Now we're turning in our Bible
again to John chapter 17. And the title of this message is
the Lord's Prayer. And this is part 8. Part 8. And next week Lord willing we'll
bring the last message, will be part 9. The Lord's Prayer. Now on purpose I've taken A very
deliberate and slow process of going through this 17th chapter
of John. This is the Lord's prayer for
us, and this is His very special, necessary prayer for us. Praying
for particular people. His elect, His church, His bride. You remember down in verse 9,
John 17 verse 9, the Lord says, I pray for them, those given
unto me. I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. He prays
particularly for His covenant people. All mine are thine, thine
are mine, and I am Glorified, I am glorified in them." The
Lord prays for you, for you, for everyone of His own. He prays for us. Now, as I've said previously,
everything our Lord Jesus Christ prays for, and all that He asked
the righteous Father for, shall be given. shall be granted."
Everything He asked the Father on our behalf, we have it in
Him. Everything. All spiritual blessings. Turn back to John chapter 11
for just a minute and let's look at this verse here. Every prayer
that He ever prayed, the Father heard and answered. Oh, righteous
Father. Look at John 11. Verse 39, this is the Lord standing
at the grave of Lazarus, Martha and Mary weeping. And the Lord
said, verse 39, take away the stone, Martha, the sister of
him that was dead, Lazarus, said unto him, Lord, by this time
he stinketh, for he been dead four days. And the Lord said
to her, said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe,
thou shouldest see the glory of God. Then they took away the
stone from the place where the dead was laid, and Jesus lifted
up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
me. And I knew that thou hearest
me always. But because of the people which
stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent
me. And when he had thus spoken,
he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. He prayed, he asked,
he commanded, and what he prayed for, Lazarus come forth He that
was dead came forth. You see, the prayers, the intercessory
prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ for His people are not empty,
meaningless words, are they? They're not empty and vain. His
prayers are effectual unto the Father. His prayers are always
prevailing unto God. His prayers are not empty. And
his mediatorial work as our great high priest is not empty or vain,
seeing we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God. Let us hold fast our profession,
for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of our infirmity, but was attempted in all points
like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need. His prayers are not in vain.
His mediatorial work as the advocate, intercessor, assurant to His
sacrifice, His priestly work is not in vain, is it? It's effectual. It's prevailing with God. What the Lord Jesus Christ decrees
shall be done. He said, I've spoken it, I've
purposed it, I'll bring it to pass, I will do it. Not one word that he speaks will
fall to the ground without all things being fulfilled. What
the Lord Jesus Christ has decreed from all eternity shall be accomplished. What the Lord Jesus Christ has
done for us by the way of obtaining perfect righteousness and obedience
before God, what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us by the
way of putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, shall be
accepted unto God the Father. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be God satisfied. satisfied with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, believers are satisfied
with what Christ has done and what Christ has given, but it's
not our estimation of His work that we're satisfied that makes
His work effectual, is it? It's not what my opinion, well
my opinion is that His work is satisfactory. It's that he satisfied
God. He didn't die to satisfy us.
Did he? He died to satisfy God. He shall
see the travail of his soul when it pleased God to bruise him
in our room and our stead. He shall see the travail of his
soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquity. The pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. That's Psalm of Isaiah 53. Thank
God that every believer trusting Him can with confidence, in faith,
without presumption, say that we are accepted in the Beloved. Now I can say that without presumption.
Because I trust Him. He's given me faith to believe
Him, to look to Him, to trust Him. We have no confidence in
the flesh, do we? But we have great confidence
in Him. We are accepted in the Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are accepted in the Beloved,
in our head, in our mediator, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, it says in Ephesians chapter 1. Everything the Father
has done, in election, in unconditional mercy, to the praise of the glory
of His grace, everything the Son has done, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches
of His grace, to the praise of the glory of His grace, And all
that God the Holy Spirit does in quickening and calling and
converting and convincing, He does all to the praise of the
glory of God's grace. Neither, he says in verse 20
now, John 17. I want to look at verse 21, 22,
and 23. Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also, which shall believe on me through their preaching. Our Lord prays for us eternally,
and in time, because He prays for us eternally and stands for
us as a surety of the covenant eternally, in time He brings
the gospel to us and causes us to see Him, to believe Him, and
to love Him through the preaching of the gospel. Now, it's just
not the mechanics of preaching. There are certain mechanics in
preaching. It's not the mechanics, the mere mechanical aspect of
preaching. It is the message of preaching
Christ and Him crucified that God uses to call out His people,
to cause them to love Him, to see Him. He grants and gives
them understanding to embrace Him, to receive Him, and it's
all according to His purpose and grace. Here's purpose and
grace. I love that testimony of the
Apostle Paul. As he sits in a Roman dungeon
and writes back to his young preacher friend, Timothy, he
said, remember Timothy, don't be ashamed of me nor of my gospel
for it's God who called us and saved us with a holy calling
Not according to our works, but according to God's own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, His purpose,
His grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of
the world. You see, to the believer, Christ
is just not something. He's everything. Christ is all
and in all. They do believe on Christ through
the Word of Truth. of his own will begat he us with
the word, with the word, with the word of truth, that, you
see verse 21, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art
in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me. that they may know through
the preaching of the gospel, by the revelation of God the
Holy Spirit, that Christ and his people are indeed one. They are one. Now there is a
perfect, everlasting unity and oneness between the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, right? They are one. that is infinitely
above any union among men, and a oneness between God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit that is beyond our finite
understanding. How can three be one and one
be three? But this is what the Scriptures
teach, 1 John 5, 7, through faith we understand. For there are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Spirit, and these three are Now we believe that. That's what we believe when we
say we believe the gospel. There is that oneness within
the Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but there's also
a blessed union and oneness between the Lord Jesus Christ and His
church, His body. He is the head of the church
and we are His body. Now let's see if we can find
that in Scripture. Turn over to Ephesians chapter
1. Ephesians chapter 1. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
head of the body and we are members of that body. Ephesians chapter
1, look at verse 19. What is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us who believe according to the working of his
mighty power. Faith is according to the working
of His mighty power, the gift of God, which He wrought in Christ,
when it raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right
hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this world, but also in that which is to come, and
has put all things under His feet." Remember the Father loved
the Son, given all things unto Him, and gave Him to be head
over all things to the church, he's the head, which is his body. The church is his body. He loved
the church and gave himself for it. God bought us with his own
blood, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth
all in all. He is the head, we are the body. Now turn to Ephesians chapter
5. Ephesians chapter 5 we considered that verse in Ephesians 5 Turn
over there and let me read this to you first Corinthians chapter
12 while you're turning to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 25 Here's what
we read in 1st Corinthians chapter 12 for as the body is one and
have many members all members of that one body being many are
one body now talking about our natural body we have we have
one body but we have many members hand, feet, arms, legs so forth
but we're one body being many are one body so also is Christ
for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body whether
we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have
all been made to drink one spirit. The body is not one member, but
many. We are one in Christ. He is our head. Now I read this
last week, Ephesians 5. Verse 25, 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
the 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 without blemish. So ought men to love
their wives as their own bodies. See, the husband is the head
of the wife. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." She is
part of him. So ought men to love their wives
as their own body. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes
it and cherishes it, even as the Lord his church, his body. For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, of his bones. For this cause shall man leave
his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and
the two shall be one, This is a great mystery, but I speak
concerning Christ and His church, that they all may be one as we
are one. Back to the text, John 17. That
they all may be one as our Father art in me, and I in thee, that
they also may be one in us." We are one with God in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the head, we are the body.
Now, as I've often said to you over these 20 years that I've
stood here and tried to preach the gospel to you, what is true
of the head is true of the body. Where the head is, That's where
the body is. Now that's true of us. Naturally
speaking, where my head goes, that's where my body goes. And
what is true of this head is true of this body. And that is
true spiritually, too. What is true of Christ, our head,
is true of Christ, His body. As He is sanctified, we are sanctified
in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
covenant head. We are His covenant people. We
are by his own arrangement, vitally united in the Lord Jesus Christ,
vitally united in the Lord Jesus Christ from all eternity. He
is our sherbeti. He is our germenter. He is our
mediator. We are vitally, we read in Romans
5, and we'll go back and look at this again, we are vitally
joined to Adam, right? Now, unless you descended from
a monkey, Unless you believe in evolution, you are vitally
connected to Adam's race. Right? We all issued from Adam's
loin. We are vitally joined to Adam.
To his sin, to his fall, to his disobedience. What he did, we
did. When he stood, we stood. When
he sinned, we sinned. By representation. In Adam, all
sinned. Turn back to Romans 5. Let's
read it one more time. Romans 5.12. We see this blessed
truth, Bible doctrine of representation. Romans 5.12. Wherefore, as by
one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death
passed upon all, in that all hath sinned. It says over here
in verse 21, that as sin hath reigned unto death. So we are vitally united to Adam,
his sin, his fall, what he did, we did. And we are also, that
is, believers are, vitally joined to the second Adam, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Paul, when he writes about this
in 1 Corinthians 15, let's turn there, hold your place there
in Romans 5, and let's turn over there to 1 Corinthians 15, and
let's take a look at this right here. First Corinthians 15, you hold
your place there in Romans 5, we're gonna go back there in
just a minute. Look at verse 21, First Corinthians
15, 21. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection of the dead, by man came death. Now who are we talking about
here? Adam, a representative man. By man came also the resurrection
of the dead, that is, He was delivered for our offenses and
raised again for our justification, for as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive." In Him. But every man
in his own order, Christ the first fruit, afterward they that
are Christ at his coming. So we are vitally joined, all
men everywhere are vitally connected to Adam's fall, Adam's sin, Adam's
guilt, been reckoned, imputed and charged to all men everywhere
without exception. We are also His covenant people
and believers are vitally united to the Lord Jesus Christ. For
by one man disobedient, turn back to Romans 5.19. Let's begin
reading at verse 17. for by one man's offense death
reigned by one. Much more, they which receive
abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one." The Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the
offense of one judgment came upon all men the condemnation,
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon
all men unto justification." That is all for whom Christ represents. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many,
or thee many, be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord." Now listen to me carefully here,
I want you to get this. We fell in a representative man. That's
true. That's so. We sinned in a representative
man. We became guilty in Adam, our
representative, the first man, as of the earth, earthy. Sin,
guilt, death, imputed, and death reign because of his sin. Adam's sin is imputed unto all
men without exception. Now thank God that's not the
end of the story. We are also raised in a representative
man. We fell in a representative man.
We are raised in a representative man. The second man and that
is the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are raised the
same way we fell only in a different man." Now did you get that? We're
raised in the same way we fell, only in a different man, the
God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, salvation's of the Lord. It's His obedience, it's His
righteousness, it's His faithfulness, not ours. Salvation is always
determined, dependent, and accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. What
He did, we did. Aren't you glad you have a representative
man? Aren't you glad you're just not left to yourself and Adam?
We have a representative man. What he did, we did. His perfect obedience and life
has been imputed and encountered to every one of his covenant
people. Blessed is the man whom the Lord imputeth righteousness
without works. When the Lord Jesus Christ honored
the law of God, He said, I didn't come to destroy the law, I came
to honor it. Now, believers aren't going about
to establish a righteousness of their own because Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. You
see, what the Lord Jesus Christ did when he honored the law of
God? You're looking at a sinner here who has honored the law
of God. In every precept of that law, every 800 precepts of that
law, I have magnified and exalted the law of God. How? In my representative
man. I'm vitally united and connected
to the Lord Jesus Christ. What he did, I did. Secondly, when the Lord Jesus
Christ died under the judgment of sin, we were crucified with
Him. You see, when he lived, we lived. When he's obedient, we were obedient.
When he died, we died. Can we find that in scripture?
I think so. Find Galatians chapter 2. Galatians
chapter 2. Look at verse 20. For though through the law I
am dead to the law, that I might live unto God, verse 20, I am
crucified with Christ. Now how can that be? I'm crucified with Christ. How
can that be? Representatively, in my head, my federal head,
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. It doesn't
say by my faith. the faith of the Son of God who
loved me and gave himself for me." Paul said, this is one of
my favorite verses, "...I do not frustrate the grace of God,
for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain." You see, when he died, I died. The law has already taken
its full penalty against us. Now I can illustrate that very
easily for you. If you're convicted by the laws of the state of Kentucky
of a capital crime of murder in the first degree, the law
of the state of Kentucky says the guilty must die. Now when the law of the state
of Kentucky executes that man and he dies in however they kill
him, lethal injection I guess, but when he is dead, does the
law of the state of Kentucky have any more claim on that man? It's satisfied. It's satisfied. That's exactly what the Lord
Jesus Christ did for us. The law says the guilty must
die. I've already been executed. in Christ. I'm crucified with
Him. The law, what's your position
on the law? Dead. Dead to the law through
the body of Christ. I'm crucified with Christ. Now,
what He did, we did. When He honored the law, we honored
the law. When the Lord Jesus Christ died in the judgment of
our sin, we died in Him. Crucified with Christ. When He
was raised from the dead, uh-oh, when He was raised from the dead,
He got up not as a private man. You see, He came not as a private
man. He came as a public man, representing a covenant people.
When He died, He died as a public man for His people. When He arose
the third day, guess what? We arose in Him. Delivered for
our justification. Raised again. Delivered for our
offenses, rather. Raised again for our justification.
It says over here, let's find Ephesians chapter 2. Says over
here in verse 4 of Ephesians 2. Find Ephesians 2 verse 4. But God who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
are you saved, raised us up together, made us sit together in the heavenlies
in Christ Jesus. Now get a hold of that. Raised
us up together. made us to sit together in the
heavenlies places in Christ. Wait a minute, wait a minute.
What is that saying? That's saying what's true of
the head is true of the body. Where he is, we are. We're raised
up together, we're seated in the heavenlies in the Lord Jesus
Christ right now. Right. The forerunner for us
has entered and He is seated in the heavenlies and we're seated
in Him. "...raised us up together, that
in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of
His grace and His kindness toward us through the Lord Jesus Christ."
You see, what He did, we did. When He died, we died. When He
was raised from the grave, we were raised up with Him. When
Christ ascended to glory, we ascended in Him. And we are seated
in Him. Now, get a hold of this. This vital and eternal union
with Christ forms the basis the ground from which all covenant
blessings flow unto His church, is because we're chosen in Him
from all eternity, that we enjoy the blessings of redemption in
time. He is a true vine. We derive
fruitfulness from the union with the true vine. This union is
the foundation of our salvation. Now aren't you glad you have
a representative man? The Lord Jesus Christ severed
from the vine, severed from Christ, and apart from Christ, what do
we have? Judgment, condemnation, sin,
and death. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Him. He is divine. We are the branches. He said, without me, you can... I believe there's an article
in the Bulletin today by Brother Fortner on that verse, John 15,
5. Without me, you can do nothing. He's everything. The Lord Jesus
Christ is everything. That they all may be one. Look
back at John 17, 21. That they all may be one as thou
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Reconciled unto God. So dear,
so dear, very dear I cannot be in the person of His Son, I'm
as dear as He, I'm as near as He, that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent me." Now watch this, "...that they all may be one,
as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may
be one in us." We're not only one with Him, we are one with
another. We call each other brother or
sister. Why? We're members of His family. There is also among His people
a blessed oneness. We are members one of another. All believers are one in Christ. You're my brother. You're my
sister in the Lord. We are one family, one body in
Christ Jesus. Now, I've been a few places. I've been to a few churches,
grace churches, and I've preached the gospel to a lot of folks
I've never met before. There is a kindness and a kindness
and a oneness between God's people wherever you meet them. There
is that kinship. There is that fellowship. There
is that unity among believers. Brother Cody, Elizabeth went
down to Louisville several years ago when you went to school.
And that group of believers down there, did you have any trouble
fitting in? Fit right in. He said believers,
no matter where God's people are, in Louisville, or Lexington,
or Kingsport, or Danville, or here at Debulon, wherever they
go, they're one. We're members one of another.
We are, believers are, made sons of God by His grace. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called sons
of God. Believers love Him, and because
they love Him, you know what? They love one another! I mean,
they love one another! We're made sons of God by His
grace. I had on the radio program this morning, Behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
sons of God. We're born of the same Spirit.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. We're born of the same Holy Spirit,
John 3, 6. We belong to the same household.
We have the same husband, the same head, we belong to the same
household. Don't turn, let me just get this
for you. This is Ephesians chapter 2, I believe it is. Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 19 where it says, Now therefore you are no more
strangers and foreigners, but with your fellow citizens, with
the saints, and of the household of God. We are of His household,
adopted into His family, made sons of God. made sons of God
by His grace, His choice, born of the same Spirit, belong to
the same household, were cleansed by the same blood atonement of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We are one in Him. And we're
members one of another because what He has done for us. We're
made new creatures in Christ Jesus. We're all kept by the
same power of God. We're one with Him. and were
members one of another in that body in Christ Jesus. Now look at verse 22. I'm gonna
have to quit with verse 22. We're gonna save verse 23 for
next week. I in them, thou in me, that they
may be made, that they may be made perfect, perfect, perfect,
perfect in one. Now look at verse 22. And the
glory which thou gavest me, I've given them, that they may be
one, even as we are one, one in Him." Now look at verse 10,
John 17 verse 10, all mine are thine, thine are mine, and I'm
glorified in them. this glory that the Lord Jesus
Christ praise for and the righteous father gives us in salvation
is the glory of gospel blessing revealed unto us in the Lord
Jesus Christ now turn back to Matthew 11 Matthew 11 Matthew
11 verse 25 he said I have given them. I have given
them. What does he give us? All things,
complete in Christ. Matthew 11, look at verse 25.
At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, "'because thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent, "'and hast revealed them unto babes. "'Even so, father, for so it
seems good in thy sight. "'All things are delivered unto
me and my father, "'and no man knoweth the son but the father,
"'neither knoweth any man the father, "'save the son to he
to whomsoever the son will reveal him.'" Sovereign mercy, sovereign
grace. Turn to Matthew 16. This glory,
this redemptive glory of God shines in the face of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We read in Colossians 1 verse
27 that Christ in you is a hope of glory. In Matthew 16 verse
13, When Jesus came in the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He asked
His disciples, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And
they said, Some say thou art John the Baptist, some Elijah,
or other Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. And he said unto
them, But whom say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. The glory which thou gavest me
I have given them." It's His redemptive glory. Christ in you,
the hope of glory. When Moses asked the Lord, Lord
show me your glory, you remember that? Exodus 33. The Lord said,
I will make all my goodness pass before thee. I proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious. I will show mercy on whom I will
show mercy. The redemptive glory of God's
mercy, love, and grace are only revealed and shine in the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the glory which thou gavest me, I've given unto
them a gift of his grace." The redemptive glory of God's mercy,
God's love, God's grace are revealed unto us in and by and through
the Lord Jesus Christ. And every believer, verse 23,
I in them, thou in me, that they may be made perfect, perfect
in one that the world may know, believe that thou hast sent me,
and hast loved them as thou hast loved me.