Come back to John 17. John 17. Our Lord, in verses 1-5, as we looked at last
week, prayed for Himself. And in verses 6-19, He prays for his disciples. He said, I pray for them. What's that worth? God prays to God. I pray for them. This is God
praying to God for a people. I pray for them. And here's a
comforting thought. He is always heard. And he always
gets what he prays for. If he had prayed for the world,
he would have got it. He would have got it. As I said, in verses 1 through
5, he prayed for himself first. He prayed for himself to be glorified
first before praying for His disciples. And the reason is
this, if the Son is not glorified by the Father, neither will those for whom He
dies. That's why He prays, glorify Thy Son that Thy Son also may
glorify Thee. And in that, everyone for whom
He died is glorified in Him. We share in that same glory. And it's going to be amazing
someday when we see that glory. Our salvation, our glory is directly
connected to His glory, to His success in redemption. It is directly connected to Him. Now he says in verse 6, I have
manifested thy name unto the man which thou gavest me out
of the world. I don't know how you could read
John 17 and not see, I mean just logically see that the word of
God teaches that God chose a people. It is so clear. We'll see this
as we go along. But he says, I have manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. He
does not say, I have manifested thy name unto the eleven men.
He says, the men, and this includes
men and women of all ages. All whom thou gavest me, I have
revealed thy name, manifested. That means revealed. And here's
what he's saying. I have revealed thy character."
The Jews thought they knew God. They thought they knew Him as
their Father. But when the Lord Jesus Christ
came unto His own, they didn't recognize Him. If my Father walked
in, my earthly Father, if He walked into this room, I'm sure
several of you wouldn't know him. I would know him. I'd recognize
him real quick. There's dad. There's dad. When Christ came into this world,
he came into his own and they didn't recognize him. Philip,
he that has seen me has seen the Father. He that has seen
me has seen the Father. And he's praying here now, the
son is praying to the father and he says, I have revealed
thy name, thy character, thy perfections unto those whom thou
hast given me. You understand, you who believe
the gospel, you understand something of the holiness of God. You understand
something of the sovereignty of God. You understand something
of the justice of God, the grace of God, the mercy of God, how
God can be a just God and save a wretch like me and a wretch
like you. Now, how did you come to that understanding? He said,
I have manifested it to them. That's how you know it. I revealed
it to them. He manifested the Father's name
to those whom the Father gave to him. The Scripture says, No
man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the
Son will reveal Him. There has to be a revelation
of the Father by the Son if He is to be known, if He is to be
loved. Do you have any interest? Do you have any real interest
in Christ? Do you have any real interest in the Father, knowing
the Father? God gave it to you. If you don't
have, you're just as dead as the day you were born. And listen here, he said, I've
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me. Thine
they were. Not just these eleven. He's speaking
of all of God's elect. Thine they were. Are not all
His by creation? Yes. But these are His by election. These are His in a special way.
These are my children. These are my sons. These are
my daughters. These are mine. Thine, he says,
thine they were. Thine they were. And thou gavest them me to take
care of, to be their surety, to bring home, spotless, pure,
holy. You gave them to me. You chose
them, they were yours. What He's saying here is the
Father is the first cause of all things. He's given the glory
of salvation, of election to His Father. And He said, Thine
they were and you gave them to Me to take care of, to redeem,
to bring home. Can you think of any better hands
to be in than His? It doesn't matter what comes
our way. He said, you gave them to me. They're mine and I'm bringing
them home. Thou gavest them to me. This
is our comfort. Though we may be hated by the
world, attacked by Satan, yet we are loved and chosen by God
the Father and given to his Son to bring home. And listen here,
they have kept thy word. This is due to the work of the
Spirit of God in them. They have kept thy word. If you'll
remember over in John chapter 6, many went back and walked
no more with him. They said, this is a hard saying.
Who can have it? And they left. They followed
him for a while. Some followed for a long while. But then they
left. And he said to his disciples,
are you a disciple? There are some disciples here
this morning. And he says to his disciples, will you also
go away because of this message? Will you also go away? And Peter
said, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. whom he is speaking of, were
called by the Spirit of God, regenerated, and given faith. And he says here, they have kept
thy word. You notice how love covers a
multitude of sins? In just a very short few hours
here, Peter is going to deny him. The rest are going to be
scattered and leave him. But you notice in this intercessory
prayer, we're getting a look into his intercessory prayer.
He never mentions one thing about their sins. His perfection is
our perfection. It's just like he's saying, Mike
has kept thy word. Have you? John has kept thy word. Have I? Shoot, no. I better watch out. Wrong word might come out. No. No. But he doesn't mention it. All he mentions is this, I've
manifested thy name to them and they've kept thy word. Isn't that something? And then
listen, I have given, but you're going to see a process here in
a minute. I have given and they have known. They have known that
all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. They have
known that you, Father, are the source. You're the source of all grace.
You're the source of all comfort. You're the source. You're the
very source. You're the fountain of salvation.
You're the very fountain of it. And they know this. They know
this. They have received my words as
thy words. They didn't question. They have
received, you know, the scripture says, try the spirits where they
be of God. We don't have to try Christ to see whether he is God. And he said, they have received
my words as your words. As weak as their faith was, they
believe Christ and He makes mention of their faith in a positive
way, not a negative, when He intercedes for them. The least grain of faith is taken
notice of by our Lord. I mean the least grain. He doesn't
even bring up their failures. He just brings up their faith
and says they've known and they believe. They are sure. Even though they don't act like
it, even though they may not act
like it most of the time, and I mean most of the time, he says,
Father, they are sure that you're the source of it. Are you? I
am. I'm sure. I'm sure that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. I'm sure that all things are
of God. I don't act like it all the time. He says he never brings
it up in a negative way. Now listen, for I have given
them thy words. I've given it to them. I didn't
just present it and then say, what do you think about it? I
put it in them. I planted it in them. I have
given them thy words. Christ said, as I hear, I speak.
The words that I speak are not mine, but his that sent me. Christ gave us the gospel. He
came into this world and preached the gospel. Paul said, unto you
is the word of this salvation sent. I have given them thy words,
the doctrine of God, the doctrine of salvation in Christ. He gave
us the words of the Father. When we read the Scriptures,
as we are reading now here in the Gospel of John, these are
the words of God the Father given to us through God the Son, revealed
to us by God the Holy Spirit. And they have received Him. I cannot stand here and with
one thousand percent say, well, this one received it, this one
received it. I don't know. I don't know. But he can say, he can say, this
one received it. This one knows it. This one believes
it. Because I gave it to them. I
gave it to them. And they have received then.
To receive something is to take it. Or it's to receive it, like
this water, into yourselves. And this is what the meaning
here. This is more than agreeing with it. He's not saying, Father.
Now, he's speaking here to his Father who knows all things. He's saying they are consumed
with it. What I have given them is in
them. They left all and followed Christ. When he called Matthew, he got
up from the receipt of customs and just left it right there
and followed Christ. They received Many believe the Bible is the
Word of God. I had one man tell me years ago
that I worked with. He said, I believe every word
in that book is true. But he never professed to be
saved. It didn't even pretend like he
was saved. This guy was just a lost man
I was working with and he made no pretense about it. But he
told me one day, he said, I believe that. I said, if you really did,
you'd be saved. There's a difference in believing
this is the Word of God and what's in it is true and receiving it.
Just like I've received this water, drinking it, and it becomes
a part of you. That's the difference. It becomes
a part of you. And have known, listen, they
have received Him and have known surely that I come out from thee. This is the result of receiving
His Word, His Gospel in the heart. It's the result of it. Knowledge
comes from receiving God's Word. It comes from receiving His testimony. Scripture says, faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Now here's the process. He said, I have given, they have
received them, and receiving them they have known, and they
believe. Given, received, known, and believed. That's the order. He said, I've
given it. If he doesn't give it to you,
you'll never know it. If he doesn't give it to you, if he doesn't
give the gospel to you, send it to you, empower and penetrate
your heart. If he does not do that, I promise
you, you'll never receive it. It'll have no real effect in
you, in your life. And you will not know. You will
not know. And you will not believe. But
if He gives it to you, if He gives it, you'll receive it,
and you'll know God, and you'll believe Him. Now listen, I pray for them. I just can't
put that in the power of those words. I pray for them. We have
prayed this morning. I prayed, Frank and Dan. We have prayed this morning.
But he said, I pray for them. We muddle through it. We muddle
through it. I jotted this down just a minute
ago. We pray for things as we want
them to be. He prays for things as they ought
to be. As they ought to be. I pray for them. This is good. John Gill wrote this. For whom
he is a propitiation, he is an advocate. And for whom he died,
he makes intercession. And for no others in a spiritual
saving way. But for whom he is a propitiation,
he is an advocate. And for whom he died, he intercedes. I pray for them. Isn't that so
clear? I pray for them. And he doesn't
leave it at that. This is the Lord's intercessory
prayer that we are getting to listen in on. I pray not for
the world. I'm not going to try to justify
that. God is wise. God is good. And even what I don't understand,
I don't need to try to explain. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world. He prayed not for those Never
believe? Because if He did, He'd have
them. He would have them. He prayed
for those whom the Father gave Him before the world began in
that covenant of grace. Turn over to John chapter 6.
Back here to John chapter 6. Look in verse 37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. For I came down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 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. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
at the last day." The Jews then murmured at him because he said,
I am the bread which came down from heaven. They completely
missed what he said here. And they said, Is not this Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it
then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me
draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written
in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man
therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father, been taught
by the Father, cometh to me. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world. And why pray only for them? He tells us why. For they are
thine. They are thine. Not only by creation,
but by covenant, by election, by love, by adoption, by regeneration,
My redemption, they are thine. And all mine, all that thou hast
given me, all mine are thine. All mine belong to you, and all
thine belong to me. And I am glorified in them. Here's
why he's saying, our Lord declares Himself to be one in essence
with the Father. That's why He's declaring. Their interests could not be
separated. What belongs to one belongs to
the other. There can be no separation. To
reject one is to reject the other. To receive one is to receive
the other. All mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I am glorified in them. I am glorified in them. This is another reason for the
preservation of those for whom He has prayed. I am glorified
in them in their redemption, in their affections, in their
conduct, and in their final glory. I am glorified in them. The believers are His chief glory. I'm glorified in them. And now
I'm no more in the world. He was ready to depart out of
the world. A change is about to be made. They had been with Him for three
years. He had protected them. When they wanted to, they could
just sit right down and say, Lord, I want to talk to you about
something. And they had His physical presence
right there, just like I've been sitting down to talk to you about
something. But they're not going to have that anymore. They're
going to have his presence in spirit, but his physical presence
is seated at the right hand of God right now. That's where it
is. So a change is about to be made.
And he says, I am no more in the world. Here's something,
here's something that's beautiful. I want you to see this. Thine
they were, and thou hast given them to me, and I have kept them.
And it's just like taking a child and handing it back and saying,
now you keep them. How good is that? I've kept them,
now you keep them. It's just like handing it right
back to the father and saying, now you keep them. Kept. We are a kept people. Kept people. You keep them and you protect
them. But these are in the world. These
are in the world. These are still on the battlefield.
They're still on the battlefield. The battle is going to get hot. Many, not only just them, but
many have been martyred for the gospel. They're still on the
battlefield. They're going to be hated. They're
going to be despised and rejected just as I have been. They're
going to be killed for my sake. What a terrible place this world
is. Truly, I'm telling you the truth, it is. It is. He says, Holy Father. He recognizes
who He is. Holy Father. Keep Him. Keep Him. Keep Him. What a prayer. I pray for them.
I pray and I ask you, Father, to keep them. Through the trials,
the heartaches, the battles, keep them. Don't let him go.
Don't let him go. And we know he's not. Keep them. Keep them safe till the storm
passes by. Keep them believing. Keep them
believing. Keep them by your power. Keep
them as one in unity that they may be one as we are. Keep them
together. Oh, Father, keep them. What a
prayer. And that prayer is still in effect.
It's still in effect. Keep those whom thou hast given
me. Here is the high priest. You
know, the high priest would bear upon his breastplate the twelve
tribes of Israel. When he went into the Holy of
Holies, he would bear them on his breastplate. Here Christ
is bearing every one of his children on his heart. before the Father.
That's what He's doing. Keep those whom thou hast given
me. Delect are the love gifts from the Father to the Son. I
copied that. I didn't come up with that. I
thought it was good. Listen, though. We are kept by
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Can you be more
kept than that? No. Keep them through thine own name. What's the name that God used
to reveal himself to Jacob? El Shaddai, God All-Sufficient,
Almighty God. Keep them through thy own power. You see, a name reveals a person,
reveals a character. If you were just to mention a
name to me, someone I knew, I would immediately think of this person's
character, their strengths. That's what comes to your mind.
Keep through thine own name, who you are, God. You reckon
he'll do it? While I was with him in the world,
I kept them in thy name. I kept them by thy power. I kept them by thy doctrine.
I kept them by thy name. None can keep but Christ. We
cannot keep ourselves. Christ is our keeper. Let's go back to Psalm 121 again. In verse 3, He will not suffer thy foot to
be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. He will not sleep. He will not tire. Behold, he
that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is
thy keeper. He is thy keeper. The Lord is
thy shade. He is thy rest. He is thy comfort
upon thy right hand. Those that thou gavest me, I
have kept. I've kept them. And none of them
is lost. Our security is the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's not my accepting Christ.
It's not my repentance. It's not even my faith. It's
Christ Himself. I have kept them. And they're not lost. But one. But why? The son of perdition,
speaking of Judas. And that was so, he said, that
the scripture might be fulfilled. Judas was a son of perdition,
not a son of God. And this shows this. This shows
that without the work of the Holy Spirit in a man's heart,
applying the gospel in power, without regeneration, that Christ
can be right in the presence of a person. Judas walked with
him for nearly three years, sat and listened to him. He was the
only one who held an office. He was a treasurer at that time. He was the only one who held
an office. He was a treasurer. And he did not know him. Betrayed
him. Very sobering. But Judas, now
listen, Judas was never a believer. He was never a believer. He was
a pretender. No one, no one who believes the
gospel, no one who has received the gospel shall perish. Not one. I have kept them. I have kept
them. What a prayer. What a prayer. We ought to know that prayer
by heart. It's the intercession of our
Lord for us. You would think we'd know it
by heart. I pray for them. And even this morning, as we
sit here, He intercedes for us. He intercedes for us. You reckon,
he says, they've kept thy word and never mentions anything about
our failings and fallings. His perfection is our perfection. And it's real. It's real. Okay,
Mike.