I want to speak to you this morning
from the Gospel of John chapter 17. This is the Lord's intercessory
prayer. This is holy ground. Often our
Lord prayed. Sometimes he prayed all night.
He'd go apart. He'd go off by himself and pray.
But here, in this chapter, we are allowed to listen in to the
intercessory prayer of the Lord for his people. Now listen to
these words carefully. Listen to this chapter. And when
you have time, go back and read this chapter. John 17. These
words speak Jesus, the words of comfort. This is referring
back to the last three chapters. He's telling his disciples he's
going to go away, and he's been speaking words of comfort to
them. But after that, it says he lifted up his eyes toward
heaven. Even though God is everywhere, yet in heaven his glory is most
manifested in his fullness. And he lifted up his eyes toward
heaven and looked into the face of God as only he could do because
he's equal with God being God. And he said the hour has come,
the hour that was appointed before the world was. The hour to suffer
for sin, the hour to redeem, the hour to die, the hour to
depart out of this world and go back to the Father having
obtained eternal redemption for the ones He's praying for. And
He asked the Father, He said, Glorify thy Son, support and
sustain me through this great event that's about to happen
to me, and enable me to glorify thee. You know the Father and
the Son are both glorified in the redemption of His people.
Now He says, As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, the
Father gave Jesus Christ power over all flesh. The Lord Jesus
Christ as a King of Kings and Lord of Lords has all power,
all authority, and all government over all people and all things
right now. The Father gave him this power
over all flesh that he might give eternal life to as many
as the Father gave him. He must have power over all flesh
in order for him to save those for whom he's praying. He must
be able to break the power of canceled sin. He must be able
to make them willing in the day of His power. He must have power
over all flesh in order for Him to accomplish His Father's will.
And He said He shall give eternal life to as many as the Father
gave to Him. Not one of them shall perish. Not one of them shall be plucked
out of His hand. The security of God's people,
of His sheep, It's not in their profession. It's not in their
confession. It's not in their acceptance
of Him. It is Him. He is my security. Now he said
this is life eternal. Everybody wants eternal life.
But not everyone wants Jesus Christ. And they cannot be separated. He is eternal life. The eternal
life spoken here is not the length of it. Everybody is going to
live forever somewhere. It's the quality of it. It's
the life of God in the soul. And it comes by knowing the Father
and the Son. It means more than just agreeing
with some doctrines or some creed. It means to really and truly
know the Father and the Son in the heart. It is a real heart
experience. It is a real divine union with
Jesus Christ. He says, I have glorified thee
on the earth. How did he do that? Well, he
did it by doing his Father's will perfectly. He did it by
perfectly keeping God's law. He magnified the law and made
it honorable. He did it by willingly giving up his life for the sheep.
He glorified the Father's name on the earth by finishing the
work that was given to him to do. You know, salvation is a
work. His work, not mine, not yours. It's His work. We are saved by
the person and work of Jesus Christ. There are two important
things to consider in verse 5. And now, O Father, glorify thou
me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was. First of all, that Jesus Christ
is God, and was with God, and was God from eternity. and his delight was to return
to his father. Secondly, Christ returns to the Father's presence
now as the man, Christ Jesus, as the mediator, as the forerunner
of all the redeemed. He prays to return to his former
state of glory, to be received and seated at the Father's right
hand. And he says, now I have manifested
thy name unto the men Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father, no
man knows the Father except the Son, and he to whomsoever the
Son will reveal him. Christ said in one place, if
you've seen me, you've seen the Father. Christ revealed the perfect
nature of God. He revealed the love of God,
the grace of God. He revealed the redemptive will
of God, the Father. And He revealed this to those
who were given to Him before the world was. This chapter is
full of God's electing grace. You cannot read this chapter
and then turn around and deny God's electing grace. He says
here, Thine they were. They've always been His. His
sheep, and I cannot explain this, but I know this, true. His sheep
have always been His sheep. He is not turning goats into
sheep. They've always been his sheep.
And these he gave to Christ. He chose in Christ and he gave
to Christ. And Christ became their surety,
their mediator, their redeemer. And he says here, they have kept
thy word, they have believed thy word, they believe the gospel.
He said, my sheep hear my voice and a stranger they'll not follow.
And they have known God has so powerfully put his stamp of approval
upon the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ that those
who saw him and believed are totally convinced that the work
is of the Father. He says in verse 8, I have given
them thy words, what he spake was from the Father, the gospel
message, the report as Isaiah calls it, the testimony of truth
is of the Father. And his elect have received it,
they have received it gladly, they have embraced it. They are
sure that Jesus Christ is the only Messiah. Now, I pray for
them. Boy, is that not a comfort to
know that Jesus Christ, the living God, who is God manifested in
the flesh, prays for me. For I know this, God the Father
always hears His prayers. I pray for them. I pray for their
good. I pray for their salvation. But He also says, I pray not
for the world. He doesn't pray for everyone. I pray not for
the world. Why does he not pray for the
world? Because he did not die for everyone in the world. And
he's not going to pray for people that he didn't die for. And then
he would be praying against the will of his father if he prayed
for the world. He said, I pray for them that
you've given me. And all mine are thine, and thine
are mine, in purpose they are one, in ownership they are one,
and I am glorified in them, in their redemption, in their faith,
in their conduct, in their final end and glory. Every one of his
sheep is to the praise and glory of his grace, and now I am no
more in the world. He was ready to depart out of
the world and enter into the Holy of Holies, but the disciples
had to stay here in this cruel world of hatred. So he prays
that the Father would keep them from the evil one and keep them
faithful to the gospel and faithful to one another that they would
remain one even as a father and a son are one, no divisions.
While I was with them in the world, he said, I kept them in
thy name. We don't keep ourselves. If he would leave us alone, we'd
leave him. But he's kept the sheep and the only one lost is
Judas so that the scripture might be fulfilled. Judas is called
the son of perdition. He never was the son of God.
And now I come to thee. Christ is praying now in verse
13. He says, Now I come to thee,
and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my
joy fulfilled in themselves, that their joy would not diminish
by his leaving them in the world, but that their joy might continue
and even increase in the gospel of grace. We have a reason to
rejoice in that Jesus Christ has ascended back to the Father
to make intercessions for us, and to prepare a place for us,
a place of acceptance. And he says in verse 14, I've
given them thy word, I've given them the gospel, and the world
hath hated them for it, because they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world. Oh, because of the gospel of
truth the world has hated your people. Because I'll tell you
here's the reason why. Because it exposes the world
for who they are, who and what they really are. Liars, sons
of Satan, darkness. He said you will not come to
the light because the light will expose who you are. And then
he said my people are hated because of it. And they are now contrary
to one another, the world and the believer cannot walk together.
How can two walk together except they agree? Now he says, I pray
not that you should take him out of the world. No, we're to
stay here and preach the gospel and edify the church and build
up one another until he has fulfilled his purpose in each one of us.
Then he'll call us home. And he prays that we should be
kept from the evil one. He said, they are not of the
world. Once again, he says this again, they are not of the world.
No, they are of God. They are not of the world, they
are of God. He says, sanctify them through thy truth. Even
though we are perfect in Jesus Christ, all those for whom he
praised for and died for, they are perfect in him. There is
such a thing as spiritual growth and love and faith and hope and
temperance. We grow in these things. He says,
I sent them into the world. We are commanded to spread the
gospel near and far. It's not something we keep to
ourselves. Go to all the world and preach the gospel. God has
a people in every nation, tongue, language, and tribe under heaven.
I sanctify myself. He's not saying he's making himself
holy, for he did no sin, knew no sin, but that he has set aside
himself as a sacrifice for our sins in order to make us holy.
We were sanctified by the Father in election, by the Son in redemption,
by the Holy Spirit in regeneration and calling and belief of the
truth. Now he says neither pray I for these alone. He not only
prays for the disciples but for all of God's elect from beginning
to end who shall believe on him through the preaching of the
gospel. That they all may be one. Here's the purpose of it
all. That we all may be one. United together in heaven as
one harmonious family. We all shall be of equal in glory,
and we shall be like him, even as he is like the Father. I in
them, thou in me, no separation, cohabiting together in one spirit,
thinking alike, loving the same things, being perfect in all
things. And He says, Father, I will. And I tell you this,
what He wills, He gets. And what is that will? That we
may be with Him where He is. And that we may behold His glory
as of the only begotten of the Father. That His people here,
that He's speaking of, that they can enjoy what I enjoy. That's what He says. Father,
I will that they be with Me where I am. O Father, I know Thee, and I
know that I know they know Thee, and they believe that Thou hast
sent me. Nothing glorifies God more than faith. They believe
that Thou hast sent me. And I have declared Thy name.
I have revealed who You are, and will yet reveal it, so that
they also may believe, and that they can enjoy the same love
that I have enjoyed. Listen, my friends, Eternal life
is to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. That is eternal
life. Eternal life is not how long,
but it's God. It's the life of God in the soul.
And the only way that can happen is to know Jesus Christ in the
heart. To be possessed of Him. To be
united to Him. Look to Him. Look to Him. May God bless His Word.