you. You, individually, you are on his heart as he prayed this prayer.

Father, the hour is come. The hour is come. At the beginning of his public ministry, in his first miracle, the water being made wine, when they had ran out of wine, his mother said unto him, they have no wine. The implication being, do something about this. She knew he could. She knew he could work miracles. Do something about this.

And do you remember how the Lord answered her? Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Now it's never right to tell the Lord what to do. She was telling him what to do. Kind of like Martha with regard to her sister. Did her help me? She's doing nothing.

Don't tell the Lord what to do. You know, I don't even like people telling me what to do. When Lynn tells me what to do, it just goes through me. That's awful, but that's... Don't tell the Lord what to do. Woman, mine hour is not yet come. In John chapter seven, some men were sent to arrest him. And they sought to take him, but no man laid hands on him for his hour. Was not yet. Now this is talking about the hour of His death.

The reason for which the universe was created was for this hour. Hour is a measurement of time. Time began when God said, in the beginning, or when the word of God says, in the beginning, there's time. God created the heavens and the earth. There's mass, matter, there's space.

All in that one verse, time began then. Before this, there was no creation. All there was was God in the trinity of his sacred persons. And I don't even know what to say about it. There he is, there he eternally. And then time was created for this hour. The hour is come. We read in John chapter eight, verse 20, after the preaching, after his preaching, these words spake Jesus in the treasury. as he taught in the temple, but no man laid hands on him for his hour was not yet come. Look at the way he began this message in John chapter 13. This is where he began with something he knew. This is where this begins. Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world. He loved them to the end. He knew his hour was come.

Father, the hour is come, the hour of his death. I think of what he said in John chapter 12 when he was anticipating his death. And no one understands the horror the Lord had to experience in Gethsemane's garden at the thought of being made sin and being separated from his father and bearing the guilt of his people. We can't understand that, I realize that, but he said, What shall I say? Father saved me from this hour?

But for this cause came I in to this hour, the hour of his death. Now listen to this statement. His death was his greatest achievement. Turn to Luke chapter nine. You can't say this about any other human being. When I die, you know what it means? It means I'm a sinner. That's all it says about me. When you die, all it says about you is you are a sinner. Death is certainly not an achievement to anybody. I mean, we don't, look what he's achieved. Look at somebody laying there in a coffin. Look what he's achieved. Wow, he's done something, though. But look what the Lord said about, look what it said about the Lord's death.

Luke 9, verse 31, now this is when the Lord is transfigured before Peter and James and John. And the scripture says, his face shined as the sun, his raiment was white as the light. And Moses and Elijah appeared to him and they spake with him. Now, what is it they're going to be talking about? Luke 9, verse 31, verse 30, and behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias, who appeared in glory and spake of his decease, which he should accomplish in Jerusalem.

His death, his decease was an accomplishment, The death of Christ on the cross is his greatest achievement. Now, I know it would be meaningless if he were not raised from the dead. Don't anyone think, well, what about his resurrection? Of course, that's part of it, but his death accomplished something. His death, the death of Jesus Christ, and I hope I say this reverently, is the most God-like thing God ever did. the death of Jesus Christ.

This is greater than the creation of the universe, because the universe was created for this hour. That was God's purpose in creation, for the death of His Son. I love the way The Lord is called in Revelation chapter 13 verse 8, the lamb slain, literally the lamb having been slain from the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner, there was the savior, the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is God's eternal purpose, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, In that first gospel message that we read of after his resurrection, I love the way Peter begins his message. Would you turn with me for a moment to Acts chapter 2? You know the whole Bible can only be understood in light of Christ being the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. You don't really understand the scriptures without that. Now do I mean that we understand it? No. Do we believe it? Absolutely. Christ being the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Now this is when Peter is bringing this message. You men of Israel, verse 22, Acts chapter 22. Or Acts chapter two, verse 22. You men of Israel, Hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you. As you yourselves also know, Jesus Christ did what only God could do.

He created matter. He brought matter into existence that had not been there before when he fed the 5,000. He controlled the weather. Only God can control the weather. What manner of man is this that even the winds and sea obey Him? He raised the dead. I mean, He gave abundant proof of who He was by these miracles and signs and wonders. You couldn't deny Him. Now look what He says.

In verse 23, Him being delivered by what? the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God. That's where Peter begins this message. Him being delivered by the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken I didn't get you off the hook. You have taken and with wicked hands have crucified and slain. But the only reason Christ died, the only reason he was nailed to that cross, was because it was God's will for it to be done. It's his determined counsel.

And you know, even the early church knew this. After they'd only been converted a couple of weeks, listen to their song of praise in Acts chapter four, verse 27. Verse 24, when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, thou art God, which has made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is, who by the mouth of thy servant David has said, why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ for the truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Now this is where we begin. The death of Christ is God's eternal purpose. You know, how many times during the death of Christ did something happen that the scripture might be fulfilled? They're gambling for his robe, piercing his hands and feet. As a matter of fact, what these men were doing, it's almost like they read open, what do we do next? Open the Bible and say, what is it we need to do next?

But they were doing what they were doing freely. They hated him, but they were doing exactly what he determined for them to do to him. You see, the Lord's no victim. I love it when they come to arrest him. And he says, Whom seek ye? Jesus of Nazareth. I am. An irresistible, invincible power drove him backwards at that time. And he's letting them know at this time, I'm not a victim. I'm not in your hands. You're in mine. This is my will being done.

They dusted themselves off, got up again, and I bet when he said, whom seek ye again, they had a different tone. Jesus of Nazareth, I'm sure they were scared to death. I think of Pilate saying, speakest thou not to me? Don't you know that I have power to crucify you, and I have power to release you?

That could have no power at all over me, except it were given me from above. The death of Christ is God's eternal purpose. Everything was done that the scriptures might be fulfilled. You know, one of the great mysteries of the scripture is that how he could die in the first place. I don't get it. God can't die. He can't. He's eternal, spirit. He cannot die. Jesus Christ is the God-man and he did die. I don't understand how it took place, but it did. Jesus Christ died on Calvary's tree. The songwriter said, "'Tis mystery all, The immortal dies. Who can explore his strange design in vain? The firstborn seraph tries to sound the depths of love's design. Tis mercy all, let earth adore. Let angels' minds inquire no more. Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son. He didn't say I'm glorifying myself. He said you glorify me, that I might glorify thee. We're swimming right now, anything in the Bible's way over our head, but I don't know anything more over our head than trying to talk about the glory of God. Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son, that thy son might glorify thee. His glory is the shining forth of the radiance of his perfections. They're all displayed in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, the hour has come, glorify thy son, that thy son might also glorify thee. Now, they speak of the deceased, which he should accomplish. Well, what did he accomplish? The manifestation of who God is. There's no way I can know who God is apart from the cross of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Every attribute is fully displayed. His sovereign purpose is displayed. His power. His power to actually make my sin not to be. So that, as you were saying, I'm somebody who's done justly. I have no sin. What power is in the cross? What power there is in Making me holy, making me just, making me righteous, making me without fault. What wisdom is displayed in making a way for God to be just, absolutely just, and justify somebody as ungodly as me.

And do it in a way that honors his justice and honors his law. How this glorifies his independence. He has no needs, he by himself purged our sins. We didn't help in this thing. Oh, every attribute. What about his love? God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. The love of the Son to us. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Every attribute of God, I'm not covering them all, I realize that, I can't, but every attribute of God is fully displayed in the death of Jesus Christ. What about the miracles that surrounded his death? Darkness covered the face of the earth for three hours. That tells me, and you, that we're never really going to understand all that's taken place in the death of Christ.

This is up above us. This is a transaction between the Father and the Son. The earthquake in protest as it beheld the creature murder the creator. Graves were opened. I know you've read about that and wondered about that. Graves opened and saints got up and walked around Jerusalem. What's that all about? Well, I know this much.

It lets us know that the only way our grave is opened is by the death of Christ. The moment he died, the scripture says the veil in the temple was rent from the top to the bottom. Now that lets us know that it was God that did this, not us. It started at the top. And I love what's revealed when that veil was rent. It exposed the phoniness of man's religion. There wasn't any Ark of the Covenant back there. That had been gone forever. But it exposed that everything about man religion is nothing but a lie and phoniness and a show. It exposed that.

But even more than that, the way into the holiest is for every believer. I can come into the very presence of God, into the holy of holies, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, having therefore, brethren, boldness. Now do you hear the boldness? Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who unto my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame. Boldness to enter into the very presence of God, into the holy of holies through the blood of the Lord Jesus.

And he goes on to say by a new and living way. New means freshly slaughtered. The blood of Christ is always poignant and powerful to the Father. A living way, not a dead way, but a living way. Every believer has boldness to come into the very presence of God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know, his body never went through the process of decay because of the accomplishments of his death. Now, I want to close this message by giving seven or eight accomplishments of his death. The reason the world was created. Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son that thy son might glorify thee.

Now, don't anybody worry. I'm going to be brief on this. You mean you're just now starting and you're getting into the meteor message? No. I've said most of what I'm going to say, but I want to give you these things and not make a whole lot of comment on them.

First, in the death of Jesus Christ, him allowing himself to be nailed to the tree, he was no victim, we have the greatest act of obedience this world has ever seen. He became obedient unto death. Now that obedience is the obedience that is every believer's. That is how I have boldness to come into his presence. That obedience that Jesus Christ worked out is my obedience. I'm obedient. Jesus Christ was obedient. Whatever he did, I did. Number two, in the death of Jesus Christ, we have the greatest act of faith this world has ever known. He was cut off from his father. He felt nothing but his awful frown, his wrath, his displeasure against sin, cut off.

Yet he said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. I know Job said that, but if you read Job, I don't think Job could honestly say that about himself, the way he charged God with foolishness, mistrusted God, and so on. It was the Lord Jesus who said, though he slay me and I'm completely cut off, yet will I trust him.

Now, just like I'm saved by his obedience, I'm saved by his faith. His faith is my faith before God. Somebody had to believe God perfectly. He did. In the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the greatest act of justice this world has ever known. Now let me say this.

When Christ was on the cross, it was not as an innocent victim. He was on the cross because he's guilty. The sins of God's people became his sins, and he owned them as his own. He didn't say, Todd's sins that are imputed to me. He said, my sin. That's what he said about his death on Calvary's tree, my sin.

But he was still God's only begotten and well-beloved son. He spared not his own son. If there was ever a time when you would think God could turn his and forgive, it would have been then. But the Lord God demonstrated that He's no respecter of persons, even when sin is found in His Son. Somebody says, what are you saying, sin found in His Son?

Well, it's the same thing Peter said when it says, He bare our sins in His own body. on the tree. That's another thing that I could you know the only that that's the only way to deal with that. I don't I don't understand it. I bow before it. God can do that. God never ceased loving his son at this time yet justice must be satisfied and you The Lord Jesus Christ was saying, I'd rather go and die on a cross than have my father's law dishonored or his justice dishonored. And this is how God can be just and justify the ungodly through what he did in his death. He made the way for God to be just and justify the ungodly. Now, listen to this scripture. Romans 3, 22 says, all I've sinned.

Me, you, there's no difference. There's no difference. Did you know in God's sight, you take the most moral man you've ever known and you take the most immoral man you've ever known. In God's sight, there's no difference. That's what God says. Somebody says, well, I don't see how that could be. Well, God said it. That's enough. Somebody said, God said it, I believe it, that settles it. No, no, God said it, that settles it, whether you and I believe or not.

There is no difference. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. What a definition of sin. Coming short of the glory of God. I think you dealt with that last night. I can't even describe how far we've fallen short of the glory of God. Being justified. Here's the 24th verse of Romans 3. Being justified. Having been justified. Freely. You didn't add anything to it. Freely.

By His grace. through the redemption, the redeeming work of Christ on Calvary's tree, whom God has set forth, or foreordained, to be a propitiation, a sin-removing sacrifice, is what that word means. A sin-removing sacrifice, so it's God, through faith in his blood.

Do you have faith in his blood? Do you think His blood is enough to cleanse you from all your sin and make you stand before God without fault? To declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness. Well, doesn't it speak of His love and His mercy?

Yeah, but that's not what the Holy Spirit said. his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God to declare, I say again at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and justify the ungodly. The death of Christ is the greatest act of love. On the father's part, he gave his son. On the son's part, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." His death accomplished perfect sanctification.

Hebrews 10.10, by the witch will, we are sanctified once for all. Now, people generally think of sanctification as behavioral, and I sure want to behave myself well, I really do, but that doesn't have anything to do with what this is saying. By one offering. By the witch will, we are sanctified once for all, something that can't be added to or taken from.

It's perfectly completed, never to be repeated. Hence, St. Todd, St. Todd. Every believer is a sanctified one. His death accomplished our perfection. Hebrews 10, 14, by one offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Perfect. His death accomplished complete reconciliation. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son. Reconciliation.

You know what that means? God doesn't have a reason to be mad at me. I always think that way in my thoughts. I go around thinking all the time, boy, how could he? You know, I look at the Lord as tolerating me for Christ's sake, but that's not the way it is. He's completely reconciled to me. Thou art all fair, my love, there's no spot in thee. That's what he says to all believers.

We were reconciled to God by the death of his son. His death accomplished eternal redemption. I was thinking about this. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Do you know everybody knows intuitively that God is eternal?

Nobody made him. Romans 1, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power. And God did. All you gotta do is look at creation and you know somebody all powerful made this, nobody made him.

He's eternal. And so I love the use of eternal redemption. A redemption that redeemed me before I ever sinned. And I'm always in that. Our standing before God was taken care of before the world was ever created. Eternal redemption. His blood accomplished constant cleansing. Now let me quote this scripture to you. God is light. In him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him. I fellowship with God. I pray to him. He hears me. He speaks to me. I have fellowship with God.

If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, the darkness of salvation by works. That's not somebody sitting secretly in the dark. That's the darkness of salvation by works, the utter darkness of that. If we say we have fellowship with God and walk in darkness, we lie. and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth us.

Present tense, right now. Now I know this, his blood accomplished my salvation completely. And I know this, I need to be cleansed every second of every day because I'm always sinning. My sin is ever before me, and I need cleansing, the cleansing of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin.

Now, do you know every time the gospel is preached, whether these words are used, this must be the subject all the time. Paul said, I determine not to know anything among you, saved Jesus Christ and him crucified. Every time the gospel is preached, this is the theme, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does baptism signify? The death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. What do we show forth when we take the Lord's table? We show forth his death. until he come. Now, like I said, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ is his greatest accomplishment. How could he die? And how could he accomplish all that by his death? How amazing.

Now, would you turn in closing to Romans chapter eight. Verse 28, and we know. You know, I love it when Paul says that. We know. Someone says, I don't know it. Paul says, I do. We do. We know. He's speaking as the representative of all of the elect. You know this too.

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. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called. And whom he called, them he also justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not? With him also freely give us all things. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? Now hold on for a second. Who is he that condemneth?

Well, the devil could bring forth a lot of accusations against me. He's called the accuser of the brethren. And every accusation he would bring up would be true. He wouldn't have to exaggerate things. Anything he said about me, anything he said about you would be true.

There's other people who could condemn me that have just reason to do so. My own conscience. I walk around. most of the time with a black cloud over my head, feeling guilty. Should I? No, not if I believe the gospel, but I've still got something called the flesh, and it's always there. I'm like that man who said, Lord, I believe, that's the new nature, help thou mine unbelief, that's the old nature, always there.

But when Paul makes this glorious challenge, who is he that condemneth? Bring it on. How does he answer? Verse 34. It is Christ that died. Yea, rather that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Now, who can condemn me? It's Christ that died. Now the only hope I have of being in heaven is that Jesus Christ put away my sins.

You know, I hate even bringing it up, but I loathe that teaching that says that Jesus Christ died for everybody's sins and some of them end up in hell. There won't be anybody in hell that Christ died for. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.

Now somebody says, well, how can I know if he died for me? If you believe the gospel, he died for you. Who so believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ? God's Christ, God's prophet, God's priest, God's king? You're born of God. That's the evidence that he died for you. May the Lord grant us all a saving faith, pastor.

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