Would you turn with me to the
13th chapter of the book of John? I'd like to read the first verse.
John chapter 13. 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 unto
the end. I've entitled this message, Having
Loved His Own. Now, the tabernacle in the Old
Testament had a courtyard with a tent that had two rooms, the
holy place and the most holy place. And I do not believe I
would be exaggerating in any way if I said that John chapters
13 through 16 is the holy place. It's our Lord's last addressed
before his death to his disciples. It's his last 24 hours with them. And I'm very excited about preaching
through this. John chapters 13 through 16 is
the holy place and John chapter 17 where we're allowed to listen
in as the Lord Jesus Christ prays to his father as the great high
priest of his people. That is the holy of holies. Now the Lord's public ministry
has ended. The last sentence of John chapter
12 verse 36 says, these things spake Jesus and departed and
did hide himself from them. Now that's the ending of the
public ministry, all the preaching, all the miracles, all the things
that our Lord did. And then he did hide himself. That's a scary, sobering thought,
isn't it? He did hide himself from them. And then in the rest of that
chapter, John addresses men's response to the gospel. of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
says in verse 37, but though he had done so many miracles
before them, yet they believe not on him. That's man's response
to the gospel, unbelief. Or in verse 42, nevertheless,
among the chief rulers, also many believed on him, but because
of the Pharisees, they did not confess him. Lest they should
be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of
men more than the praise of God. They had a type of faith, but
they did not have saving faith. Now this is the response of every
natural man to the gospel. Either just flat out unbelief,
or a type of faith that is not saving faith. And then he opens
up this precious discourse to his disciples, his people, those
who are described as his own in chapter 13, verse 1. Now, before the feast of the
Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come. Now, how many times throughout
the New Testament do we read his hour was not yet come? His
hour was not yet come. What hour is that referring to?
That's the hour of his death. That's the hour when he was suffer
as the paschal lamb. I think it's very interesting.
This is when he's eating the last Passover suppers with his
disciples. After this, the Passover is to
be done away with. He himself is the Passover lamb. And he said to his disciples,
with desire, have I desired to eat this Passover with you before
I suffer. And that's what's going on right
now. They're eating the Passover together. Now, 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. What a precious, precious
statement. This could well summarize the
life of the Lord Jesus Christ having loved his own which were
in the world he loved them to the end what a special group of people
that he calls his own having loved his own which were in the
world. He loved them to the end. Now,
I've got a question for you. Is everybody in this group of
people called his own? Answer that honestly. Is everybody
his own? I just read that passage of scripture
where he said, my sheep hear my voice. And he says to one
group of people in John chapter 10, I read that passage of scripture.
He said, the reason you don't believe is because you're not
of my sheep. Not everybody is his own. Look
in verse 37 of John chapter 12. But though he had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believe not on him. Are they
his own? They didn't believe. You answer
that question for yourself. Are these people who did not
believe his own? You know the answer to that question.
Look at verse 42. Nevertheless, among the chief
rulers also many believed on him, but because of the Pharisees,
they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise
of God. Now, were these people his own?
You know the answer to that question. His own are those who believe. His own are those who confess. him. They are his own first of
all by the father's gift. Having loved his own this very
special group of people. I'll tell you what I desire to
be in this group don't you? i want to be somebody that he
calls my own i want to be his that's what do i want more than
anything else and i i know this what do i want more than anything
else i want to be his own i want to belong to him now who are
these people that he describes as his own having loved his own
which were in the world he loved them to the end Well, his own
are those who were given to him of his father. Turn back to John
chapter six. I want to, I want to establish
this from the scripture. Verse 37. This is the elect of God. I'm
going to talk about what election means in just a moment, but look
what our Lord says in verse 37. Oh, Oh, you got that word. All that
mean most. Doesn't mean a few, doesn't mean
99%, all that the father giveth me shall come to me. The father gave him these people,
look in verse 39, and this is the father's will, which has
sent me that of all which he hath given me. I won't lose one
of them, but should raise it up again the last day. Turn over
to John chapter 17. His own are his own because the
father gave them to him. John chapter 17. Verse two, as thou has given
him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to
as many as thou has given him. Who's he give eternal life to?
As many as thou has given him. Any more than that? Nope. Any
less than that? Nope. ones the Father gave him. Look in verse 6, I've manifested
thy name unto the men which thou gavest me. Look in verse 9, I
pray for them. I pray not for the world. These
are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's some folks he
didn't pray for. He said, I pray not for the world,
but for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine. Look in verse 11. Now I'm no
more in the world, but these are in the world. And I come
to thee, Holy Father, keep through thine own name. Who? Those whom
thou hast given me. Verse 12. While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in thy name. Those that thou gavest
me, I've kept. Look down in verse 24 of chapter
17. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me. be with me where i am that they
may behold my glory now who are his own the elect those the father
gave him now what does the bible mean by election you can't be
honest with the scripture and deny that the Bible teaches election. Somebody says, I don't believe
in election. That means you don't believe in the Word of God. The
Bible teaches election. There's no question about that.
That's just settled. I've heard people say, well,
that's deep. It's just so. It's just so. It's what the Bible
teaches. Well, what's it mean? Those the
Father gave me. Well, turn over to Ephesians
chapter 1. Ephesians chapter one. Verse four. Election means chosen. If you
elect somebody, you choose them. According, Ephesians one, four,
according as he hath chosen us. In him, before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy. and without blame before
him. What is election? Here it is. Who chose who? He chose us. When did he choose us? Is it
when we believed? Well, we believed and then he
chose us. No, it says he chose us before. the foundation of
the world. Why did He choose us? To the
praise of the glory of His grace. How did He choose us? Was it
just arbitrarily? I'm going to pick out this one
and I'm going to reject that one. No, according as He hath
chosen us in Him. before the foundation of the
world. Having loved his own, the elect,
those the Father gave him before the foundation of the world. That's why they're his own. God
gave them to him. Who are His own? We're the ones He chose.
I love that passage of Scripture in John. You know, the Son was
involved in this thing of election, too. It wasn't just the Father
elected, the Son did, too. He said to His disciples in John
15, verse 16, You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I've heard people say, Well,
we choose Him, but it's because He chose us. Well, that's not
what the Lord said. He said, You didn't choose Me. I chose you and ordained you
that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit
should remain. Who are his own? His own are
those that he died for, those that he purchased on Calvary's
tree. But didn't he die for everybody? Didn't he die for all men without
exception? Didn't he pay for everybody's sins? No. The Bible
doesn't teach that. And listen, it's bad news if
it does teach that. If he died for somebody and they
can wind up in hell anyway, you've taken away my only hope. My only
hope is that he died for me. And if you can tell me that he
died for somebody that winds up in hell, you've taken away
my only hope. Because if he can die for somebody
and they wind up in hell anyway, I guarantee you I'll wind up
in hell. I don't have any question about that. Look in Acts chapter
20. Acts chapter 20. These are the
people described as his own. Now, the Lord makes an issue
of this. Somebody says, why would you make an issue of this? Well,
the Lord does. Having loved his own. Don't you want to be in
this group? Now, let me say this. Listen
to me real carefully. Anybody who wants to be in this
group described his own. If you want to be in this group,
you're in this group. If that's what you want. If you
want to be one of his elect, if you want to be somebody that
he died for, if you want to be somebody saved by him, I guarantee
you, you are. Now, if you don't want to be,
can you say he's unjust for withholding his grace from you? I don't believe
election, then why should you blame him if he doesn't elect
you then? I don't love him as he's revealed in his word. Well,
why should you blame him if he doesn't choose you then? I mean,
he's just giving you what you don't want him anyway. There's
nothing wrong with that, is there, if he doesn't give you what you
want? But thank God for, I want to be one of these people. Look
here in Acts chapter 20, verse 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves
and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost had made you overseers
to feed the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Who did he purchase with his
own blood? The church of God. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. He didn't lay down his life for
goats. He didn't lay down his life for those people who do
not believe. He laid down his life for the sheep. That's the group I want to be
in. How about you? Having loved his own which were
in the world. They're his by conquest. You
know, if you're saved, If you're somebody that's truly saved,
if I'm somebody that's truly saved, it's because God came
in by invincible, irresistible grace. And He whipped me. And He brought me to the feet
of His Son. Irresistible grace. Can't men
resist it? Not if He has grace on you. No,
you can't. Now, if you can resist it, He never had grace for you.
But if you can't resist the Lord Jesus Christ, you can't resist
coming to Him. That's called irresistible grace.
You'll find being found in Him irresistible. You'll find being
saved by Him something that you must have. You can't not have
it. I must have the Lord Jesus Christ. I can remember just struggling,
struggling, struggling with election. Am I one of the elect? Well,
whether or not I am, I know I've got to have the Lord Jesus Christ.
I've got to have him. Well, that's an evidence of election.
Surely is. He is by irresistible grace. And those who are his, listen
to this. This group described as his own
are those who are willing to be his. Psalm 110.3 says, thy
people shall be willing. in the day of thy power." Are
you willing to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ in a way where
He gets all the glory and you don't get any? Are you willing
to be saved that way? Are you willing to be one of
His? Well, I am. That's what I want. That's what I want. Having
loved His own. I love this thought, having loved. Having loved His own. which were in this world. Now,
this love of the Lord Jesus Christ, first of all, it's an eternal
love. He says to every one of his people,
behold, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness,
I have drawn thee. That boggles my mind to think
that before a star ever twinkled, before the sun ever shined, before
the universe was, He knew me and He loved me. How old are
you? Well, I was born on September
9th, 1959, but that's not how old I am, however old God is. And I say that in fear and trembling. I've always been known by him.
He says, I've loved you with an everlasting love. And this is a giving love. Husbands,
Paul said in Ephesians chapter five, verse 25, love your wives.
Husbands, every husband in here. Here's God's direction to you.
Love your wife. Give yourself. to her. Every bit of you. Husbands love
your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself. What did he give for you? Himself. All that he is greater love hath
no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Christ gave Himself for me. He died for me. He died for me. He took my place. All that I
am, He became. My sin, my unbelief, my wickedness
became His. That's why I died. My sin became
His. And His beautiful, perfect righteousness
is mine. He died for me. And this love of his is a serving
love. You read that John chapter 13,
where he washed his disciples' feet. He became a servant to
his disciples. And I've read that passage several
times in the last week, thinking about it. Can you imagine sitting
there with the disciples and the Lord washing your feet? It's hard to get hold of, isn't
it? His love is a serving love. Now, having love. his own. But don't miss this. Having loved
his own, which were in the world. In the world. You know where you and I are
right now? In the world. And when he's talking about the
world, he's not just talking about the planet earth. He's
talking about that world that has no love for God. That world
of which it said all that's of the world. The lust of the flesh,
the desires of fallen, evil, sinful nature, human nature. The lust of the eyes, men being
more concerned about what men see than what God sees. being
controlled by the fear of man, worrying about what the world
thinks. The lust of, or the pride of, there's the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, self-righteousness.
It's this world that hates the living God. You go out into it
all the time. You're around worldly people.
You're around people who don't get it. They have no love for
God. They have no love for the gospel.
They may be religious, but the language of grace is to them
a foreign language. They don't even understand. You're
in the world. Having loved his own which were
in the world. Now you cannot be in this world
without getting your feet dirty, can you? You're around worldly people
and they bring you down. You never bring them up. They
bring you down. Oh, how this world pulls us down.
You can't be in this world without feeling the effects of it. And
let me give you some examples of this from the scripture. All
of the disciples, every single one of them, act just like the
world when they start arguing over which of them will be the
greatest, don't they? I mean, they had a fight, which
was going to sit at the Lord's right hand and I'm going to be,
they wanted to bring themselves up above the rest of the disciples.
That's the way the world thinks. Getting one up on somebody else.
But you know what? The Lord never stopped loving
them when they acted like the world, did he? You think about James and John.
They adopt the attitude of the world when they want to call
fire down from heaven and consume the people who they perceive
to be their enemies. Without that we call fire down
from heaven like Elijah did and consume them? I mean, when these
people didn't believe, they wanted to put them out of business.
Let's kill them. The Lord rebuked them sharply for that. He said,
you know not what spirit you speak of. Now, they were adopting
at that time. You see, you can't be in a world
and be unaffected by it. The disciples were affected by
it. They were ready to just call fire down from heaven and kill
everybody who didn't agree with them. They were like the world
at that time, but the Lord didn't stop loving them. Christ foresaw
the unbelief of Thomas in this world. How Thomas would say,
except I He didn't believe the Lord was raised from the dead,
although the Lord said three times to him, at least I'm the
third day I'm going to rise from the dead. And the disciples come
back to Thomas and said, the Lord's risen indeed. He said,
I don't believe except I see him and stick my hand in his
side and poke my fingers in the holes in his hands and feet.
I will not believe the Lord foresaw the unbelief of Thomas, but he
never stopped loving him. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. The Lord knew of the
stupidity of Philip. Y'all think of the stupidity
of Philip. He said, Lord, he's looking at
the Lord of glory. He's looking at Jesus Christ
and he says, Lord, show us the Father and we'll be satisfied. He's looking at him. He said, Philip, have I been
so long with you? And yet has thou not known me?
He that has seen me has seen the father. Now, how you saying
something that stupid? Yet he never stopped loving him. What about Peter? Oh, Peter,
the Lord talks about his death. He tells the disciples there
in Matthew 16, I'm going to go and be crucified. The scripture
says Peter rebuked the Lord. Lord, it's not going to be so.
No, Lord, no, no. He rebuked the Lord of glory.
And the Lord said to him, get thee behind me. Who? Satan. For you savor not the things
that be of God, but the things that be of men. Peter sure acted
like the world there, didn't he? What about Peter's pride? When the Lord tells the disciples,
you're all going to forsake me. And Peter says, though the rest
of this bunch does it, I'll never do it. Oh, what worldly strength he
shows there. And yet he's so affected by the
world when he's so afraid of the people. He says, they said,
he's one of them. His speech betrays. He said,
he looked at the Lord. He said, I know not the man. Peter got so dirty. And some years later, Peter compromised
the gospel. Paul. had to rebuke him publicly
in front of everybody there in Galatians chapter 2 for compromising
the gospel. Peter did that, an apostle. Oh,
how dirty the world made Peter. His feet got dirty. You know,
that's what this washing of the feet has to do with. We walk
through this world, our feet become dirty. But he never stopped
loving Peter. having loved his own which were
in the world he loved them to the end and how many stories
could be told of me in this world how many stories could be told
of you in this world getting your feet dirty but still having loved his own
which were in the world he loved them to the end. Turn with me for a moment to
First John, chapter four. This is a scripture that I quote
very often. But there's a phrase that I probably
have not emphasized as much as I will right now, this is. He
says in verse 17 of First John, chapter four. Herein is our love, every believer. may perfect, that we may have
boldness, confidence in the day of judgment, because as He is,
how is He? How is He? Perfect, holy, in
the very presence of God. As He is, so are we. How? in this world. That's how he loves his own all
the way to the end. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. Now let's talk about
this phrase to the end. Having loved his own. I want
to be in this group, don't you? His own. Somebody he's loved. I've got to say this again. Somebody
says, well, how can it be fair for him not to love everybody?
My dear friend, when you get into that kind of thinking, you're
saying he owes you his love. When you get into that kind of
thinking, you're saying you merit his love. You merit his grace.
You've left grace when you start thinking that way. Don't even
think that way. Having loved his own. which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. If we look at that and think,
well, he loved them all the way till his life has ended, we fail
to get the meaning. Having loved his own, which were
in the world, he loved them to the end. Now this same word translated
end is sometimes translated to the uttermost. Having loved his
own, which were in the world, he loved them to the utter most. You know what that means? He could not love you anymore. And he could not love you any
less. He loved you to the utter most. This word is translated continual,
end. The unjust judge spake of the
widow's continual coming, coming to the end, it never stopped.
What that means is his love to you, his love to me, his love
to every believer has no ending. It never grows cold, it never
grows indifferent. It's always passionate. It's always white hot. having
loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The word means to the final issue or result. That's what the end
is, the final issue or the result. His purpose for his own is for
them to be perfectly conformed to his image. So thus it must
be, his love will have its end. Turn to Ephesians chapter five.
I've quoted this scripture once, but let's look at it again. Ephesians
chapter five. Verse 25, Husbands, Ephesians
5, 25, Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it that in order that He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He
might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing. but that it should be holy and
without blemish. Now that's his in for his church,
that it should not have spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that it should be holy and without blemish. I remember when
I was a little boy in my grandparents' house, over on, in Ashland, they had,
my mom and dad are here, I'm talking about them, but they
had the senior cuts of their kids, my mom and her brothers. And I remember looking at those
senior cuts, I was only seven or eight years old. And I mean,
the pictures were perfect. They had these rosy cheeks. There
wasn't any blemish whatsoever in their skin. I mean, they looked
perfect in these senior cuts they had. They had them up there
on the dresser. And I thought, man, people were, Just better
looking back then, I guess. I mean, they didn't have blemishes.
I mean, they just looked... See, I didn't realize that the
artists had brushed up the pictures to take away all blemishes and
make everybody look perfect. And I just looked... Boy, back
in the 50s, they were just healthier, I reckon. I didn't know all the
wholesome 50s. I just didn't... I didn't understand. I didn't realize that that's
not what they really looked like. They had blemishes. But listen
to this. In Christ Jesus, you really have
no blemishes, no spot, no wrinkle, or any such thing. You are beautiful
to the Lord Jesus Christ. He finds you altogether lovely
and attractive. You know, people talk about unconditional
love. That's a big phrase in our day. I want to be loved unconditionally. You know, there's no such thing
as unconditional love. It's a non-existent entity. Nobody
loves anybody unconditionally. It just doesn't happen. Well,
what about kids loving their parents? What's their parents?
What about me loving my kids? Isn't that unconditional love?
No, it's my kid. It's not unconditional. I love them because they're my
kids. We don't know anything about that. And God doesn't love
anybody unconditionally. You see, you think of the father's
love to his son. It's not unconditional love.
It's conditional love, isn't it? He sees the loveliness of
His Son. He sees the beauty of His Son.
The beauty, the perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ draws out
the love of the Father to His Son. He loves Him because He's
lovely. He loves Him because He's without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing. When the Father looks at His
Son, He sees no blemish because there is none. That's why he
doesn't see any, there's nothing there. And you know what the
Lord said in John chapter 15, nine, he said, as the father
has loved me, so have I loved you. How's the father love his son?
He sees someone who's altogether lovely. How does the son love
this sinner? He loves me as altogether lovely,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. You see, I have no
sin. I have no sin. There's nothing
to make me ugly. I'm perfect in Christ Jesus.
You see, my sin's been put away. That's what the Lord did on the
cross. He put away my sin. I have no sin. I'm the very righteousness
of God in Him. The lover of our souls says,
as the father hath loved me, so have I loved you. You're there in Ephesians. Look
in Ephesians chapter three. Verse 17. Beginning verse 16, that he would
grant you. according to the riches of His
glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth,
and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge that you
might be filled with all the fullness of God, that you might
know the breadth of His love. It encompasses every believer. That you might know the length
of His love. It goes from eternity to eternity. That you might know the depth
of His love. That it reaches down to the very
chief of sinners. And that you might know the height
of His love. That it seats you in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
Oh, the deep, deep love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dare I think, listen to me real
carefully. Dare I think that I am one of
his own? Would it be an act of presumption
for me to think that I am one of his own? Well, here's the way I'm going
to answer that question. Do you believe the gospel? I'm not asking you if you know
that you're saved. I'm not asking you if you know
that Jesus Christ died for you. I'm asking you, do you believe
the record that God gave of His Son? Do you believe the gospel? Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? Do you believe that He's the
Christ? Whoso believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God. That's what the Bible says. Do
you believe He's the Christ? Do you believe the gospel? Do
you believe the record? Do you believe that all that
Christ died for must be saved? Do you believe? No, I don't. Then I can give
you no assurance that you're one of His own. But if you believe, You are His own. That's why you believe. You wouldn't
believe if you weren't one of His own. The very faith you have
is the gift of God's grace. Having loved His own which were
in the world, He loved them to the end. Now I want to look at
one last scripture. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter
5. Verse 14, For the love of Christ constraineth us. Now he's not talking about his
love for Christ. He's talking about the love of
the Lord Jesus Christ. His love to me, that He loved
me all the way to the end. His love that sees me as without
spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. His saving love, the love of
Christ, does something to me. It constrains me. It presses
upon me. It restrains me. It does something
to me. Now, if after hearing of the
love of Christ, if it doesn't constrain you, you don't know
it. You just don't know it. You don't
get it. Does the love of Christ constrain you? I'm asking you
that question. I'm asking myself that question.
Does the love of the Lord Jesus Christ constrain you? Now, this
word constrained appears 12 times in the New Testament. It's translated
by these different words. The love of Christ holds me. It holds me. It will not let
me go. I can't get away from it. Don't
want to get away from it. It holds me. It keeps me. That's another way this word
is translated. It keeps me. It keeps me. I'm kept. And seeing His love to me keeps
me. I don't want to leave. I realize,
prone to wonder, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I
love, but Lord don't let me. Don't let me. Keep me. Preserve
me. It's translated, takes. The love
of Christ takes me. It does take me. And then it
is Translated Press. You know, the love of Christ
presses on me. It presses on me. It keeps me
from doing things that I would do. And it causes me to do things
that I ordinarily wouldn't do. The love of Christ presses on
me. It's translated, stops. The love of Christ, His love
to me, stops me. It stops me. I might be going
in a direction and the love of Christ will press down and stop
me and keep me from it. The word is translated, put in
a straight. Paul said, I'm in a straight
between the two. having a desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is far better. And you know, the love of Christ
puts me in a strait. I like being here, but I'm in
a strait. I'd rather be with Him. I'd rather
be with Him. Now, it depends on what kind
of mood I'm in. Sometimes, get me out of here.
Lord, come take me. Just when I've had it, you know,
oh, this place is miserable. But there's other times you're
just happy to be alive, thankful. But even so, I'm still always
in a strait, having the desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is far better. And then this word is also translated
sick. You ever heard the phrase lovesick? Lovesick? That means two things. It's the
pain you feel when you're not in the presence of somebody and
you want to be in their presence. Lovesick. You can't stand the
thought of not being with him. You can't stand the thought of
being left to yourself. That's the worst thing that could
happen to you is to be separated from him. Lovesick. And here's
another meaning of lovesick. When you really love somebody
and esteem them, and then you see you've offended them by your
sin against them, it makes you sick. Oh, you're sick of yourself. You're sickened by yourself when
you see you've offended them. The love of Christ constrains
us. Do you not know anything about
that? Now, if we don't, we're strangers to the love of Christ. The love of Christ constraineth
us. Let's pray together.