Turn, if you will, to John's
Gospel chapter 17. John chapter 17. We'd like to
begin reading just the first five verses, then look down at
verse 24 as our text. But let's consider the first
few verses in the chapter to begin with. This is truly the
Lord's Prayer. The other prayer, the one he
taught his disciples, is often referred to as the Lord's Prayer,
but not so. That was his prayer to the disciples,
teaching them how to pray. But this is truly our Lord's
Prayer. Verse 1, John 17, this is just
shortly before he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane. This is
not that prayer either, but shortly after this. Verse 1 of John 17. These words spake Jesus and lifted
up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify thy son that thy son
also may glorify thee. As thou has given him power over
all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
has given him. And this is life eternal, that
they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And
now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the
glory which I had with Thee before the world was. The hour is come. This is why time began for this
very hour. It was leading up to this very
hour. What an hour that was that night
that he was born. When the angels told the shepherds,
there is born unto you this night in the city of David, that is
Bethlehem, that word means house of bread. Bethlehem means house
of bread. Our Lord said, I am the bread
that came down from heaven that giveth his life for the world. And what an hour that was, that
Christ the Savior was born in Bethlehem. He was made then like
unto his brethren. That was essential, that was
required, it was necessary for him to be a faithful and merciful
high priest because they were flesh and blood. He likewise
took part of the same. And as the creator of all things,
to hear him say to a stormy sea, Never a man spake like this man. Never a man spake and produced
results like this. That night on that stormy sea,
when the disciples awoke him and were afraid and said, don't
you care that we perish? He spoke to that troubled sea,
peace be still, and it laid down quietly. knowing the voice of
its creator, it laid down quietly in obedience at his feet. He
said to a man born blind on more than one occasion, receive thy
sight. And the blind man's eyes were
opened immediately, immediately with that same power, with that
same authority that he spoke light out of darkness when he
said, let there be light. And then afterwards, He stands
before the tomb of a man who's been dead four days. And he said
just previous to that, to this man's sister, I am the resurrection
and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. And he that liveth and believeth
in me shall never die. And he asked Martha plainly,
pointedly, do you believe this? Do you believe this? And then
he goes to that tomb and cries, Lazarus, come forth. And the result was, he that was
dead. not playing possum, not pretending
to be dead, but he that was actually and truly dead came forth. With that voice went the power,
the authority to give life to one that was dead. And I never
think of that passage of scripture in John 11 without thinking of
that which it is a picture of. You hath he quickened. you as
he'd given life to, who were dead in trespasses and sins. I know it is common in our day
to hear, if you believe, if you'll exercise faith or your will,
you'll be born again. The opposite is true. We are
born again first. Before there can be an act of
life, there must be life itself. Therefore we're born again first.
You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And I read that this one, who
was God, who was very God, this one who spoke life to the dead,
this one who opened blinded eyes, this one who spoke to the troubled
sea and produced a great calm, that same one, being flesh of
our flesh and bone of our bones, got hungry. Isn't that amazing? This one who was himself God
became thirsty and tired. And I can say with Paul no more
than this, great is the mystery of godliness. And now in John
chapter 17 he says, the hour is come. This is an hour unlike
any other in history, up to that time or would ever be again. This hour that he refers to is
the hour when he would be made sin. The hour that he who knew
no sin would be made sin. This is the hour that the prophet
said that he would in a day take away the iniquity of his people. He would carry it away. This
is that hour that he would enter one time into the holy place
having obtained eternal redemption for us. He here in this passage
refers to that hour that he came into this world for. This is
what Gabriel told Joseph he came into this world for. Call his
name Jesus. He shall save his people from
their sins. And 33 years later, As the darkness
recedes from Mount Calvary, he cries out with authority and
power and victoriously, it is finished. I did exactly what
I came to do. I've taken away the sins of my
people. I brought in an everlasting righteousness. I obtained eternal redemption
for them. It's finished. And it was. Redemption
was completed then and there. We had nothing to it in time
by our faith. But yet, yet the echoes in the
hearts of all believers, that's the subject more than any other
that comforts their hearts. We've been bought with a price.
I am his and he is mine. Nothing can alter that. Nothing
can change that. He himself said, nothing can
pluck them out of my hand. The Father which gave them to
me is greater than all, and no man can pluck them out of our
hand. The theme of the song in glory,
the theme of that song of praise in heaven as well as on earth
is this, unto him who hath loved us. That's the theme. That's
the theme of their song. They never get over it. It never
loses its wonder. It never loses its luster. Unto
Him. Oh, now they see as they didn't
see on earth. They no longer see through a
glass darkly, but face to face. Now they're known even as they
were known, and with that perception that they never had on earth.
with that ability that they never had before and the opportunity
that they never had before because now they see him as he is. They
shall see his face and their greatest wonder to their admiring
eyes is this, unto him Unto him, nothing can top this. Streets
of gold are no comparison to this. Mansions are no comparison
to this. Oh, everything takes a back seat
to this. Unto him who had loved us and
washed us from our sins by his own blood. In John's gospel,
this same night that we read of in John 17, he in chapters
14 through 16 as the good shepherd had been comforting his sheep.
He said, I will tread the winepress alone. As for you, you'll all
forsake me this night. You'll all forsake me and flee."
But then he went on to say, let not your heart be troubled. In
the same context of John 13, just before chapter 14, when
he told Peter, you'll deny that you even know me this night.
Imagine that. Imagine that. The Son of God
was about to enter into His agony. The Son of God was surely going
to prevail for the souls of His people. The Son of God was surely
going to be made sin. And Peter, you'll deny that you
even know me. I'm going to tread the winepress
for you. I'm going to bear your sin in
my own body on the tree, and you won't even acknowledge that
you've ever been acquainted with me. And in the same context,
he said, let not your heart be troubled. Let not your heart
be troubled. You believe in God, believe also
in me." And after this, we see the great shepherd of the sheep
in John chapter 18 stepping forward as the ever watchful, ever faithful
shepherd and said to that bloodthirsty mob, whom seek ye? Jesus of Nazareth, and they fall
to the ground. What does that indicate? What
does that show us? Who's in control? That one who
was always in control. That one that we just read of
that said in his prayer, all flesh is in my hand. You've given
me power, authority over all flesh. And they fell down before
him. Whom seek ye, he asked the second
time, Jesus of Nazareth, I am he, I am he, here I am, take
me. But these must go their way,
O our faithful shepherd. And here in chapter 17, he prays
for his sheep, all of his sheep. Look what he says in verse 20.
He's made reference especially to the apostles. But he says
now in verse 20 of John 17, neither pray I for these alone. No, they're
not the only ones included, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word. He's asked for the preservation
of the sheep, four things especially that he asked for in his prayer.
He asked for the sheep's preservation. He asked for their sanctification.
He asked for their unity that they might be one. And now in
verse 24, which is our text, he prays for their very presence. Imagine that. He prays for their
very presence. The title of my message is our
homecoming. Look at verse 24. Father I will,
I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where
I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me
for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. This reminds me of the words
of the governor of the wedding feast, where our Lord turned
the water into wine. And once this governor of the
feast had tasted the wine, he sent word to the bridegroom saying,
you've saved the very best for last. And our Lord here in his
high priestly prayer seems to save the very best for last. I want all those you gave me.
all those you entrusted into my hands, all those that I entered
into that everlasting covenant of grace for, all those that
I live for, all those that I'm about to die for, all those I
will, Father, each and every one of them, be with me in glory,
be with me where I am that they may behold my glory. The best is yet to come. The
best time for God's people is still ahead and he tells us what
it is here. To be with him where he is. Yes, in glory we're told in Revelation. that He that sets upon the throne,
He who is God, everlastingly God as we read in Psalm 90 verse
2, God always and God over all, He that set upon the throne shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes. There'll be no reason There'll
be no cause for a child of God to weep in glory. Sickness will
be gone. Death will be no more. No more
crying. No more tears. What a blessing
that is. But that's not all. The best
is this. I want him to be with me where
I am. This could well be called our
Lord's last will and testament. Turn, if you will, to Hebrews
chapter 9. You know that the word testament
and covenant are the same word, mean the very same thing. It
refers to the testament Hebrews chapter 9 verse 15. We read these words. And for
this cause he is the mediator, that is Christ. of the New Testament,
the New Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, that by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the First Testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there
must be also of necessity be the death of the testator. For
a testament is a force after men are dead, otherwise it is
of no strength at all while the testator liveth. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, by His death, by the shedding of His blood, ratified
this testament or this covenant. He did so with His own blood. Many times we hear of people's
last wills and testaments. not being carried out. There'll
be a dispute over the validity of it and so forth, but not this. Not this. Think of this. Our
testator arose from the dead and now lives to execute his
will to his people. Are you still in Hebrews? Look
in chapter 13. This is what it's referring to
in Hebrews 13 verse 20. the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through or because of, according to, as God promised,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, the covenant of the
triune God concerning the salvation of all his elect. This is what
David looked to. This is where David found his
comfort. Laying on his deathbed, he said,
even though my house be not so with God, things haven't been
like I would have wanted. There was heartache and sorrow. afflictions and heavy trials,
rebellion and so forth, but David said, yet, yet, what did he look
to? What was he resting on? He said,
yet, there is something that hasn't changed. Those things
haven't altered this, God's purpose of grace toward His people. Yet,
He had made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things
insured, this is all my salvation. and all my hope. And he, our
great Savior, our high priest, who himself became the sacrifice
and by his blood ratified the covenant, rose from the dead,
and now says, Father, I will. This is my will, that those that
you have given me be with me where I am. like the priest that
entered into the holy place with the names of the 12 tribes of
Israel on his breastplate. Our great high priest intercedes
for those the Father gave him." In chapter, we didn't read it,
but in his prayer in John 17, he said, I don't pray for the
world. I don't pray for the world, but for those whom thou gave
me out of the world. I will that they be with me. That's the heaven of heaven.
Soon after this, he would pray. in the garden of Gethsemane,
Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not
my will, but thine be done. That cup of God's wrath, that
cup of divine justice, he must drink. But what a vast difference
there is when he prays for his sheep. When praying about what
he must do by himself, what he must endure by himself, he says,
not my will but thine be done. But when he prays for us, he
says, I will that they be with me. Concerning his agony, concerning
being forsaken by God, that was his alone to endure. That was
the winepress that he alone had to tread. But the glory that
should follow, the fruit that should issue from that. He says
the joy afterwards, I want to share with all those you gave
me. Notice the power, the force behind
this will, this being brought home to glory rather. It must
be a great power, a great power. I mean, the power that's able
to keep a sinner from falling. And if that weren't enough to
present Him faultless before the presence of a holy God, my,
the power that it must take to accomplish such a feat as that.
And He says, Father, I will. That's it. His will, Louie, that's
what'll accomplish it. That same will that created the
heavens and the earth. That will that is not dependent
upon man's will. That will who is independent
of everything else, that doesn't depend upon anything else to
bring its purposes to pass. That will, that almighty will
of Him who always has His way, all the time. The will of him
who is in heaven doing, not wishing, not hoping, certainly not pacing,
oh no, but that's doing, having his way in heaven and doing whatsoever
he hath pleased. Paul said he. He that has His
way, He that sits upon His throne, He who sits king forever, He
that's begun a good work in you will perform it, will carry it
on until the day of Jesus Christ. Now back in John 17 verse 24,
three things here. He says concerning His sheep,
those that the Father hath given Me. He says, I will that they
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. Who are these
privileged ones? It's his sheep. It's his sheep,
those that he came into this world for. He told the religious
leaders one day who came to him and said, how long do you make
us to doubt? If you be the Christ, why don't you tell us plainly?
And he said in John 10, I've told you and you believe not.
You believe not because you're not my sheep. You're not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I
know them and they follow me. I love my sheep. I came here
for my sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep. I do everything for my sheep. I'm the good shepherd. Those
chosen by the Father. Thine they were, he said in John
17 in his prayer, and you gave them to me. Those that he calls
in time personally, personally, one at a time. He said, they
shall hear my voice. My sheep are in darkness. By
nature, children of wrath, just like everybody else. What's going
to make them to differ? What will make them take up their
cross and follow Him? He said, they'll hear my voice
and they'll follow me. Turn back a few pages in John,
to John chapter 6. This very familiar passage, but
I never tire of reading it, and I suspect you don't either. In
John chapter 6, look what he says at verse 37. All, not 99
out of 100, but all. A multitude, John said, it could
not be numbered. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. He gave them to me in eternal
election. And all that he gave 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 my
own will but the will of him that sent me and this is the
father's will which had sent me that of all which he had given
me I should lose nothing nothing but should raise it up again
at the last day for then he asked this as well that they be with
him where he is. Be with me, those whom thou hast
given me. That is the church, his bride,
his elect. As God created Eve and brought
her to the man Adam, God gave us to Christ before the foundation
of the world. And Adam became responsible for
Eve. And Christ became responsible
to do all that was required for the salvation of his sheep. Yesterday
evening here, as we stood here with Joe, and Abby came up the
aisle with John, Joe was just overwhelmed by it, wasn't he?
And then, when I asked, who give it this woman to be married to
this man? John gives her to Joe, and we step up here, and I said,
do you promise to cherish her? Love her, preferring all others,
or rather preferring her before all others. Remember what Joe
said? He said, I do. I do. And Christ, Christ our
husband, swore to God the Father in that covenant of grace to
come, to come in the fullness of time. and to be made of a
woman, and to be made under the law, to do all that was necessary,
to do all that God's holy law required in life to fulfill God's
law, and then in death to suffer the penalty of God's broken law,
to do all that for his fallen bride in order to rescue her,
he said, I will. I will, in that covenant of grace,
and to bring every one of them back to the Father's house, to
my God and your God, my Father and your Father. Turn, if you
will, to Ephesians chapter 5. This is exactly what Paul is
speaking of here in Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 5 and verse
25. Paul says, Husbands, love your
wives. Now, husbands, that's a particular love, isn't it?
A distinguishing love. You love your wife like you love
no one else. Christ says, I don't pray for
the world. And he didn't love the world. He loves his church.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church
and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present
it to himself. Oh, here's the result of the
work of our Redeemer. Here we are, no longer clothed
in our fallen nature. Now, here we are, a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it
should be holy and without blemish. Verse 32, this is a great mystery,
but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Next in verse
24 of John 17, he says, be with me where I am. Now, I'll tell
you what, and I don't suspect it'll be a surprise to you. I
know very little about heaven. Very little. Now, I suppose we
know all that we need to know, but I find the fullness of heaven
here. It's to be with Christ. That
must be the heaven of heaven. Can you think of anything greater
than that? It's not so much where. but who
with with him that they be with me where I am with me not in
purgatory. Oh no. No. Paul said to be absent
from the body is to be present with the lord. How happy it is
on those occasions those rare occasions and the older we get
the more rare they are. the more unlikely they are. And
I speak of those reunions, when families get together and how
happy it is on such occasions when everybody's there, every
member is there, none are missing. My father's been missing from
such get-together since 1993. But every time we get together,
we still think about him. His name is always brought up. We never get together without
someone mentioning, well, wonder what dad would have thought of
this or that. We always think of him and speak
of him. But not so with Christ, the captain of our salvation. There'll be none missing, none
missing. Upon this rock. this rock of
my own person, my own merit, who I am. Upon this rock I'll
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. The security of the church is
not dependent upon the sheep, but upon the shepherd. Father,
Father, it will be the boast of King Jesus, I and the children
that you gave me, when he brings us all around the throne of glory. It will be his boast and his
alone. Of all those you gave me, I lost
none. Not one. They're all here. This blessed truth is being realized
at this very moment. I don't have a doubt. This day,
the great shepherd of the sheep has called some of his chosen
ones home to be with him forever. As he said to that thief, today,
Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise. And soon, soon that
shall be said of you and I. The great shepherd of the sheep
will, will that we be with him where he is. Today, come home to be with me. And last of all, he said that
they may behold my glory. Behold my glory. Oh, that will
be glory for me. His joy is to have us with Him
to behold His glory. To see our exalted God and Savior. He wills that for each of His
own. When you're somewhere without
your loved one, without your husband or your wife, and you
see something, your first thought is, oh, I wish that they were
here. I wish that they could share in this. I'd like them
to see this as well. And our Lord said, they'll share
in this. All those whom you have given
me will be with me where I am. Notice our Lord describes his
own simply as this. Those that thou has given me.
Nothing said about their personal character. Nothing about their
failures, nothing about their sins, only this, those you gave
me. That's the criteria. They're
mine. They've been bought. They've
been paid for with my own precious blood. I will that they be with
me where I am. His bride, his jewels, his crown,
the reason they'll be with him. They belong to him. They were
given him by the father before the world began and they were
redeemed by his own precious blood to be with him where he
is to behold his glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen. God bless you.