By grace I'm safe, grace free
and boundless. Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor. We
are located at 4137 Todd's Road, two miles outside of Manowar
Boulevard. Sunday morning Bible class at 945 a.m. Sunday services
are at 1030 a.m. At 6 p.m. Wednesday services at 7 p.m. Read a verse
from the 17th chapter of John This 17th chapter of John is
the great high priestly prayer of the Lord for his people. This is truly the Lord's Prayer. Now, in verse 2 of John chapter
17, we read, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Did you notice that phrase, as
many as thou hast given him? This comes up six times in this
great high priestly prayer for his people. Look in verse 6,
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me.
Verse 9, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me. As a matter of fact, I entitled
this message, Am I One of Them? I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me. Verse 11,
those whom thou hast given me, they are one, even as we are
one. Verse 12, those that thou gavest me, I have kept. And then
in verse 24, he says, Father, I will but they also whom thou
hast given me. Six references to those the Father
gave him. Now, I want to ask two questions. First, who are these people? The people that Christ says the
Father gave Him. I can answer that question. They're
the elect. Who are the elect? I hope we'll
have some understanding by the end of this message. And the
second question I want to ask is, do you want to be one of
them? Do you want to be one of these
people that were given to Christ? by God the Father. Now, in this
passage of scripture, the Lord tells us that He has power over
all flesh. That's referring to believers
and unbelievers alike. All men. The Lord Jesus has power,
authority, freedom of action, sovereignty over all flesh. Famous people, people that nobody
knows their name. Rich people, poor people. All people, without exception,
are under His thumb. He has power over all flesh. And in His authority, or power
over all flesh given to Him by God, He gives eternal life to
as many as the Father gave Him. That's who He gives eternal life
to, not everybody, but as many as the Father gave Him. Now,
this is a reference to election. The elect are the ones the Father
gave him. Now, somebody says, what do you
mean by election? Or what does the Bible mean by that word?
You can't read the Bible without running across it. What does
the Bible mean by that word? Our Lord said earlier to his
disciples, you did not choose me. Literally, you did not elect
me, but I elected you. In Ephesians chapter 1, verse
4, Paul says, according as he has chosen us. not us choosing
him, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. Election is that glorious truth
that tells us that God chose, elected, selected a people in
Christ before time began to be saved. He foresaw the fall of
our first father Adam. It was part of his purpose. Adam
would have never have fallen in the first place if God didn't
allow it to happen. It was all a part of God's plan
and all a part of God's purpose. But because God is merciful,
because God is gracious, He chose a vast number out of Adam's race
to be saved. He said clearly in this passage
of scripture that I just read regarding those the Father gave
them, He said, I pray not for the world. but for them which
thou hast given me." These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now this choice that was made before time began, first of all
was absolute. That's why it's called unconditional
election. It's not like God looked down
through the telescope of time and saw who would believe and
who wouldn't believe, and he made his choice based upon he
saw some would believe, so he said, okay, I'll choose him.
Not at all. This choice was absolute. It was absolutely free. He does not choose a man because
he foresees some goodness in him. It's absolute. It is free. And this choice is eternal. The
Lord said in Jeremiah 31, 3, Behold, I've loved you with an
everlasting love. It never had a beginning. It
will never have an end. It's eternal. And this election
is personal. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2,
verse 13, God has from the beginning chosen you. to salvation through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. God
has from the beginning chosen you. This is everyone of the
elect. God chose them individually. Now let me give you three things
that election does. And this is so very important.
I realize a lot of folks would say they don't believe in election
and predestination and so on. But you can't read the Bible
and deny that it's there. I want to understand what it
means. Let me tell you three things that election does. Three
things that election safeguards. Three things that election says,
the fact that God chose who would be saved. Remember what our Lord
said, you did not choose me, but I chose you. He refers to
those the Father has given him, the elect. There's three things
that this does. First, it tells us that God is
God. He has absolute control. We have no control. He has all
control. God is sovereign. He controls who will be saved. Now, you can't believe that God
is sovereign and believe that man has a free will. You're going
to say God's not sovereign over man's will. God's God. He's in control of everything.
He's the first cause behind everything. And election tells us of a God
who is God indeed. Now, a God who's not sovereign
is a false God. A God who's not absolutely sovereign
is an idol, is a weak God, is the figment of man's imagination. Election tells us that God is
God indeed. And secondly, Election tells
us what Christ was doing on the cross. You can't really understand
the cross without some understanding of election. You see, when our
Lord was dying on the cross, He wasn't making salvation available
to men. He was actually saving. He represented
His elect He said, I pray for them. I pray not for the world,
but for them which you've given me. He was representing those
the Father gave him, and he was actually saving them. He wasn't
making their salvation possible. He was actually saving them.
Everything he did, he did as a representative for his people. Remember Matthew 1.21 says, Thou
shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people
from their sins. And thirdly, election is the
G of grace. Now, what do I mean by that?
G of grace. Well, grace, unmerited favor. That's what the word means. Completely
unmerited favor. And you take the G away from
grace. And what do you have left? You have the word race. And in
a race, only the one with the most ability wins. Only the one
that's the strongest and fittest survives. If that's the case,
salvation is by works. And that is not the case, thank
God. It's not a race, it's grace.
The complete, free, unmerited favor of God. Your good works
can't recommend you. Your evil works can't disqualify
you. Salvation is really all of grace. Now, what is your response to
this? The thought that God chose who
would be saved before time began. What is your personal response?
There's only two responses we can have. The first response
is, that's not fair. That's not fair for him to choose
some and pass by others. He should have saved everybody.
If he could have, why didn't he do it? That is not Fair. Now, I understand that response
because that's the way I used to feel about it. Until the Lord
taught me that grace is my only hope and that election doesn't
keep people from being saved, it saves people. God's choice
of His people. But when we have this response,
that's not fair. And Paul anticipated that response. You can read about it in Romans
9 where he talked about God loving Jacob and hating Esau. And he
said, what shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? Is
God unfair? God forbid. It would be interesting
for you to read Romans chapter 9 about this subject. But if
you say that's not fair, I want to ask you a couple of questions.
First one, do you really want God to be fair with you? What
if he gave you exactly what you deserve? Just totally fair. Is
that what you want? That's not what I want. That's
not what I want. I want grace. I don't want God
to be fair with me in that sense. I want grace. I want mercy. And
here's the second question I want to ask. When you hear about God
doing something and you disagree with it and say, that's not fair.
Do you really feel that you're competent to stand in judgment
upon God? Whatever God does is right. Whatever
God does is glorious. It's right because he does it.
And for me to say regarding what he does, that's not fair. That
means all of a sudden I've become God's judge. I like what Paul
said, nay, but old man, who are you to reply against God? shall this thing form say to
him that formed it why hast thou made me thus that's the first
response it's not fair but here's the second response oh i want
to be one of them i want the lord to do something for me i
know that i won't be saved if he doesn't reach down and do
something for me i want to be one of these people now do you
want to be one who was given to Christ by the Father before
time began? Now, before you answer that question,
I want us to look in the Gospel of John. Ten times he speaks
of those the Father gave him. And I just want to read those
verses and look at what's being said, and then let's see if we
really want to be somebody that the Father gave to Christ. Now,
the first time this word comes up is in John chapter 6, verse
37. the Lord says in beginning in
verse 36 he says but I said unto you that you also have seen me
and believe not he says to some people plainly you see me but
you do not believe now listen to 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 now You don't believe, and he's saying, that's
no discouragement to me, because all that the Father giveth me,
they'll come to me. You may not be coming to me.
And as a matter of fact, they didn't. They left him. If you
go on reading in that chapter, they went back and walked no
more with him. But he says, all that the Father giveth me shall
come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. Now, those the Father gave him
are those who come to the Lord Jesus Christ. They come to Him
for mercy. They come to Him for salvation.
That's what they're always doing, coming to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, save me. Lord, have mercy on me. Coming
to Christ is believing on Christ. Resting in Him. Trusting Him
as your salvation. Trusting His righteousness as
your righteousness before God. Trusting His shed blood as your
sin payment. Now, verses 38 and 39, here's
the second one. He says, 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 is sent me, that of
all which he hath given me, there we are, all which he hath given
me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the
last day. Now, not one of the elect will
be lost. That's our Lord's promise. He
said, this is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which
He hath given me, I should lose nothing. You see, everybody that
Christ died for must be saved. It's not possible for Christ
to die for your sins and you end up being lost. If He died
for you, your sins have been washed away. He said, it's not
God's will for one that He gave me be lost. When He said it is
finished, the salvation of all of His sheep was secured. It
was completed. Now, do you want to be one of
these people? Somebody that cannot be lost, who is saved eternally? Oh, I want to be one of these
people. Now, the third time is in John chapter 10, verse 29. He says, My Father, which gave
them Me, speaking of His sheep, My Father, which gave them Me,
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
My Father's hand." Now, in verse 24 of this same chapter, John
chapter 10, Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto
him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ,
tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you,
and you believed. Not the works that I do in my
father's name they bear witness of me, but you believe not Because
you're not of my sheep Now earlier in this chapter. He said I lay
down my life for the sheep And he says to these people plainly,
you're not of my sheep. He said you believe not because
you're not my sheep. He does not say you're not my
sheep because you don't believe. He says you believe not because
you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my sheep.
Hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall
any man pluck them out of my Father's hand. My Father which
gave them me is greater than all." Do you want to be one of
these sheep? The sheep of Christ? The sheep
who He laid down His life for? I don't want to be a goat. I
want to be a sheep. How about you? Now in John chapter
17, the passage of scripture we began with, this is where
six times in this great high priestly prayer for his people,
he speaks of those the Father gave him. He says in verse 2,
as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life. He should give, freely give. Remember, eternal life is a gift.
He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him,
and this is life eternal. that they might know Thee, the
only true God. This is an actual relationship
with the living God, where I know Him, and He knows me. He knows my name. And when I
say I know Him, it's not name dropping. He knows me, and I
know Him. This is life eternal, that they
might know Thee, the only true God, as opposed to the many false
concepts of God, the God of the Bible. And Jesus Christ, To know
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. We know the sent one of
the Father, and we know why the Father sent Him. To save His
people from their sins. Now, this is a blessing of being
given to Christ by the Father. One of the elect. That means
you know God. He makes Himself known to you.
And you know His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 6,
I have manifested thy name unto the men. which thou gavest me
out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest
them me, and they've kept thy word. Now, our Lord says regarding
the elect, He says, I've manifested thy name to them. Now, that does not simply mean
He told them what His name was. Well, His name is Jehovah or
Elohim or one of the names of God. That's not what that's a
reference to. When He says, I've manifested your name, It's the
person behind the name. Now, in the scripture, the Lord's
name is Jehovah, and there are seven different Jehovah's in
the scripture. One Jehovah manifested by seven
different names, and to know his name. Psalm 9.10 says, they
that know thy name will put their trust in thee. We read in the
scriptures of Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. All that God requires, He provides. We read Jehovah Tsidkenu. That means the Lord our righteousness. My personal righteousness is
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His obedience, His law-keeping.
That's my life before God. That's where my boldness comes
from. He's the Lord our righteousness. Remember, those that know His
name will put their trust in Him. And then there's Jehovah
Shalom, the Lord, our peace. Oh, what peace I have to know
that he is my peace before God. The reason God's pleased with
me is because of Christ. And I have such peace. I'm not
worried about God punishing me because Christ was punished in
my place. My punishment's gone. I stand before God without sin.
Oh, what peace. And then there's Jehovah Raha,
the Lord is my shepherd. That's what David said. The Lord
is my shepherd. I shall not want. I won't want
anything because my shepherd is the Lord. And then there's
Jehovah Nisi, the Lord our banner, the Lord our inside. Our message
is a person, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is salvation
and he is our message. Paul said we preach Christ crucified.
They cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. And then Jehovah
Rapha, I am the Lord that Healeth thee. How I continually need
His healing. And I'm not just talking about
physical healing. You know, religion puts such
a premium on physical healing. I don't want to be sick. And
if I'm healed physically, it's because the Lord healed me. It's
not like I don't believe that healing is of the Lord. But all
this emphasis on healing, something's going to get you. Something's
going to get you sooner or later. You're going to die of something.
The healing referred to here is by His stripes. By His stripes
we are healed. I'm sick, I'm sin sick, and the
only way I can be healed is by the substitutionary death of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, I am the Lord that healeth
thee, and Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is present he's always present
whether I'm aware of it or not I believe he is always there
and then in John chapter 17 verse 9 he says I pray for them I pray
not for the world but for them which thou hast given me for
they are thine now I want to be one of these people Christ
prays for he said Peter I prayed for you that your faith fail.
Now if Christ prays for you, the Father is going to hear His
prayer. The Father is not going to say
no to Him. If He represents you as your great high priest, you're
safe and secure. And do you want to be one of
these people that Christ prays for? That He intercedes for? Hebrews 7.25 says, Wherefore
He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by
Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Do
you want to be one of these people that Christ prays for? And then
verse 11. And 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 those whom thou hast given me, that
they may be one as we are. Now, those that the Father has
given Christ are one. They're one with Christ. Now,
what's that mean? Well, if I'm one with Christ,
that means when He kept the law, I did too, because I'm in Him.
That means when he died, I did too. Paul said, I'm crucified
with Christ. And when he died, I died. I'm
one with Him. I'm identified with Him to this
extent. 1 John 4, 17 says, As He is,
so are we in this world right now. I'm one with Him. And believers
are one. We're one in Christ. We're not
competing with one another. We're one in Christ. We have
the same Savior. We have the same salvation. We
believe the same things. Truly, believers are one. They
all have the same story. I know we're all unique individuals,
different in many respects, but every believer is one in Christ,
and they believe the exact same thing. They believe that salvation
is of the Lord. They believe that Christ is all
in salvation. They believe that His righteousness
is their righteousness before God. They believe that His shed
blood actually washes away sins, and they can come into the very
presence of God through Him. They're one. Now, do you want
to be one of these people who are one? And then in verse 12,
he says, while I was with him in the world, I kept him in thy
name, those that thou gavest me, I've kept. Now, who are those
the Father gave him? Those he keeps, those he preserves. Now, I know As sure as I'm speaking
to you that if the Lord doesn't keep me, I'll fall. I'll fall
away. I'll leave Christ if He doesn't
keep me. Now, He's going to keep me. I've
got this promise. He's going to keep me coming
to Him. He's going to keep me seeking Him. I'm not going to
fall away. I'm going to continue all the
way to the end because I'm kept. Kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation. He keeps His people. Do you want
to be one of these people who are kept? I sure do. And then
in verse 24, he says, Father, I will that they also whom thou
hast given me be with me where I am. Now, these people who are
given to Christ by the Father, the elect, are always with Christ. He doesn't say, I pray that they
will be with me where I will be. But he says, I pray that
they be with me where I am. He didn't say, I pray. He says,
I will it. Father, I will. That is incredible the way the
Lord talks to the Father. That shows he's equal with God.
He could say to the Father, Father, I will that you do this. I will
that those whom you've given me be with me where I am that
they may behold my glory. Now, every believer Everyone
the Father gave to Christ is always with Christ. There's never a time when they're
not with Christ. I'm with Him. He's with me. I
am my Beloved's and He is mine. One with Christ. Always with
Him. Now, do you want to be one of
these people who were given to Him by the Father before time
began. One of these people who come
to Him. One of these people for whom
He died. One of these people He gives eternal life to. One
of these people that He manifests the name of the Father to. One
of these people He prays for. One of these people who are one
with Him. One of these people who are kept.
One of these people who will always be with Him. Do you want
to be one of these people? If somebody replies, no, I don't.
Well, should you blame God for not giving you something you
don't want anyway? But if you're someone who says, yes, I do want
to be one of these people, then you are. There has never been
one who wants to be. That wasn't. And there has never
been one who is one of His people that didn't want to be. Now you
can just write that down. If you're somebody who wants
to be one of His people, bless God by His grace, you are. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Now we have this message on CD,
DVD, email the church, write or call and we'll send you a
copy. This is Todd Nyberg praying that God will be pleased to make
himself known to you. That's our prayer. Amen. My grace, I'm saved, grace free
and boundless. You have been listening to a
message by our pastor, Todd Nyberg. Address all correspondences to
Pastor Todd Nyberg here at Todd's Road Grace Church, 4137 Todd's
Road, Lexington, KY 40509.